Ever thought about having your DNA checked?

[Purplelady1040]

The only thing that concerns me about all of this is what happens to the individual DNA records once testing is complete and results passed along to whomever made the request.

I would think but don't know since I have never had it done that they have some confidentiality notice in this but how good it is if they do is anyone's guess. I wonder if after so many years, they shred the information. According to what Abby posted, they can't share the information so they must destroy it somehow.

[Purplelady1040]

I'm thinking the blood DNA test shows more than the saliva DNA test and that's what you get through Ancestory.com. I may try to go but if I don't I'd be interested in what you find out too Anne.

According to dnacenter.org both are reliable it just depends on which one the person wants. The DNA center states there are advantages and disadvantages on both.

[me]

You may be interested in this PH.
http://www.dna-testing-adviser.com/Indian-DNA-Test.html

[Palehorse]

According to dnacenter.org both are reliable it just depends on which one the person wants. The DNA center states there are advantages and disadvantages on both.

I have had both conducted.

[Purplelady1040]

I have had both conducted.

That is cool.

[me]

From what I'm reading here the test at Ancestory.com was more the forensic type test, well here is what it says: 

Indian Census Collection

They use a set of 21 autosomal markers, including the CODIS markers used by police in forensic investigations.

But instead of looking for differences that can uniquely define one individual, they look for similarities.


They compare your DNA to a global database of more than 1,000 ethnic populations.

This Indian DNA test may report more specific tribes like Apache and Navaho. But as with the prior test, it is currently impossible to get DNA data on large numbers of ethnically pure individuals. The statistical confidence is extremely low and independent experts consider the test a waste of money.

I'm taking it from what I read he needs to either have one of the tests that cover both paternal and maternal or the one that covers the maternal since his grandmothers on both sides were Native.

Indian DNA Test Options
in Native American Genealogy
Do you have Native American ancestry?

By itself, no Indian DNA test will grant you admission to a particular tribe.

Depending on your situation, however, DNA testing may be just what you need to define your family's biological relationship to Native Americans.

There are many alternatives for DNA testing. Suspecting that a specific ancestor was Native American can suggest one type of test.

On the other hand, trying to detect Native American ancestry based physical features or non-specific family lore may suggest a different test. That's why it's important to at least scan the subheads below before you choose the correct test for your needs.
The Right Indian DNA Test Depends on Your Situation

Each section below describes a particular situation. If that situation does not apply to you, move on to the next one.

You think a particular MALE ancestor may have been a Native American

Since the ancestor in question was male, you can use a Y-DNA test of a male in that man's direct paternal line, i.e. any son, or any sons of those sons, or any of their sons etc. You want to know the paternal haplogroup.

If the haplogroup is C or Q, then it's highly likely that this ancestor is descended from Native Americans who were here before European contact. If the haplogroup subgroup is C3b or Q1a3a, then you have absolute confirmation.

I recommend Family Tree DNA for Y-DNA testing. To see why, read my FTDNA Review. Although a 12-marker test is sufficient to detect the Native American haplogroups, I recommend at least 37 markers if you want to identify and correspond with your biological cousins.

They also offer deep clade testing that can refine your haplogroup to the deepest subclade possible.

NOTE: If your haplogroup is not C or Q, this does not rule out Native American ancestry in another line.

For example, many men of eastern U.S. tribes, such as Cherokee, have a European haplogroup like R1b. That's because there was a lot of intermingling with the early settlers from Europe.

So your Indian ancestor with a European haplogroup could be culturally Indian and genetically Indian through a female line.

You think a particular FEMALE ancestor may have been a Native American

Since the ancestor in question was female, she did not have a Y chromosome to pass on. She did pass on her mitochondrial DNA.

So you need an mtDNA test of a man or woman in that ancestor's direct maternal line, i.e. any child of hers, or any child of her daughters, or any child of her daughter's daughters etc. You want to know the maternal haplogroup.

Maternal haplogroups that indicate Native American heritage are A, B, C, D, and sometimes X. Unlike the paternal line, there is no subgroup that can provide absolute proof of Indian heritage.

But if that ancestor's family did not immigrate from elsewhere, you can be quite sure of the findings.

You can determine the base haplogroup through any mtDNA test at Family Tree DNA. You don't need the more expensive full mitochondrial sequence test for this.

You think you're part Native American but can't identify a specific ancestor

In this case, your first choice for an Indian DNA test would be one of three new DNA tests that check nearly a million autosomal markers.

These tests look at DNA inherited from ALL your ancestors. They are much broader tests, because they are not limited to paternal or maternal lines.

[The Troll]

  How!  Me not know if I am Indian.     Me must beat dead horses beat drums  ride horses and scalp cowboys.      

