When you are examining a DNA match, one of the best indicators of how far back your common ancestor might be is the size of your shared DNA segments. Generally, the common wisdom is that the longer the segment, the closer the relationship between you and your DNA match. In other words, the longer the …
If you are exploring your DNA results and find a new sibling, or are wondering if you and your known siblings share the expected amount of DNA, you have come to the right place. In this post, I’ll tell you what you need to know about the number of shared DNA segments between siblings. How …
Want an example of how DNA segments get smaller over generations? Here, see how a segment breaks up over time, and how this affects your DNA match list.
The best way to figure out how you are related to a DNA match is to build a basic family tree for them back to your common ancestor. In this post, learn why this works and how to do it. I know that this sounds like a crazy idea. You have enough work on your …
What is a double-fourth cousin, and how are they related? Do double-fourth cousins share more DNA with each other than they would otherwise? In this post, I’ll explain the meaning of a double-fourth cousin, show you an example of my own double-fourth cousin, and talk about how this “double” relationship affects the amount of DNA …
(Note: to read about which grandparent you might be more related to, click here: Which Grandparent Are You Most Related To?) Congratulations on purchasing your DNA test! While you are waiting for your test to arrive or for your results to come back, there are some important steps that you can take to make sure …
Are you wondering what to expect from your DNA ethnicity estimate? Perhaps you are trying to determine which company offers the most detailed, or most accurate ethnicity estimate. In this post, I will show you my complete ethnicity results from Ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, and My Heritage DNA. My sincere hope …
If you discover a secret through DNA testing, should you keep the secret, or should you expose it? What you decide to do is up to you, but you will get some ideas and guidance in this post. Most people get interested in DNA testing to find out where their family came from. Basically, they …
Want a way to use your unique DNA to find biological family connections? You can use DNA testing to find relatives, and I’ll tell you exactly how to do it.
Why don’t I have an ethnicity that my parent has? How is this possible? Does it mean DNA results aren’t real? Find answers to these questions and more!