Ancestry Will Tell You Which Genetics Came From Which Parent

Ancestry has now grown a big enough genetic database to be able to tell their customers what side of their family they get different genes from. In an article from The Verge describing Ancestry's recent feature launch and research, it was explained that by using the genetic data collected from all of the users they could tell you where your genes come from. This is because it connects the genetic data of different family members that use its services and subsequently narrows down whether that gene came from your mom or dad based on that. It was also speculated that it is possible to use such information to identify possible health/genetic risks based on the information. Although it was admitted that Ancestry would not be doing that research as they no longer offer heath services.

Differing DNA Ancestry in Siblings

     You are taught throughout your life that "blood is thicker than water". Meaning that no matter what, your family will always be there. Because you are closer to them than anyone else in life. However, this may not actually be the case. According to recent studies, biological siblings may actually have less in common with one another than they might think. In one study two siblings, Kat and Evan Abraham, used a genetic ancestry test to determine their ethnic background. While expecting the results to be similar, they received the opposite in some cases. Kat was found to be 13% genetically related to Italy and Greece. While her brother Eddy was 23%. In another similar study, six  complete strangers had roughly the same genetic ancestry according to National Geographic's Geno 2.0 DNA kit.

     Biological siblings can have differing genetic ancestry based on a variety of reasons. DNA shuffle is the slight variations inside of an egg and sperm's DNA. This variation comes from the genetic recombination of DNA. After this shuffling of genetic material, the resulting sperm and egg have their own specific combination of genes. Meaning that each offspring will inherit slightly different DNA from each parent. One can take DNA testing with a grain of salt. As these genetic ancestry tests only compare the incoming DNA material with the samples in the database. And the majority of the samples come from North America and parts of Europe. Resulting in the data from other places to be less specific.

     I myself have a younger brother. This information makes me wonder how similar our genetic ancestry is. All my life i have believed we are incredibly similar. This newfound knowledge on genetic ancestry makes me question myself and the person I call my brother.

Article Link: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/dna-ancestry-test-siblings-different-results-genetics-science/
Six Strangers Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-genetics-geno-dna-ancestry/
Info on National Geographic's Geno 2.0 Kit: https://shop.nationalgeographic.com/collections/u-s-delivery