What_DNA_tells

About Y DNA -- The 12 marker Paternal Test (this can be taken by men only) However, women who are interested in their father's line, can have their fathers, brothers, male cousins, or paternal uncles take this test.

Question #1-- Am I related to another person with my same surname or do we just share the same surname by chance?

Question #2-- What part of the world did my father's ancestor, the first man to ever carry my my surname, come from before reaching Italy?

The Y DNA molecule that men carry in their cells is passed on from grandfather to father to son, virtually unchanged, over thousands of years. So the Y DNA that a male carries in his cells today, correlates with his distant paternal grandfather’s Y DNA thousands of years ago—and stores a history of the migration pattern and deep ethnic "roots" of this particular grandfather.

This Y DNA test will look at 12 specific locations on your Y DNA, and for each of these locations, the lab will tell you how many repeated segments (called STRs) are found at each location. When you get your results, you will be given a number value, for each location, which in effect shows you the length of each location. Your results will be compared to a well- established database, from Y DNA tests that scientists have gathered from around the world.

Now, from these 12 marker results, scientists can estimate, with remarkable accuracy, what "ancient tribe" (called a Haplogroup) your original ancestor came from. Each "ancient tribe" is represented by a branch on the Human Male Family Tree. See this diagram of the human male family tree, put together from the research of some of the world's top geneticists: http://www.familytreedna.com/haplotree.html

First notice, that they have broken the family tree into 18 major branches, labeled by letters A-R. If you look all the way to the left on the page, you will see a blank line, which represents the common African ancestor of all living human males. Each branch of his many descendents, shown on this tree, is known as a "haplogroup." Each man living today descends from one of these branches, each having a unique history and geographic origin.

So, far I have seen many diverse Haplogroups in Calabrian men, showing great genetic diversity in the men of Calabria! See: Y-DNA Participant Results

About mtDNA -- The Maternal Match test (this can be taken by men or women):

NOTE: The mtDNA test works just like the Y-DNA test, except it shows our maternal origins, rather than paternal origins.

A mt-DNA test answers 2 questions about your mother's family:

Question #1-- Am I related to another person on my maternal line--meaning we descend from the same distant maternal grandmother?

Question #2-- What part of the world did my mother's ancestor come from before reaching Italy?

Short explanation of the mt-DNA test

The mtDNA molecule that people carry in their cells is passed on from grandmother to mother to children virtually unchanged over thousands of years.   So the mtDNA that a people carry in their cells today, correlates with their distant maternal grandmother’s mtDNA thousands of years ago—and stores a history of the migration pattern and deep ethnic "roots" of this particular grandmother.

The mtDNA has about 16,400 base pairs (think of base pairs as rungs on a ladder). This test will look at the last 400 base pairs on your mtDNA molecule and compare it to the 400 base pairs of an arbitrary reference sequence that has become accepted by the scientific community. This sequence is called the Cambridge Reference Sequence. You will be told which points you differ from the Cambridge Reference Sequence.   Your results will then be compared to a well-established database, from mtDNA tests that scientists have gathered from around the world.

Now, with your mtDNA results, scientists can estimate very accurately what branch of the human female family tree your original ancestor came from.  See this diagram of the human female family tree: http://www.ancientrootsresearch.com/human_family_trees.htm#mtDNA

First notice that they have broken the family tree into many branches, labeled by letters from A - Z. If you look all the way to the left on the page, you will see a blank line, representing the common African ancestral mother who passed down her mitochondrial DNA to all living humans, who is often referred to as "Mitochondrial Eve." She was not the first human woman, but rather the only woman from those ancient times whose mitochondrial descendents (through maternal lines) have survived down to the present. Each female living today descends from one of these branches, each having a unique history and geographic origin.

Click here to see the descriptions of the different Haplogroups (or branches) of the Human Female Family Tree

So, far I have seen many diverse Haplogroups in Calabrian women, showing great genetic diversity in the women of Calabria! See: mt-DNA Participant Results

Here is what I found out about the mt-DNA of some of my female ancestors.

What haplogroup does your grandmother belong to?

You may order your mtDNA test at discount rates here.