Genealogy DNA Testing: What’s it All About?

With genealogy DNA testing, a person or family can trace back their heritage or lineage to who their ancestors were

and where they came from.

The way this is accomplished is by examining the different nucleotides on the DNA sample and where they are

located on the strain.

Unlike other DNA testing results, this is for ancestral heritage only.

The DNA testing for medical purposes that include genetic diseases and disorders is not what this test will

uncover.

The testing of DNA for genealogy purposes involves identifying certain nucleotide markers from the current

sample with those in a historical database that contains ancestral populations from the distant past.

For males, both the father’s and

mother’s ancestral lines can be

explored, while for females, only their mother’s ancestors can be uncovered.

This is because males have both the Y DNA chromosome and the mt DNA

chromosome.

The Y chromosome is the genetic marker that is passed down from father to son and is unchanged.

This is the path that can be followed for both the surname ancestral path

and genetic markup.

If a female wishes to know their father’s lineage, a sample from their brother, father, uncle, or grandfather can trace back the Y chromosome line

of heritage.

In time, this genetic marker changes slightly so perfect matches over

thousands of years is unobtainable.

The mtDNA is the genetic marker every mother

passes down to their children.

This is for both males and females the woman gives birth to.

Unlike the Y DNA, the mtDNA does not change over time and perfect matches with samples thousands of years old is

very common.

This is a general description of the potential a person can expect when they have genealogy DNA testing done when looking into the past

history of their family.

Genealogical DNA Testing keeps advancing and now the latest types of

autosomal testing can even help discover your level of

Native American Ancestry.

Genealogy DNA Testing: What’s it All About?