Dr Ugo Perego tests the most pressing Mormon DNA claims. Did Joseph Smith have secret children from his plural marriages? What really triggered the Mountain Meadows Massacre? And does Native American DNA align with the Book of Mormon?
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Gospel Tangents
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In this fascinating throwback episode of Gospel Tangents, we sit down with Dr. Ugo Perego, a leading expert in population genetics and Mormon DNA. Dr. Perego shares the incredible results of his decades-long research, including the reconstruction of Joseph Smith’s Y-chromosome which revealed his unexpected Irish ancestry. He also details the massive 15-year scientific quest to solve the 150-year-old mystery of whether Josephine Lyon was Joseph’s biological daughter.
The conversation then dives into the dark history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Dr. Perego explores the chilling theory that an anthrax outbreak from infected cattle may have escalated the tragic violence. He also shares how mitochondrial DNA testing finally identified the true parentage of a rumored secret “18th surviving child” of the massacre. Finally, Dr. Perego breaks down the science of Native American DNA, explaining the ancient Bering Strait migration and debunking the genetic claims of “Heartland” Book of Mormon geography theorists.
0:00 Chapter 1: Introduction & Meet Dr. Ugo Perego Dr. Perego discusses his background, his 12 years of work building genetic databases, and his PhD research on Native American DNA origins.
14:10 Chapter 2: DNA Basics: Why Siblings Have Different Ancestry Results A brief dive into how genetics work, explaining why siblings can take DNA tests and receive different ancestral percentage breakdowns.
22:31 Chapter 3: Did Joseph Smith Have Children with Plural Wives? Dr. Perego introduces his efforts to use Y-chromosome testing to determine if Joseph Smith had any children from his polygamous marriages, finding no genetic matches among suspected sons.
Chapter 4: The Shocking Irish Connection While attempting to reconstruct Joseph Smith’s Y-chromosome, Dr. Perego discovers that Joseph Smith’s early American ancestor carried an indigenous Irish Y-chromosome, not English.
44:56 Chapter 5: Solving the Josephine Lyon Mystery Dr. Perego details the massive $20,000 project to test the DNA of Josephine Lyon, finally proving she was the biological daughter of Windsor Lyon, not Joseph Smith.
1:00:22 Chapter 6: Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Secret “18th Child” The conversation shifts to a 150-year-old rumor about a secret 18th surviving child of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a mystery finally solved using maternal DNA.
1:11:09 Chapter 7: Did Anthrax Escalate the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Dr. Perego explores the theory that local cattle given to Native Americans were actually infected with anthrax, sparking deadly tensions just days before the massacre.
Chapter 8: Biblical Literalism, Pre-Adamites, & Evolution A discussion on the Church’s neutral stance regarding evolution and the literal interpretation of Genesis, including how incoming populations genetically mix with older, established populations.
1:29:41 Chapter 9: Book of Mormon DNA & The Bering Strait Migration Dr. Perego breaks down the science of Native American DNA, explaining why Lehi’s small group of Middle Eastern immigrants would have seen their DNA “swallowed up” after intermarrying with indigenous people.
1:58:21 Chapter 10: The Lemba Tribe, European DNA, & The “Heartland” Theory An examination of how isolated genes behave and a heavy critique of “Heartland” geography theorists who misuse “X2a” DNA lineages to claim proof of Middle Eastern Book of Mormon DNA.
2:14:56 Chapter 11: The Gospel Topics Essays & Book of Mormon Geography Dr. Perego shares his experience acting as the lead author behind the LDS Church’s Gospel Topics essay on DNA and concludes by sharing his personal thoughts on a Central American Book of Mormon geography model.
Copyright © 2026
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
What do you think of all these DNA tests?
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