“We have reference databases with people who have been genotyped. As more people have their DNA tested and become part of a national database, the more targeted the results will become, according to Emily Drabant Conley, PhD, a neuroscientist on the 23andMe team and Vice President of Business Development. Now there is a wealth of DNA knowledge, which can be used for ancestry testing, but it still needs to be put into context. National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy began work with international scientists to map out the complete set of DNA of humans. The Human Genome Project started in 1990, when the U.S.
It’s all in how scientists interpret the results of the Human Genome Project, “one of the great feats of exploration in history” according to the National Institutes of Health. How can I be mostly British in one test and yet mostly French and German in another? How Do DNA Ancestry Tests Work? 28.8% Broadly Northwestern European countries.Those 23andMe DNA ancestry ethnicity results have changed over the years (more on why that happened coming up….) and now my 2017 results have been updated (without any additional retesting on my part) to show my ethnicity is: 67% “nonspecific northern European” countries.My DNA Ancestry Test ResultsĪccording to the AncestryDNA test, via my ethnicity is:Ĭompare that to the 23andMe test which showed these ethnicity results in 2013: So what did the crystal balls looking back into my ancient past have to say? Each company gave me the same information – I am almost 100% European. This spit stuff really works! My family ethnicity was revealed in ways I never would have imagined. (These test kits make GREAT presents! That’s why they’re on my list of Best Gifts for a Minimalist.) I was ready to get really upset if any weird discrepancies showed up on my results. With plenty of skepticism, I ordered kits for my parents from AncestryDNA, too, just to see how their results would compare to mine. While intrigued, I wasn’t exactly convinced that these tests could work. (I actually got the medical + ancestry test kit from 23andMe – and I would HIGHLY recommend the medical part, too.) I ordered test kits from both AncestryDNA and 23andMe, the most popular companies for ethnicity testing.
When I saw an advertisement offering quick and easy DNA ancestry testing, I was more than ready to try it. There was still a LOT that I didn’t know. I was only getting a few generations of results, though. I had been searching for months on my own in order to make my family tree. Doesn’t make sense that it can be both at the same time, huh? That’s why I’m sharing my ancestry DNA test results, comparing Ancestry with 23 and Me (two of the most popular DNA ancestry companies), explaining the difference between the two types of DNA ancestry tests, and telling you which is better. Trying to figure out your ancestry via DNA testing is super easy – yet it can also be a little confusing. The truth is, my ancestry ethnicity has changed since then. A lot has changed since I first reported on my experience in American Airlines’ inflight magazine in 2014 (The quotes below are from interviews I did for my original article.) Today, millions of people are in the Ancestry DNA databases, which makes finding your family tree even easier. One test revealed that I am related to royalty! All it takes is spitting into a tube to get your family history.
Both DNA tests claim to give you your family tree with an easy and painless test. Being as skeptical as I am, I tried two different companies to compare Ancestry with 23andMe. Years ago, I was one of the first few thousand people to do DNA testing for ancestry.