DNA kits have become very popular in the last decade for the many benefits they provide. With advancements, there are many DNA kits available on the market. It’s great to have the variety, but having so many choices can make it difficult to pick the best one for your needs. Two of the most popular DNA kits online for use are 23andMe and AncestryDNA. Here are three uses for 23andMe and AncestryDNA kits, including Y-DNA testing.
1. Autosomal Testing with 23andMe and AncestryDNA Kits
The 23andMe and AncestryDNA kits are for autosomal testing. Um, what does this mean? In plain language, these DNA kits are useful for finding a person’s family tree. In other words, you might call it a family finder. You’ll get details about your ancestral parents. These DNA kits online use the 22 pairs of human chromosomes not connected to creating the sex of the person using it.
Uses for autosomal testing include matching cousins within a family and also the distant relatives. Also, these kits can reveal your ethnic mix.
Mothers transfer her DNA strand with X-chromosomes. The kits can also test for risks of certain heritable diseases in your family’s history.
2. mtDNA Testing
What is mtDNA testing? It is the mitochondrial DNA testing. Use this test to trace back the lineage of your mother. Every mother passes one strand of her DNA to her child, and this is done with so much accuracy that the chance of any alteration in them are very bleak.
So, by using that strand, the maternal track is traceable very easily. For males and females, mtDNA testing is useful for tracing the mother’s lineage.
3. Y-DNA Testing
Y-DNA testing is a Y chromosome DNA test. In males, the sex chromosome is different than women. It has one chromosome, which is represented as Y-chromosome. Women don’t have this chromosome; so, it’s known as the male chromosome. So, Y-DNA testing is only for males. Its purpose is to trace back the father’s lineage or paternal ancestry.
The Y chromosome only transfers from father to the son. Thus, the ancestral history of the son is easy to identify.
So, now you know that Y-DNA testing is usable by males only because it depends completely on the Y-chromosome that is present solely in males. For a woman looking to find out more about her lineage with DNA kits online, check its purpose and then buy accordingly; it wouldn’t make sense to invest in Y-DNA testing.
Most people like to use the AncestryDNA kit to trace back their family tree. It takes some time, at least 6-8 weeks, to finalize the results. Meanwhile, people tend to use the 23andMe DNA kit when they want fast results. Except for the evaluation time difference, both kits are extremely useful, accurate, and reliable.
23andMe and AncestryDNA kits are among the best DNA kits online. You can find them in some online stores but make sure the provider has good credibility before making the purchase.
Thanks for a very informative post. I know these have become popular but I’m very skeptical. In an age where security breaches have become all too common, this is far too much personal information for any company to have in their possession. Cheers, Brian
Yes, terms and conditions are a must read for any product or service that someone signs up for. Sadly, most people don’t take a read. I appreciate your opinion!
I used the Ancestry one and found it not as accurate as I thought it would be. It didn’t show any Native American blood, but we know for a fact we have it in our family on my mother’s side. It also only gave me just 89% of my Ethnicity.
Oh that’s too bad that the AncestryDNA kit didn’t meet your expectations, Loretta. I hope at least you were able to get a bit more info than you had before using the kit about your family. Hope your day is going well!
Love this test
Oooooh that’s great you’ve used these DNA tests!
Great and informative post! I’ve actually used ancestryDNA myself and it’s one so the best decisions I’ve made.
That’s great to hear you liked the AncestryDNA kit. Do you mind my asking what you liked best about it?
Hi Christy! No, I don’t mind at all. For me it was super simple and easy to submit the sample and drop it back in the mail. It did take several weeks to get my results but I can’t imagine how many samples they are having to process daily. Within my profile the information seemed almost endless! The statistics, information about my ancestors, what those places are like, etc. It blew me away! I did this a few months ago but I still haven’t read all of my history. I also like the chat options with family that the site has ranked from 1st to distant cousin etc. I’d recently met my dad for the first time in my life and was able to connect with others from his side of the family too. Sorry if this comment is too long but I’ve had a great experience with them and since you asked I wanted to share details. :-)
Hi Tranisha, no need to apologize! I actually love lengthy comments because it tells me the post got you thinking :) I’m so happy you got to know more about your dad’s family and to find out so many different ancestral details from the DNA kit. Like you say, the waiting time for getting the AncestryDNA kit back was probably because of its increasing popularity. Thanks for sharing more about your experience!