Comments on: Whose Y to Use? Paternal Ancestry for Ladies http://spittoon.23andme.com/2008/05/07/whose-y-to-use-paternal-ancestry-for-ladies/ A receptacle for genetic knowledge. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:51:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: MattC http://spittoon.23andme.com/2008/05/07/whose-y-to-use-paternal-ancestry-for-ladies/comment-page-1/#comment-1437 MattC Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:48:47 +0000 http://spittoon.23andme.com/2008/05/07/whose-y-to-use-paternal-ancestry-for-ladies/#comment-1437 You can actually learn a lot about your own ancestry by looking at the DNA of your dad, his cousin and yourself. Let's start with you. Your mitochondrial DNA will tell you about your all-female ancestry, i.e., your mother's mother's mother's mother, and so on back a few thousand years (exactly how far back depends on what that ancestry is). Your dad's Y chromosome will tell you the same thing about his (and thus your) all-male ancestry. And your dad's mitochondrial DNA will tell you about his mother's all-female line. So to sum up, having your dad's DNA and your own will give you some information about where three of your grandparents' ancestors came from: both your paternal grandparents and your maternal grandmother. Your father's cousin is a bit more complicated. Basically, his Y chromosome will give you a little more another data point about your paternal grandmother's ancestry. That's because, even though your great-grandfather's (your father's mother's father) Y chromosome didn't get passed down to your grandmother, it did get passed to her brother, and then to his son (your dad's cousin). I find it really helps to draw a family tree when you think about these things! You can actually learn a lot about your own ancestry by looking at the DNA of your dad, his cousin and yourself. Let’s start with you. Your mitochondrial DNA will tell you about your all-female ancestry, i.e., your mother’s mother’s mother’s mother, and so on back a few thousand years (exactly how far back depends on what that ancestry is). Your dad’s Y chromosome will tell you the same thing about his (and thus your) all-male ancestry. And your dad’s mitochondrial DNA will tell you about his mother’s all-female line.

So to sum up, having your dad’s DNA and your own will give you some information about where three of your grandparents’ ancestors came from: both your paternal grandparents and your maternal grandmother.

Your father’s cousin is a bit more complicated. Basically, his Y chromosome will give you a little more another data point about your paternal grandmother’s ancestry. That’s because, even though your great-grandfather’s (your father’s mother’s father) Y chromosome didn’t get passed down to your grandmother, it did get passed to her brother, and then to his son (your dad’s cousin).

I find it really helps to draw a family tree when you think about these things!

]]> By: PatM http://spittoon.23andme.com/2008/05/07/whose-y-to-use-paternal-ancestry-for-ladies/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 PatM Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:46:38 +0000 http://spittoon.23andme.com/2008/05/07/whose-y-to-use-paternal-ancestry-for-ladies/#comment-1436 I'm just learning about 23andme, so excuse my uneducated questions, but here I go. I have very few male relatives left. I still have my dad and there is also one of his first cousins (his mom's brother's son). They are both in their 90s. What can I learn from either of their DNA? Is it only about their fathers? Since the cousin is on my grandmother's side, can I then learn about her side of the family? So in order to learn about both paternal and maternal lines on my dad's side of the family, I'd have to get both their DNA? Whose DNA would tell me about my mom's side of the family? I’m just learning about 23andme, so excuse my uneducated questions, but here I go. I have very few male relatives left. I still have my dad and there is also one of his first cousins (his mom’s brother’s son). They are both in their 90s. What can I learn from either of their DNA? Is it only about their fathers? Since the cousin is on my grandmother’s side, can I then learn about her side of the family? So in order to learn about both paternal and maternal lines on my dad’s side of the family, I’d have to get both their DNA?

Whose DNA would tell me about my mom’s side of the family?

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