| The use of DNA testing for determining a | | | | Database |
| person's ancestry is becoming more and common. | | | | However, can this really be effective at tracing |
| By linking your maternal DNA (mitochondrial DNA) | | | | family lines? How can they tell you who you're |
| and your paternal DNA (the y-chromosome), | | | | related to throughout history? Some online |
| these ancestry databases are effectively able to | | | | ancestry websites create a database of DNA |
| link you to other people to whom you may be | | | | against which your can be matched. By taking a |
| related and thereby determining to some degree | | | | simple mouth swab and run the DNA tests, they |
| your ancestral lineage and where your ancestors | | | | then save the DNA profile that is collected. |
| came from. | | | | However, the key is for them to continuously |
| DNA Ancestry Testing - Y-Chromosome and | | | | compare other people's DNA profiles to what |
| Mitochondial DNA | | | | your profile is. In essence, this will create a |
| The first thing that genealogists look for is a | | | | massive database that will determine instantly if a |
| father-to-son linkage, tracked down the Y | | | | piece of code is a direct comparison to yours. So, |
| chromosome which only men posses. Therefore, | | | | as the database grows more and more, more |
| they are able to observe the Y chromosome that | | | | and more relatives and ancestors can be |
| appears in other people and compare them, to | | | | discovered for more and more people. |
| determine where a paternal link may be present. | | | | DNA Ancestry Testing - Determine geographical |
| This comparison, in essence, allows for the | | | | ancestry |
| genealogist to try and find paternal linkages | | | | Furthermore, these DNA tests are able to help |
| amongst people. The other thing that can be done | | | | you find out where you come from. It's argued |
| is to link maternal DNA. This in particular is a very | | | | that 170,000 years ago, humans left Africa and |
| powerful testing method that allows for accurate | | | | migrated elsewhere across the globe. Some went |
| tracking back over many generations because of | | | | to Europe, some went to southern Africa, while |
| the mitochondria. | | | | others went to Asia to settle. By comparing the |
| Unlike DNA found in the nucleus, which can be | | | | DNA profile of a person to that of researched |
| altered and changes as environments change, | | | | ethnic groups, it is possible to provide information |
| mitochondrial DNA is a direct connection from child | | | | about where people are from. |
| to mother that can't be altered along the way. By | | | | DNA testing has become a very useful method |
| taking a sample of the mitochondrial DNA, which is | | | | for people to find long lost relatives. Furthermore, |
| different than the DNA found in the nucleus, the | | | | the argument of the true nature of one's ethnic |
| genealogist can determine a maternal linkage. By | | | | origins can finally be resolved by DNA testing |
| taking this information, they can, once again, find, | | | | processes. Of course, as the databases grow and |
| perhaps those long lost cousins or celebrity | | | | more research is conducted on, the usefulness of |
| ancestors. | | | | these types of tests will increase greatly. |
| DNA Ancestry Testing - Matching to a DNA | | | | |