DNA Genealogy Test: Basic Concepts

A DNA genealogy test can greatly advance anyone's effort to trace an ancestral line. A DNA genealogy test works it magic by making use of the genetic information -- DNA -- embedded in every cell of the body. The nucleus inside the cell holds the DNA or chromosomal DNA that consists of Y chromosomal DNA, X chromosomal DNA, and autosomal DNA. The external part of the nucleus holds mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The autosomal DNA comes from both the mother and the father, Y chromosome is inherited by a son from his father, and mtDNA comes from the mother only. The key thing is that the DNA within each cell contains a record of the genetic mutations that have taken place and have been passed on from one generation to the next. By examining various "markers", a DNA genealogy test can determine whether two people are decended from the same genetic line. At the same time, the markers found in a particular DNA sample can be compared to databases that summarize genetic characterisitcs of groups of people in other parts of the world. This comparison gives one insight into the ethnic background and country of orgin from which a family is descended. This is the truly exciting part of a DNA genealogy test.