There are many types of DNA tests and genetic analyses. In fact, there are so many categories that some even have subcategories, like genealogical DNA tests.
These tests encompass all genetic analyses aimed at providing information about a person’s family history and lineage. This includes tests that help create a person’s family tree to those that establish an individual’s ethnic mix.
Where does the information from our genetic tests come from?
Depending on the analysis’s objective, some regions of the genome are more relevant than others. The main regions studied can be classified into:
- Autosomal DNA is the most commonly analyzed. It is the DNA found in autosomal chromosomes, which are chromosome pairs from 1 to 22. All non-sex chromosomes are autosomal, meaning these DNA tests provide vast amounts of information. They are the best for identifying relationships and learning about a person.
- Mitochondrial DNA is analyzed to establish the maternal lineage or haplogroup. Mitochondrial DNA is almost always entirely passed down by the mother, although there have been exceptional cases of mixed inheritance. However, in these cases, maternal mitochondria are more abundant. This means the mother’s mitochondrial DNA is still the most abundant. The idea is to use this genetic material to uncover the maternal family history, going back from mother to mother.
- Y chromosome DNA is analyzed to establish the paternal lineage or haplogroup. The Y chromosome is only transmitted to males. The good thing about this fact is that, similar to mitochondrial DNA, it allows us to trace history from father to father. The downside is that women do not have it, so they cannot undergo this test. A woman who wants to know her paternal haplogroup needs her father or brothers (if she has them) to take the test. Her children would not serve, as they would have their father’s Y chromosome, showing the family history of the other side.
Among autosomal analyses focused on the genealogy of a person, we have the so-called DNA tests of origins, ancestry, or ancestors.
Do you know where your genome comes from?
The shortest answer is your ancestors. The meaning of ancestor is a person from whom you are descended, your forebear. It is typically used to refer to a distant ancestor, not your parents or grandparents, even though they are technically ancestors.
It sounds odd, but it’s correct.
However, these DNA tests don’t focus on family relationships and genealogies but rather aim to establish the ethnicity and geographic origin of the person taking the test.
By analyzing genetic variants passed down from generation to generation, the goal is to trace ancestry and determine what proportion of your genome comes from specific populations and regions of the world.
However, it’s not a time travel experience in that magical and wonderful way that many people imagine. After all, it’s science, not magic.
To conduct these analyses, data from dozens of reference populations, composed of thousands of volunteers, is stored in databases.
When a person takes an ancestry DNA test, specific genetic variants are studied. These variants have been demonstrated, through previously approved and reviewed studies, to be characteristic of specific populations and/or geographic areas.
By comparing the variants detected in the user with those in reference populations in the databases, a comparison is made. The more variants a user shares with a particular population group, the higher the percentage of that ethnicity they are assumed to have.
Latest updates to our ancestry DNA test
We offer one of the best ancestry DNA tests on the market.
And it has just been updated to make it even more powerful.
From 53 ethnic groups previously included in our studies, we have added new groups, and others have been split into subcategories. We can now detect distinctions between subpopulations that previously escaped our ability.
Our users’ genomes are now compared to 93 distinct reference populations to assign their ethnic groups.
From Polish regions in Europe to Papua in Oceania, we find the genetic markers that tell the story of your ancestors and their movements, and we share this story with you in an easy-to-read report.
These modifications will also be reflected in the descriptions of the genetic populations and their geographical regions.
In these descriptions, you will not only learn about your ancestry but also about the historical changes in these regions and ethnicities that have led to the present day. And, indirectly, how they led to you.
As always, this massive update is provided at no extra cost.
You don’t have to pay any additional fees, sign up for an app, or request tools. We will update users’ accounts free of charge.
But if you don’t like your new results and feel the previous ones were more accurate, we understand your point of view.
You’ve probably been telling your friends that you’re completely Italian, only to find out you have 5% French in your results.
You can keep your previous ancestry data without any problems or conditions.
We handle everything.
All we ask from you is enthusiasm and the ability to be amazed.
If you don’t have your tellmeGen ancestry DNA test yet, but we have your curiosity, it’s the perfect option to help you get answers. Take the test to discover your past.
