DNA research is in all the news lately. Can DNA really help genealogists? The answer is yes! However, before you make that leap into DNA we need to look at exactly what it can and cannot do for us. What is DNA? DNA is a chemical manufactured by your body. It stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. This is the building blocks of all life forms that we are aware of. Sampling of DNA is easy. Usually you just need a cheek swab. This is then sent to a lab and analyzed. The DNA is then compared to others. Certain mutations from the normal are noted. Then you are grouped into what is known as a halpogroup. All this means is that those people with your halpotype have similar origins.

DNA can be looked at on many levels. The more detailed the analysis is, the more accurate the results. You pay for how many markers you wish to examine. There are several tests with DNA. Men are tested on the Y-chromosome. This means that their DNA from their father and their father's father and so on is passed down generation to generation. It is like a family history chemically coded into your body. Does this mean women are left out? Absolutely not! Women have MtDNA or Mitochondrial DNA. This is passed down from mother to daughter and also mother to son. By looking at the MtDNA, we can trace maternal lines just as easily as male lines of descent. What DNA can tell genealogists is actually pretty amazing. DNA research allows us to determine groups of people with common origins.

The National Geographic Genome Project is a way DNA research has been used on a huge level. This was a study of many closed cultures where DNA was taken and studied. Then they opened up the sampling to the population at large (the goal being to sample DNA from every culture in the world). By comparing the worlds DNA to these small groups of extremely closed populations, migration patterns of humans have been established. These patterns were drawn up even though there is little to no other physical evidence that they occurred. These patterns showed that humans originated in Africa and then migrated from the coast to the interior of Africa and the back to the coast, across the sea into the Middle East and then processed along the southern edge of Asia, into China and then Australia. Along the way, some smaller groups splintered off and traveled north and west into what is now Uzbekistan and Europe. By examining the DNA of so many people, the differences and mutation were studied and that is how they were able to come up with the migration routes. The MtDNA as well as Y-chromosome DNA were studied.

What can DNA testing tell us and not tell us? DNA cannot prove a direct relationship past a parent and child. You can sample your DNA and it can tell you if you are directly related to your parents and what the likeliness of you being their offspring are. It can also tell you if you are not the child of someone. What it cannot tell you is who is definitely your grandparents or later generations. It can give you insights that combined with other research can confirm or deny hypothesis. It can tell you if those with the same surname from the same region are most likely related. Used as a tool in your research arsenal, it can help develop patterns and show groups that you did not know existed before. It can also be used to track potentially harmful mutations within a group or predict those most inclined to acquire certain genetic diseases like tay-sacs, sickle cell anemia, and others.

You do not have to have a Ph.D. in genetics to get a basic understanding of how DNA testing works. One of the most common applications for it is a surname study. By comparing the DNA of all males with the same surname you can see which groups most likely came from a common ancestor. You can also see where there may have been adoptions as the DNA of those adopted will most likely be very different than those who were not. You may even begin to see a pattern of who was descended from the adoptive child as compared to the others who were not. Several companies now offer DNA testing for surname studies and the prices have come down significantly over the past few years.

If this is something that you are interested in, start talking to your relatives now. Get the word out that this is what you wish to do. Designate someone as the project lead. This person should have enough knowledge to explain to people what a DNA surname study is. They also need to be very organized as they will have to find ways to advertise your study in order to get more people to join and they will also need to keep all of the information of the study together. Read up and ask those who have done this before. The best websites for DNA testing information and to start a project are http://www.familytreeDNA.com and http://www.worldfamilies.net.

DNA study is constantly making progress. Recently Family Tree DNA has merged with another company making it the largest DNA testing facility for genealogists. Another great thing about this merger is that they are planning on making X-chromosome DNA testing possible. They plan to have this available shortly. You may want to visit their website often for updates. This is a very exciting development. Not only can your female lines be traced through MtDNA but now women will have to same opportunity to delve deeper into their genetic makeup with this new X-chromosome test.

DNA is what makes us work. Science is closer than ever to truly unlocking the code. This will make finding your ancestors easier than it ever was.