I decided to participate in National Geographic's Genographic Project, which uses "cutting-edge genetic and computational technologies to analyze historical patterns in DNA from participants around the world to better understand our human genetic roots."
I submitted a sample of my DNA.
The reported results are separated into your maternal and paternal lines. This is my mother's branch:
After leaving Africa, this haplogroup headed north. It was gratifying to see the heavy density of these haplogroup markers in Scandinavia, since my mother's ancestry is traceable back to the Fjaerland Fjord in central Norway.
As my father's genetic ancestry was being revealed, I had a moment to wonder whether there had been some indiscretion on my mother's part...
... so I was pleased (but not surprised) to find the next subset in my father's gene pool had opted out of the trip to Southeast Asia and headed back West toward Europe...
... where the hottest spot for the genetic marker is in central Europe, corresponding to my father's German heritage.
This was an expensive undertaking (kit purchase information here), but in my view fully worth the cost just to satisfy my curiosity and in a tiny way to contribute to the pool of information being assembled.
Addendum: One reader has pointed out that "Women do not carry a Y chromosome, this test will not reveal direct paternal deep ancestry for female participants. Women will learn other information about their paternal side of the family, however. It still cost the same as for the men, however."
I've looked at this myself... just can't justify the $$.
ReplyDeleteWomen do not carry a Y chromosome, this test will not reveal direct paternal deep ancestry for female participants. Women will learn other information about their paternal side of the family, however. It still cost the same as for the men, however.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. I've added your comment to the post. Tx.
DeleteThat's why I was sneaky about it and bought it as a gift for my dad (and also me). You can get your direct paternal line Y info that way.
DeleteJust remember that your father's mitochondrial haplogroup (what they're calling "maternal line") comes from his mother, just as yours does, so you'll have different results.
DeleteFamilyTreeDNA is the go-to company for state-of-the-art haplogroup testing.
To get autosomal DNA testing (which gives equal amounts of info on both maternal and paternal sides and can even match you to relatives who have also tested), there are three companies which give more info than National Geographic's project, and all of them cost less:
Delete- Ancestry
- FamilyTreeDNA
- 23andMe (least number of SNPs tested of the three, but you get a general haplogroup designation)
Oh, I'm well aware. I just don't have much interest in my mom's side of the family.
DeleteI did both National Geographic (mitochondrial DNA) and FamilyTreeDNA, asomal. I am more Denisovan than Neanderthal. Interestingly enough, with known immigrants from Switzerland (mother's grandfather), France (Huguenots), Barvaria (remained Catholic) to Scotland during the Reformation, and everybody else English, Scots, or Welsh, with Family Tree I am 87% Central and Western European and only 13% British Isles. My oldest daughter got a really different result from Ancestry.com. As soon as I have some time, I'm going to do some serious research to see if I can reconcile these results, or determine which is correct.
ReplyDelete