# Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living…

> Still possible: Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living descendants.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/answers/ANS0D59K6XY3Z9T/only-a-minority-can-ever-be-identified-because-remains-are  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

---

[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition)[Who are the dead on King William Island?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/questions/QST0D59JZVC26S9/who-are-the-dead-on-king-william-island)Answer

Answer · Franklin expedition (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror)

# Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living…

Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living descendants.

**Still possible** Answers **1** questionDeduced0

## Where it stands

**Still possible** Its tests haven't settled it: one piece of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- The rate of new matches falls as the easily traced lines are used.

## What would rule it out

- A steady rate of new identifications across most crew.

## Evidence 1 for · none against

[The 2011 Greenwich study shows how uncertain identification is without DNA.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/evidence/EVD0D59K75R3E7D/the-2011-greenwich-study-shows-how-uncertain-identification)

Suggestive

FOR

## The questions it answers

[Who are the dead on King William Island?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/questions/QST0D59JZVC26S9/who-are-the-dead-on-king-william-island)

Part of [What did the survivors do after leaving the ships in April 1848?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/franklin-expedition/questions/QST0D59JZBR0PFJ/what-did-the-survivors-do-after-leaving-the-ships-in-april)

Most likelyMost can be identified by matching archaeological DNA to descendants traced by genealogy

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Only a minority can ever be identified, because remains are fragmentary and many lines have no living… [Answer ANS0D59K6XY3Z9T]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D59K6XY3Z9T
```

Key

**ANS** 0D59K6XY3Z9T

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Deduced

Version

1

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