Difference between revisions of "DNA Basics"
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* To find biological relatives of an adopted person | * To find biological relatives of an adopted person | ||
* To learn where traits came from | * To learn where traits came from | ||
Types of DNA | |||
* Y-chromosome (Y-DNA) - Male ancestors only. Not passed to daughters. | |||
* Mitochondrial (mtDNA) – carried by Female ancestors only, but passed to sons. | |||
* Autosomal - both male and female ancestors. Autosomal DNA is the most common kind and is the DNA test that lets you most easily find your genetic origins and cousins. | |||
Testing Companies | |||
* AncestryDNA | |||
* 23andme | |||
* Family Tree DNA | |||
* Living DNA | |||
* MyHeritageDNA | |||
* GEDmatch | |||
DNA tests can have surprise results. | |||
* You might find you have a half-sibling that you never knew about. An affair, perhaps? | |||
* You might find you or someone in your family was adopted. | |||
* You might find ethnic origins that nobody ever knew. Your great-grandma might not have had a clue as to her origin! | |||
DNA testing requires ethical considerations. | |||
* Before you handle someone else’s DNA results, start reading about ethics at https://bcgcertification.org/skillbuilding-the-ethics-of-dna-testing/. | |||
* At the very least, get permission to post DNA results or share on various web sites. | |||
* Consider who will be the custodian of DNA results for someone who passes on. | |||
Revision as of 10:33, 22 June 2021
Deoxyribonucleic acid (definition): a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
Why use DNA testing for genealogy?[1]
- To learn more about one’s ancestry
- To confirm one’s tree reflects ancestry
- To confirm relationship between two people
- To validate a theory of where people came from
- To break down a brick wall in research
- To find biological relatives of an adopted person
- To learn where traits came from
Types of DNA
- Y-chromosome (Y-DNA) - Male ancestors only. Not passed to daughters.
- Mitochondrial (mtDNA) – carried by Female ancestors only, but passed to sons.
- Autosomal - both male and female ancestors. Autosomal DNA is the most common kind and is the DNA test that lets you most easily find your genetic origins and cousins.
Testing Companies
- AncestryDNA
- 23andme
- Family Tree DNA
- Living DNA
- MyHeritageDNA
- GEDmatch
DNA tests can have surprise results.
- You might find you have a half-sibling that you never knew about. An affair, perhaps?
- You might find you or someone in your family was adopted.
- You might find ethnic origins that nobody ever knew. Your great-grandma might not have had a clue as to her origin!
DNA testing requires ethical considerations.
- Before you handle someone else’s DNA results, start reading about ethics at https://bcgcertification.org/skillbuilding-the-ethics-of-dna-testing/.
- At the very least, get permission to post DNA results or share on various web sites.
- Consider who will be the custodian of DNA results for someone who passes on.