1. Understanding DNA and DNA Testing

2. DNA Quiz 1. What is true about DNA?
a. It contains the instructions that control the
daily workings of your cells.
b. It makes up the genes of an organism.
c. It’s passed down from parents to offspring..
d. It’s made of deoxyribonucleic acid.
e. All of the above
2. Where in your cells is DNA found?
a. The nucleus
b. The ribosome
c. The mitochondria
d. a and c
e. a and b
Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus and called nuclear DNA, but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA.

3. 3. What are genes?
a. Units of inheritance passed on from
parents to offspring.
b. Something you wear on your legs.
c. Segments of a chromosome.
d. They determine the traits inherited from your parents.
e. a, c, and d
4. How many chromosomes do humans have?
a. Depends if you are male or female.
b. 48
c. 23 pairs
d. Different individuals have different
numbers of chromosomes.

4. 5. Why is DNA important in family history work?
a. It is another record of our family relationships.
b. It can provide clues about our ethnicity.
c. By using DNA with traditional genealogy it’s possible to go
much deeper into our ancestry.
d. We can connect and collaborate with our cousins.
e. All of the above.

5. DNA Summary 1. DNA is found in 2 places in the cell.
Most DNA is packaged in chromosomes
in the nucleus.
Mitochondria have a small amount of
their own DNA in the shape of a ring.
2. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes-
22 pairs are autosomal and 1 pair are the
sex chromosomes, X and Y.

6. DNA Summary 3. The autosomal pairs often exchange
segments in a process called recombination.
4. Thousands of genes are found on each
chromosome.
5. These genes, all together called the human genome,
determine the traits exhibited by the person.

7. The Four Types of DNA
Types of DNA

8. X Chromosome DNA A mother passes one X chromosome to every son
and daughter.
2. A father passes his only X chromosome just to his daughters.
3. X chromosome DNA contains DNA from some but not all of
a person’s ancestors.
4. X chromosome analysis is not often used for genealogy.

9. Y Chromosome DNA
1. One of the 23 pairs of chromosomes present only in males.
2. Follows the unbroken male line (the surname line) from
father to son.
3. Y chromosome testing is only informative about a small portion
of ancestors.
4. Women interested in having Y testing done to study their
paternal line need to have their father, uncle or brother tested.
5. Y testing been used to identify descendants
of Scottish and Irish royal lines, Genghis
Khan and other famous individuals.
Y Chromosome DNA

10. Mitochondrial DNA
This mitochondrial DNA, found in both men and women, is
passed through the maternal line and contains information
about a smaller number of ancestors, but goes back thousands
of years.
mDNA/

11. Inheritance Patterns of Y and Mitochondria Chromosomes
Mitochondrial DNA inheritance (the maternal line) is shown
in red and the Y DNA inheritance (the paternal line) in blue.

12. Autosomal DNA 1. Most popular 2. Most affordable
3. Looks at all pedigree lines
4. Can help break through
brick walls.
5. Abundance of data
Autosomal DNA

13. Autosomal Genetic Inheritance
50%
50%
50%
50%
We pass many things down from generation to generation- surnames, given names, pictures, stories, heirlooms and DNA.
50%
50%
50%
50%
Molly

14. Inheritance of Autosomal DNA
Segments of each parents’ DNA, are mixed up,
before they are passed on to their children.
Individuals don’t inherit the same DNA as their
siblings unless they are identical twins.
The DNA you inherit determines your own unique
genetic makeup, your genome.
Autosomal DNA testing provides a good estimate
of your ethnic origins- ethnicity.

15. What information is shown for Ancestry DNA results?

16. One of the most important aspects of autosomal DNA analysis is identifying common ancestors between individuals as well as common ancestors between multiple matches. Your DNA is compared to everyone else who has taken the test. As new individuals take the test their information is also compared to yours. Matching is determined by how much DNA you share with an individual. The categories are:
Parent/Child
Immediate family
First cousin
Second cousin
Third cousin
Fourth cousin
Distant cousin
Each DNA circle is based on a shared ancestor. DN circles build a network of individuals who share DNA and have the same person in their tree. While every member of a circle may not share the same DNA segment with every other member of the circle, every member will have a matching segment with at least one member of the circle. Even if they are not connected to you in the circle they are probably a cousin.
Ancestry/

17. Sibling’ Ethnicity Results from Ancestry Autosomal DNA Test
Your results for DNA testing can look different than that of your siblings because the DNA you inherited is unique to you.
Taken from Ancestry Academy
Ancestry.com

18. Companies Offering DNA Testing
Company
23andMe
Family Tree DNA
(FTDNA) 
Ancestry DNA
Test Type
Autosomal
Autosomal, Y and mitochondrial
Cost
$99
$99- $199
Provides
Ethnicity
Raw data can be uploaded to other websites.
Integrates with My Heritage family tree.
Health testing
High privacy
Best for Y and mitochondrial test.
Cousin matches Raw data can be uploaded to other websites.
Links DNA results to your Ancestry family tree.
Sample
Saliva
Cheek swab
Number of people in the data base
1,000,000
About 150,000
Since 23andMe does health testing, they have to build extremely high privacy walls around their customers.

19. Getting a match through autosomal DNA testing is most valuable when you can
open a line of communication
with your newfound cousins.
Then you can share genealogical data like surnames, geographic origins
and pedigrees.