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Your ancestry by DNA is available with a few hundred dollars, four weeks and a simple cheek swab.  Finding ancestors via a genetic highway to the past is the most exciting breakthrough in the field of genetic research in decades.

The process begins with a kit from a laboratory that tests DNA and establishes a database for comparison.  The kit includes a plastic scraper which painlessly scrapes off loose cells in the lining of the check called buccal cells.  These cells contain the building blocks of life called DNA.

It only takes a few seconds and does not break the skin or cause any pain.  You place the sample into the tube that is provided in your kit and you send it to the pre-addressed envelope.

When the lab brings in the sample, workers will separate your cells from the plastic swab by use of unique buffers to suspend the cells in a sterile liquid.  In a series of washes the cells are purified and isolated further through a high speed spinning process called centrifugation.    This step occurs several times to create a pure DNA sample, separate from all other matter in the liquid transport.

The next step in the process is called “lysis” in which cells are heated to such a degree that the cell membrane breaks open.  Once the cell is breached the DNA leaches into the solution.  This is when the matching with other individuals occurs.

In a process called PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, DNA strands get separated, are combined with primers specific to each Y-chromosome and are annealed or stuck to the DNA strands.  Over the course of several repetitions, another chemical process takes place that amplifies Y-chromosome markers of interest to the researchers.

From here scientists can unlock the mysteries of ancestry by DNA and “unite” you with your ancestors in just a matter of hours.

Update: News from Family Tree DNA explains how now you may locate other family members in your family tree from internal branches, not just your direct paternal or maternal lines. It is explained in the following video at: Family Finder

Genealogists turn to ancestral DNA testing to answer questions that historical records alone cannot.  All people of the world have DNA so it makes sense they would form a large information base about the evolution of humans.

It isn’t necessary to test every member of a family to learn their origins.  Women carry mtDNA because they lack the Y chromosome that men have to determine the male gender.  Brothers and sisters share the same mtDNA and brothers share the same Y DNA.   MtDNA yields information about the maternal line of a family.  Mt is short for mitochondria present in both men and women.  Y DNA tests the paternal line.

Here is what you can learn from a DNA test for ancestry:

Do your ancestors originate from Europe, or the farmers from the Middle East?  Europeans came from seven maternal clans and your DNA can spot the markers that show the specific area of Europe where your mother’s family originated.

Even if you are Caucasian you may discover a bloodline that points to Africa and the oldest human population from 100,000 years ago.  Some of the early tribes are the Bantu, Ibo and Kung.

Native Americans are predominately from four clans which migrated from the Old World.  Native Americans today seek to know which modern tribe they are from and DNA evidence of early tribal migration narrows the focus of an otherwise broad population sample.

Some families today are conducting surname projects to learn the origin of their last name.   Whether the name is Jones or Andrianopoulos, families want to know who they are related to around the world.

The human race has been mixing since it evolved in Africa 150,000 years ago.  You may find identifying markers from several groups that don’t seem connected because of the constant evolution of families.  If you’re looking for many answers to specific questions, proceed with ancestral DNA testing with an open mind.  Collectively the more people that do have genealogy DNA testing performed will help to grow the database for the overall study.

The most common ancestry DNA test is the Y-DNA and the mtDNA test.  Using the genetic information in these tests, you can answer questions about your long-ago history that your grandparents and historical documents can’t provide.

There are 100 labs worldwide that collect DNA material for genetic testing. All tests are basically the same.  They require a swab of the inside of your cheek and use it to establish a database of comparison.

The Y-DNA test will establish the direct line ancestry of your father since only males have a Y chromosome.  It passes unchanged from father to son and beyond.   Laboratories compare the analysis of samples among men and to find out how far back they must go to discover a common ancestor.   That is how families learn who among those with the same surname are related to them.   In fact, some families have ongoing surname projects where various family members submit Y-DNA samples to discover other people with the same surname who are indeed related.

Woman do not have Y chromosomes so their X chromosomes are reliable only in determining their mother’s maternal ancestral line.  Women who wish to know more about their paternal ancestry must request cooperation for a sample from their father, uncle, brother, paternal grandfather or cousin who shares the same surname as the father.

Once in the lab, workers look for various markers along the Y-DNA strand.  The more markers, the more accurate the results of one’s ancestry.  The Genographic Project is looking at 12 markers; however surname projects and most laboratories look for 25 markers or more.

Once the markers are compared, workers can suggest a haplogroup, or genetic population.  Haplogroups are ancient clans that migrated across the globe from Africa.

Genetic testing can determine what percentage of a person is European, Asian, Native American or Sub-Saharan African, making an ancestry DNA test the most revealing test one can take.