Genealogy and Genetic Testing
Below are genealogy and family history news stories related to genetic testing. Click on the links for the full articles.
Ancestors of Modern Scandinavians Immigrated to Region - A new DNA study from ancient remains has thrown into question the origin of modern Scandinavians. The study just published in the journal Current Biology suggests that modern Scandinavians do not come from ancient hunter-gatherers who inhabited the region more than 4,000 years ago. Until now, it had always been believed that modern Scandinavians were the direct descendants of people who had always lived in the region...[More]
Africa Has the Highest Genetic Diversity - Genetic genealogy testing has become a popular tool for people wanting to map their ancestry. It can be particularly useful for people who want to trace their ancestry in a part of the world that lacks official government records. However, the most comprehensive genetic study of Africa suggests that there are practical limits for African Americans trying to trace their roots using genetic genealogy tests...[More]
Germany Bans Genetic Genealogy Tests - Germany has passed a law that bans all direct-to-consumer genetic tests. Although the new law does not appear to be directly written to ban at-home genetic genealogy tests, one consequence of the law is that people in Germany will no longer be able to order genetic genealogy tests online...[More]
Native Americans Have a Common Ancestry - New genetic data suggests that Native Americans from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska across to Greenland and down to the southern tip of Chile all share a common ancestry...[More]
Inbreeding of Spanish Royalty - A new genealogy study has just been released examining the inbreeding of Spanish royalty during the Hapsburg dynasty. The Hapsburgs ruled Spain for 184 years until the death of King Charles II in 1700. Charles II was a physically and mentally impaired imbecile who was the product of generations of inbreeding...[More]
Tracing Abraham Lincoln’s Health - Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal figure in US history. As America’s 16th President, he led the country through the Civil War and was responsible for ending slavery. He was also the first president to be assassinated. Abraham Lincoln was also something of an enigma in regards to his health...[More]
Roots Author Alex Haley Had Scottish Ancestry - The late Alex Haley, author of the popular novel Roots, really did have Scottish ancestry. His nephew Chris Haley took a DNA test in 2007 and results showed that Alex Haley had a Scottish ancestor who likely lived in the 1600’s or 1700’s. Alex Haley is perhaps best known for inspiring a whole generation of African Americans to trace their genealogical roots...[More]
DNA Confirms Remains of Russian Royal Family - Genealogists have always been fascinated with the bloodlines of royal families. Perhaps none is more fascinating than the House of Romanov that ruled Russia until Czar Nicholas II abdicated in 1917...[More]
West African Pygmies Share a Common Ancestry - Short people known as pygmies are scattered across the forest regions of central Africa. These hunter-gatherers of the forest belong to different ethnic groups, speak different languages and exhibit a great deal of cultural and physical diversity. However, given their shared short stature, researchers have often wondered whether they have a common ancestry...[More]
Search for Viking Ancestry in England - From the late eighth century to the early eleventh century, Viking explorers, warriors and merchants actively raided and colonized much of northern Europe, including parts of the United Kingdom...[More]
Long Life Runs in Families - Genealogists know long life tends to run in some families. However, no one has ever been able to provide a satisfactory explanation to this phenomenon. Scientists have now finally come up with a reason...[More]
Genetic Testing of Galileo’s Eyes? - Genetic testing has been a great boon to genealogists who want to trace their family history. Now Italian and British scientists want to use it to potentially rewrite history...[More]
Old Manuscripts Dated by Genetic Testing - Genealogists fortunate enough to have very old books or manuscripts in their possession will be happy to know that a new technique is being developed to determine the age of ancient documents...[More]
First Native Americans Arrived in Two Separate Migrations - An international group of genetic researchers from the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in Salt Lake City, Utah working with scientists from the University of Pavia in Italy have released a study that questions the traditional view of how the Americas were originally populated...[More]
New Standard Proposed for Genetic Genealogy Tests -Tracing ancestors through genetic genealogy tests has become popular amongst some genealogists...[More]
Gene Study Shows Most Black Americans Have Some European Ancestry - Harvard University’s School of Public Health has just concluded a genetic study on Black American heritage...[More]
Gene Study Questions Spain’s Ancestry - There have always been two views of Spanish history: one that says Spain is a Catholic civilization that has been influenced by Jewish and Muslim cultures; another that says Spain is a melting pot of Catholic, Jewish and Muslim cultures...[more]
How Accurate are Genetic Ancestry Tests? - Genetic ancestry tests have become popular with genealogists wanting to know where their ancestors lived...[more]
Are People with the Same Family Name Related?- Family names, also known as surnames, provide an obvious clue to a person’s origin...[more]
Did the Vikings Settle Scotland and Ireland? - English history is ripe with tales of Viking marauders raiding and plundering the English countryside...[more]
The Human Family Tree Has Many Branches - One of the most useful outcomes of modern genetic testing is that it allows scientists to discover the many branches of the human family tree...[more]
A 3,000 Year Old Family Tree - Most genealogist are happy if they can accurately trace their family tree back 150 years, or about 5 generations...[more]
California Licensing Genetic Testing - California has become the first jurisdiction in the world to require companies to be formally licensed before they can offer genetic testing directly to consumers...[more]
Genealogist Helps Solve Mystery of 60-Year Old Plane Crash - It had all the makings of a Hollywood movie script: a plane rumored to be loaded with gold, a crash in the wilds of Alaska, a mummy and a mystery that took 60 years to solve...[more]
History of Neanderthals Revealed with DNA Sequence - The first complete genome of a Neanderthal has been sequenced from a 38,000 year old Neanderthal bone...[more]
Human Genes Used to Map European Origin - Many people have a European background, although most people do not know exactly where in a particular country their ancestors originate...[more]
US Government Detects Immigration Fraud with DNA Testing - Governments have long used medical tests on immigrants to screen out potentially unwanted applicants...[more]
