DNA data offers scientific look at 500 years of extramarital sex in Western Europe

KU Leuven researchers combined DNA data with long-term genealogical records to explore questions of biological fatherhood in Western Europe over the last 500 years. These days, it's easy to resolve questions about paternity with over-the-counter test kits. Now, KU Leuven researchers have put DNA evidence together with long-term genealogical data to explore similar questions of biological fatherhood on a broad scale among people living in parts of Western Europe over the last 500 years. The findings yielded some surprises. While the number of so-called extra-pair paternity (EPP) events overall was (not surprisingly) fairly low, their frequency varied considerably among people depending on their circumstances. Specifically, evidence of EPP turned up much more often in people of lower socioeconomic status who lived in densely populated cities in the 19th century. Social circumstances.