By bbbunny |

There's a lot of discussion on the merits of various DNA tests here, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to sort through and make sense of it all. So, I'm appealing for a simple answer - if that's possible.

Irrespective of cost, which test is, in everyone's opinion, the most thorough/definitive/comprehensive test available for a woman? My abuelita is 95 and I want to grab this while I can.

Thanks all!

Annette

Hello Annette,

Women can take two tests - mtDNA and autosomal. The mtDNA test is strictly
for the maternal line. You can also get different level of testing of the
mtDNA test with one company. The autosomal test is for what you have
inherited from multiple ancestors, but not all of them. You can find
relatives with the autosomal and you can see which ancestral components you
have inherited. although different companies using the same data interpret
it differently. Even though FamilyTreeDNA autosomal interpretation (called
Population Finder) needs a serious upgrade this is the company you should
use to find relatives and join projects. You can join multiple projects
with FTDNA whereas none of the other companies do projects. The Population
Finder should be upgraded sometime in the near future. The autosomal test
is called Family Finder at FTDNA and the highest level mtDNA test is the
mtFullSequence. You can purchase them and join a project for the region at

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?&group=NuevaGaliciaDNA&vGr…

Armando

On Sat, Nov 23, 2013 at 6:49 PM, Annette wrote:

> There's a lot of discussion on the merits of various DNA tests here, and
> I'm not knowledgeable enough to sort through and make sense of it all. So,
> I'm appealing for a simple answer - if that's possible.
>
> Irrespective of cost, which test is, in everyone's opinion, the most
> thorough/definitive/comprehensive test available for a woman? My abuelita
> is 95 and I want to grab this while I can.
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Annette

Thanks for the information, Armando. I've just place an order for the mtFullSequence & the Family Finder. My father has passed away & I would like to have his surviving brothers tested soon. What tests would you suggest I have him take, so that I could get a comprehensive look at my paternal DNA? Thank you, in advance.
Sylvia

Hello Sylvia,

For the paternal line two different tests should be taken at the same time
when costs aren't an issue.

One of the tests is the Y-DNA37 which tests STR (short tandem repeat)
markers. This will provide a major haplogroup and if there are other people
with enough markers that match they will provide a list of names. This will
also allow you to input the markers into www.ysearch.org and
www.smgf.orgThe major haplogroup could be tens of thousands years old
though so the
matches are only likely to have a common ancestor in the last 500 years if
the other people are from within the same region. It also means means the
haplogroup could be older than any of the languages spoken in Europe, maybe
even Euskera, and older than any of the current political boundaries. This
is why the next test is important.

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?&group=NuevaGaliciaDNA

The other test is the National Geographic Geno 2.0 test. This, among other
things, tests for SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers which
provides a more recent subclade within the haplogroup. The markers tested
could be as young as 3,000 years old providing an idea where it was likely
most prevalent at that time. Once you know your subclade you can join
groups based on the subclade and learn more about it once more SNPs become
available to test.

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/browse/productDetail.jsp?product…

All of this is much easier to explain once the results come back because
some things are dependent on matches and some on the haplogroup. You only
need one person from each male line to get both of those tests.

Armando

On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 2:22 PM, wrote:

> Thanks for the information, Armando. I've just place an order for the
> mtFullSequence & the Family Finder. My father has passed away & I would
> like to have his surviving brothers tested soon. What tests would you
> suggest I have him take, so that I could get a comprehensive look at my
> paternal DNA? Thank you, in advance.
> Sylvia
>

I just got to viewing this message, today. Thank you, again, Armando. You've provided me with a great beginning in my paternal DNA search. I've ordered the tests you've suggested. I'm sure I'll contact you once I receive the results to sort it all out. Mil Gracias!

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