DNA Testing
DNA testing can be a fun curiosity. DNA test results show the breakdown of your estimated ethnicity. You may think of your self as being of one particular ethnicity, but perhaps your genes tell a very different story. Regardless of whether your ancestors had been in a single country as far back as you have been able to track your family tree, or if your ancestors come from a variety of locations around the world, your ethnicity estimate is likely to contain a few surprises.
In addition to the curiosity aspect that DNA testing can offer, anyone that is serious about researching their family tree should at least consider DNA testing as part of their research process.
DNA testing can help to support the research that you have already done, or it can indicate that perhaps you have made a connection in your research that may not be quite accurate.
When using DNA testing, it is very helpful to test more than just yourself. It can be extremely useful to test your siblings, your parents, as well as your aunts and uncles (or in their absence, your cousins). The more relatives that you test, the more useful your DNA test results can be.
One of the most realistic risks involved in DNA testing is that you may find out that one (or both) of the people whom you think of as your parents or grandparents, are not actually related to you. I know of a number of instances where this has happened.
A common misconception is that DNA testing companies sequence your entire genome. This is actually not the case, as doing so could be an order of magnitude more expensive, without offering much in the way of any additional benefit. There is an average of roughly 10,000,000 (ten million) SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms - genetic markers in one's DNA) in the human genome. AncestryDNA looks at fewer than 700,000 SNPs. This represents less than 7% of your genome. At the same time, every time you leave a hair on the collar of your coat, or saliva in your glass in a restaurant, you are leaving 100% of your genome just lying around for the taking.
Save 15%! Order your AncestryDNA test kit for only $84! An AncestryDNA test kit normally costs $99, but if you click here to order your test kit, you will receive a 10% discount off of the usual price.
More than 1.4 million people have tested with AncestryDNA. Read more about AncestryDNA by clicking here.
You can also order your test kit from 23andMe by clicking here.
Making the most effective use of your DNA test results can a tedious and complex process. Contact Ancestors & Cousins for help with analyzing your DNA matches, and to effectively leverage your DNA testing for your genealogical research.