If you got your DNA results back a while ago, you have probably already checked over your ethnicity estimate. You may have even looked through your first page or so of DNA matches, and everything seems in order. Everyone says that there is so much to learn from your DNA, but how do you really …
Most people aren’t really expecting surprises when they do a DNA test, but almost everyone gets at least a small surprise – if they look hard enough at their results. Some people find out that they have different biological parents than they thought they did, others discover new close relatives, and others find out that …
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.
Have you heard of DNA Painter, but you don’t know what it is? In this post, learn the basics about this fun and useful site that helps us better understand our DNA matches.
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 …