For those who’ve read Greg Egan‘s marvellous short story “Mitochondrial Eve”, I’ve got an old news report for you! Check this out: it seems that studies apparently show a high level of correlation between patrilineal surnames and patrilineal Y-chromosomes, meaning that at least in Britain, marital infidelity resulting in illegitemate conceptions may have been far less common than previously believed, at least in the last millennium. And just as Y-chromosomes can be used within men, mitochondrial DNA can be used to check matrilineal genetic inheritance. They’re even thinking of starting a business for people who want to check out their own DNA/name correspondence for themselves.