DNA Paternity Tests

Advancements in DNA testing have made it a very useful tool in many areas of interest. We are all familiar with its use in criminal and paternal work, but it is also proving to be an incredible resource in genealogy research.

Genetic Genealogy

Genealogy has long been a part of our society and an avid hobby of many. Though rewarding, it can often prove to be quite frustrating to even the most experienced genealogist. Paper searches are time consuming and often lead to damaged and illegible documents. Genetic Genealogy is quickly solving these problems as a simple DNA test can provide speedy results that leave no question to their quality or authenticity. In addition to their validity, results from genetic genealogy also withstand the test of time. As opposed to paper records, the DNA records used for your genetic genealogy will not fade away or get damaged with time.
 

mtDNA Testing

You may be wondering what mtDNA testing is. The "mt" stands for mitochondrial, a term we won't go into too deeply, since the important fact is that mitochondrial DNA is inherited maternally. As such, mtDNA testing is used to trace a person's maternal heritage.

This is an important form of DNA testing as the majority of genealogists are females. Females often lose track of their maternal lines over time as they marry and have their surname changed. By going through mtDNA testing one can learn more about their maternal lineage.

Y Chromosome Testing

As many know Y chromosomes are passed on from father to son. What many don't know is that the Y chromosome is passed on virtually unchanged. This can be very useful in genetic genealogy and is the most used form of it. If someone suspects that they are a relative of a deceased man they can find out for sure through a simple DNA test. One simply needs to know of a direct ancestor of that man and then when both are tested, Y chromosomes can be compared and a match can be verified.

Genetic Genealogy is quickly becoming the future of Genealogy Research and will prove to be ever more useful with the passing of time.

About the Author

Kent Fairbourn is the Great Grandson of John A. Scorup (a member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame) and a Client Account Specialist for 10x Marketing, an Internet marketing company. Go now to Relative Genetics to learn more about Genetic Genealogy.