Ever thought about having your DNA checked?

[libby]

My daughter did, and here's what she wrote about it:

"Don't remember if I told you, but I did my DNA through ancestry.com and I got my results today, wow....

I will try to break it down the best I can. I would like for you to get tested and I will even pay for it. Here are the results:

I am 95% European, no surprise there, but the breakdown is interesting.  I am 48% European west, 19% Irish, 7% Scandinavian and 7% Great Britain.

Now here is where it gets interesting... I am less than 1% North African, less than 1% American Indian, less than 1% Asia East and 2% Middle East.  These are all trace regions they picked up in my DNA.

It is broken down even more, but maybe if you bring your laptop with you on our trip, we can look at it more in depth at the hotel."

(I forgot my laptop.)

[Locutus]

What do those people do with the DNA samples they collect?  Are they archived in some database?

[libby]

What do those people do with the DNA samples they collect?  Are they archived in some database?

I don't know, but assume so -- on computers like everything else. How else would they link all that DNA and follow it back to -- say -- Africa?    I don't see my daughter all that often -- she lives and works about a hundred miles south of me, but will try to catch up with her and ask the question. I seem to remember that she got involved because she was contacted by my mother's niece, who lives in California and was a little girl when  her father, a career soldier, died in Korea. Her mother had also passed away, so she was trying to track her father's family. She found my daughter through a family name.

Anyway, to try to answer your question, I googled ancestry.com. and below is part of what I found. (To get the specifics you have to provide some personal information, which I did not want to do.)
....

Ancestry Privacy Center

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[Locutus]

Hmmmm.....  Being in IT, I just wonder exactly what safeguards they have in place.

Thanks for doing a bit of research. 

[libby]

Hmmmm.....  Being in IT, I just wonder exactly what safeguards they have in place.

Thanks for doing a bit of research.

You're welcome. That was a good question. I have exactly the same reservations because of my work.

[Locutus]

Understood. 

[Anne]

My son and his wife did this, too. It linked them to a couple trees on their web site that had similar dna to them. Of course the people they linked them to are long dead.

[Purplelady1040]

I never have considered doing it. It sounds interesting but I know most of my DNA.

[libby]

My son and his wife did this, too. It linked them to a couple trees on their web site that had similar dna to them. Of course the people they linked them to are long dead.

Were they interested in taking it way, way, way back?

The Oxford English dictionary has this definition for genealogy:

1. A record of one's descent from one's ancestors, especially in the form of a table, and
2. The science or study of family descent.

I never have considered doing it. It sounds interesting but I know most of my DNA.

Did you or someone else in your family submit DNA, or are you talking about family history?

[Purplelady1040]

The Oxford English dictionary has this definition for genealogy:

1. A record of one's descent from one's ancestors, especially in the form of a table, and
2. The science or study of family descent.
Did you or someone else in your family submit DNA, or are you talking about family history?

Family history and we know that for the most part, we are 1/2 American Indian  as my Grandmother was full blooded, Irish and Scottish because they came from there. I am sure that getting DNA done would add some more European blood and probably some other ethic blood!  It would be interesting to see what else but I am content knowing the family history but maybe some day, I will do DNA also.

[Palehorse]

I once submitted to a DNA test through the facility I used to work for; which was a major contributor to the genome project.

Specifically, it was looking at one specific set of genes responsible for your metabolism and the rate at which your body processes medicines.

I received a very long and detailed report that identified medicines that I was a high metabolizer of, and those that I was a slow metabolizer of; specifically to enable my personal physician(s) to prescribe customized doses of any medication I may ever need.

It went a long way toward explaining why certain compounds knocked me on my ass, while others required larger doses than normal to obtain the required results.

This has become an area of concern for me years later, since I no longer work for this employer, their data was submitted to the national database for the ongoing research, (supposedly anonymously but who really knows?)

I very much war to have this DNA test done via Ancestory, but I am not out of very valid concerns surrounding security that may become relevant depending upon technological advances that either are under way, or in the works. . .

My sole purpose of doing the test would to be to confirm via genetic science what my family history already says; and perhaps shed some light on a particular rumor or two that may in reality be skeletons or nothing more than vicious lies. . .

One of my sisters is HEAVILY into mapping our family's history, along with a couple of cousins who have been doing the same on my mothers side of the family for a lot longer than my sister has. We've got a BUNCH of our trees "fleshed out" and have solid provenance to back it up; but it would be nice to have some science as well. . .

[Anne]

Were they interested in taking it way, way, way back?

The Oxford English dictionary has this definition for genealogy:

1. A record of one's descent from one's ancestors, especially in the form of a table, and
2. The science or study of family descent.
Did you or someone else in your family submit DNA, or are you talking about family history?

As far as I know no one else in our family have submitted DNA to Ancestry. My daughter in law is into tracing her family back several generations  in Ireland. I started tracing my family tree several years ago because no one was still alive who could answer questions for me about my great grandparents, where they came from, that kind of thing. My son's results came up less Irish than we thought it would be and more Western European than we thought. It also gave him a new lead on another possible branch of the family. So far no one rich or famous, but interesting to see how we all got to Indiana.

[AbbyTC]

Another site that does DNA testing is 23andme.com. 

[Locutus]

I have heathen DNA.  Not sure I want that checked against a database. 

[Purplelady1040]

I have heathen DNA.  Not sure I want that checked against a database.