DNA

DNA

You can learn a lot about yourself from your DNA.

What side of the family do you inherit more from?

How much of your grandfather is passed on to you? In addition, did you get any of your mother’s Irish side of the family?

DNA tests are a great option for those who know very little or nothing about their biological family.

Ever wonder what part of the world your family came from? A DNA test can tell you this in addition it will also tell you the percentage you take after each parent.

The right type of DNA test might give you matches to your living cousins. These cousins could know family stories or have pictures you have never heard.

Above all, you’ll never know what you are missing until you investigate further.

Types of Genetic Testing.

A genealogical DNA test looks at specific locations of a person’s genome, in order to find or verify their ancestral relationship genetically, or to estimate the ethnic mixture of an individual as part of genetic genealogy.

There are many different DNA testing companies and they all use different ethnic reference groups and different matching algorithms. Therefore, these ethnicity estimates for an individual will vary somewhat between tests. This is why some tests done on the same person at different companies come back with different results.

There are basically three types of tests used for genealogy today.

Y Chromosome

This is a genealogical DNA test for men that is used to determine the patrilineal line. In other words, his direct father’s line in ancestry. The male’s Y chromosome is passed down from father to son, virtually unchanged from generation to generation.

Mitochondrial DNA

A mitochondrial DNA test is used to test the mother line or matrilineal line in ancestry. This test can be used on both men and women, as your mother passes mt-DNA on to all her children, but only females then pass it on.

Autosomal

An autosomal DNA test is a test that contains the segments of DNA a person shares with everyone they are related to. Both maternally and paternally and directly and indirectly. Most commonly referred to as the cousin test.