The Ancestors

DNA Ancestry Testing is a great way to find out more about your heritage. Hidden inside your DNA is an imprint of your family's journey throughout the ages. Our DNA Roots™ paternal and maternal lineage tests can test your DNA to reveal your family's place in the history of the human rac

The science of ancestry dna testing relies on portions of human DNA that are passed from parents to children relatively unchanged through many generations. For the paternal line, we examine the Y chromosome, which is passed from father to son. For the maternal line, we examine the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed from a mother to all her children.

One could say that by examining these key parts of our DNA, our paternal and maternal history could be traced as far back as the first peoples who populated the earth. Scientific data shows that modern humans evolved in Africa 400,000 to 130,000 years ago, and started migrating outward.

During this migration, slight differences in the Y chromosome and the mtDNA—genetic markers—developed as groups settled in the different areas of the world. Today, we bear those marks within our DNA, making it possible to find out our ancestor’s geographic roots. A simple cheek swab is all you need!