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Posts Tagged ‘Y-DNA’

The genealogical DNA test that is readily available for any one to take has been refined over the years to give accurate and informative information about the ancestral past of the subject. Because of the popularity of this kind of test, the prices have decreased in recent years making the availability of even more results and family lines available for genealogist to use in their work.

The simplicity of the test makes it possible for most anyone to take the sample at their home. This helps to avoid an unnecessary expense of traveling to a certified laboratory and having a technician take the sample.

A sample is taken by rubbing a cotton swab, or a provided paddle type scraper, on a person’s cheek inside the mouth. This collects numerous cells that contains the DNA. This sampling technique is the simplest that can be used. The only decision a person needs to make is how thorough of a test that is to be conducted should be. The more markers that are identified, the more information can be discovered.

There are two distinctly different tests that can be conducted. The Y DNA is for the father’s lineage while the mtDNA is from the mother lineage. With the Y DNA, there are repeating nucleotides that are called Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) that are identified. There are over 100 of these present but the maximum testing usually only contains 67 of them for thorough results.

With mtDNA, the Single Nucleotides Polymorphisms (SNPs) are tested. These are passed down from every mother to her children without mutations. This is a stable DNA that can be traced back in time to which Haplogroup a person originates from. The basic test involves 12 markers but just like the Y DNA, up to 67 markers can be identified and used for analysis.

Depending on the thoroughness of the desired results, a genealogical DNA test can range in cost from just under $100 up to $700. The choice is that of the person desiring the results.

The DNA ancestry project of your family is the name that is generally used when a family member traces back their lineage by genetic means. Before the advent of DNA testing, when a person wanted to know about their past, they would usually start by interviewing the elder members of the family.

Families usually have one member that is like the unofficial historian of the clan. This member would be the recipient of the old newspaper articles and other clippings of events in which family members were involved.

With the discovery of DNA testing and the ease at which a person and family can utilize it now, since the costs have dramatically decreased in recent years, the search of a family’s past has been made significantly easier.

By having your family tree traced back through both the Y DNA and the mtDNA lines, a person would be able to locate the areas where their family lived in past years. With the use of the surname data bases that are on most DNA ancestral sites, it is much easier to find out pertinent information about past members of your family.

Some searches lead to more information than others, but one fact has been found out about all of the humans that are living in the modern age. We all came from Africa and a common ancestor about 65,000 years ago. It’s the path from then till present day that tells the story of a family. This is what the study of the genealogy of your family can tell you.

By knowing your past relatives, you will know more about yourself and why you live where you do. This is what a family DNA ancestry project can bring you and your other family members.

This is where you can take the simple, pain free, DNA ANCESTRY PROJECT

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.