[Anne]

I went to the DNA meeting at the MCHS last week. The lady compared three companies that do DNA testing, Ancestry, Family tree DNA and 23 and me. All three will give basic information about you ethnicity and possible DNA matches. Ancestry costs $99.  If you belong to Ancestry they will send you hints and match you to possible matching circles of possible relatives. Familytreedna costs start at $79 and go up to $500+ foot full Ydna (male) and Mtdna (female) testing.23and me costs $99 for ancestry which includes, I think, ethnic composition, workgroups, Neanderthal ancestry and possible DNA matches. For $199 you get additional medical information including carrier status 35+ (cystic fibrosis, etc.), wellness 5 (lactose intolerance, muscle composition, etc.) And Traits 19+ (hair and eye color, baldness, freckles etc.). They may be releasing more medical info later. All three of these companies say they won't release any of the info to a third party unless they are compelled by court order. I also looked into the National Geographic Genographic Project. That test is $179 gives regional ethnicity information. It is anonymous and info is placed in public domain . There were several reviews, I didn't see any good ones.

[The Troll]

I went to the DNA meeting at the MCHS last week. The lady compared three companies that do DNA testing, Ancestry, Family tree DNA and 23 and me. All three will give basic information about you ethnicity and possible DNA matches. Ancestry costs $99.  If you belong to Ancestry they will send you hints and match you to possible matching circles of possible relatives. Familytreedna costs start at $79 and go up to $500+ foot full Ydna (male) and Mtdna (female) testing.23and me costs $99 for ancestry which includes, I think, ethnic composition, workgroups, Neanderthal ancestry and possible DNA matches. For $199 you get additional medical information including carrier status 35+ (cystic fibrosis, etc.), wellness 5 (lactose intolerance, muscle composition, etc.) And Traits 19+ (hair and eye color, baldness, freckles etc.). They may be releasing more medical info later. All three of these companies say they won't release any of the info to a third party unless they are compelled by court order. I also looked into the National Geographic Genographic Project. That test is $179 gives regional ethnicity information. It is anonymous and info is placed in public domain . There were several reviews, I didn't see any good ones.

  Annie, can you check to see if there is any mental illness in your family and how far it runs back.     

[Palehorse]

". . ."When law enforcement is searching private databases of DNA and there's no regulation and no judicial supervision, that does raise profound concerns about what is permissible activity by law enforcement," said Steve Mercer, chief attorney for the Forensics Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and a vocal opponent of familial testing. . ."

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2016/11/30/how-forensic-genealogy-led-arrest-phoenix-canal-killer-case-bryan-patrick-miller-dna/94565410/

So here we go. Apparently law enforcement is now partnering with Ancestral DNA "experts" to mine the DNA databases (private) to search for criminals. Now while I have nothing what-so-ever to hide from the law, it still leaves me more than a little uneasy knowing my DNA profile is within at least 3 different data-bases that exist ( 1 of them the ground breaking work done when the human genome was first mapped and that one at a bare minimum is covered under HIPA).

It begs the questions; Is this legal? Should it be legal? Does HIPA apply? Should it? (All subjects we have already kind of touched on already).

The fact is the benefits of the database toward health and history have the potential to be great, however it likely could be mis-used or at least there exists an unknown potential for it to be mis-used.  Moreover, as word of this new and unintended use of the DNA databases spreads, how will this impact the public's willingness to undergo such analysis? And what will the impact be to the companies that have, to this point, been growing substantially due to its gradual increase in popularity?

Phoenix Police used this methodology to identify a suspect via DNA in a cold case from the 90's wherein two young women were killed and had their bodies dumped into a local canal. (Well one body and one head). Granted, it is innovative and in this case lead to what seems to be an open and shut case against the man accused.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Idaho Falls Police submitted an unknown killer's DNA to Ancestry for analysis and after running the profile through their database they came up with a close match. That individual was the father of a New Orleans FIlm Maker that had donated his DNA to a non-profit that was later acquired by Ancestry. As a result, the film maker was arrested, interrogated for hours until he submitted to a DNA analysis himself; and he remained a suspect until he eventually was ruled out.

The use of DNA databases not under the express control of Law Enforcement Officials, and produced via the partnership between private citizens and these DNA businesses is concerning. It represents an unintended use of private health information that should be sacred, and is sacred between a patient and doctor. Should this not be the case when it comes to the donors and DNA companies?

With a heavy handed President of the US getting ready to take the reins in a few short weeks, is this something lobbyists for law enforcement will press for legislation to enable? The reality is if they do he is probably the most likely individual in the nation to come out in favor of it and create a compulsory National DNA database under the strict possession of law enforcement.

The potential ramifications are mortifying as one could easily see Health Insurers lobbying for use of this data to "right price" health care policies for individuals in this country. Meaning not only will they be up your sphincters but in your DNA as well.

All of this from a little spit in a vial and $99 of your hard earned money. . .