Yes. We find matches for your unique DNA in forensic and genetic databases. This search is done for both your male and female haplotype. We then calculate where the most recent common ancestor for those matches lived and what countries his or her descendants migrated from down to the present. For instance, you may discover that your male line came from Scandinavia and your female line from Spain. For a male ancestor, identified by his Y chromosomal markers, these "genetic cousins" go back to the early medieval period, about 1,000 to 1,500 years ago (i.e. 500-1000 CE). This was a time when most surnames were first being created in Europe, so your haplotype history coincides with your pedigree, or surname genealogy. For a female ancestor, the time of origin is measured in thousands of years rather than hundreds. Professor Bryan Sykes at Oxford Ancestors has assigned names like Helena to these ancient female founders.

Yes. Autosomal tests are best for this because they look at your entire gene, at all lines. Check out the DNA Fingerprint Test. The maternal and paternal lines can be measured with more precision by today's state of genetics, but remember they are but two lines among many. Each generation you go back, the number of your ancestors doubles, so that for 1500 CE (the beginning of European immigration to the Americas), a person alive today has, in theory, over 34 million lines. In practice, populations go through bottlenecks and people do not marry randomly, so the number is a lot lower. Multiplexing DNA tests cannot measure "crossover" patterns from the male to female line, only the "outside" male-male and female-female lines. In some cases, your outside lines may not be the dominant ones in your genetic makeup. For instance, a British schoolteacher was found to have a sub-Saharan male ancestor, believed to have come over as an African slave with the Romans. About 30 percent of American blacks have a Y chromosome that originated in Europe and is Caucasian. To get an ethnic summary of Caucasian, East Asian, African, and Native American DNA, you may order our WHOLE DNA or EurasianDNA 1.0 test. To get even more detail down to the country level in Europe or region of the Americas or Africa for Native American and African DNA, order the DNA Fingerprint Test. All these work by sampling markers taken at random from your entire genome. Read our Statement on Ethnicity.

For our Y-chromosome reports (male line), we use the same forensic databases that expert witnesses rely on for court testimony in paternity cases and criminal offenses. For investigation of female lineages (mitochondrial DNA), we use the standard revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS) and Mitochondrial DNA Concordance. Our staff members are degreed professionals in history, philology and the social sciences. They can do what no geneticist can -- translate the number sets into a meaningful storyline based on an extensive knowledge of world history, population studies, and genealogy sources. Our focus on information sets our ancestry reports and surname studies apart from the "data-only" approach of our competitors in genetics and genealogy.

For Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA tests we use Sorenson Genomics. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sorenson is a world leader in bioinformatics and genomics. Read about its certifications, credentials and awards in About Our Laboratory. DNAPrint®'s proprietary tests are processed at its laboratories in Sarasota, Fla. DNA Fingerprint Tests are handled by Genetic Testing Laboratory, an acclaimed genomics and forensics laboratory associated with State University of New Mexico in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Our databases cover all races and peoples on earth. Please understand, however, that many Asian, African and Native American populations are very undersampled. Two of our specialties are Jewish genealogy and American Indian genetics. We have excellent coverage of European haplotypes. Our DNA Fingerprint Test is unsurpassed in identifying populations and subpopulations where your ancestors likely came from. It is ideal for testing your overall ethnicity and may be taken by males or females. It covers equally your mother and father's side of the family.

The technology of home DNA testing and automated sample processing has only been commercialized during the past five years. In Europe, prices for common tests like the Basic Male Y-Chromosome Test are often two to three times the cost in the U.S. Pricing for paternity tests continues to fall because this is an extremely competitive field. DNA Testing is proud to be affiliated with Sorenson Genomics, a high quality provider of commercial genomics and forensic products. Because of their personal touch, our WorldMatch™ reports carry the highest added value in the field of DNA testing.

Our ancestry reports are designed, researched and composed by professional writers and historians. Each report contains references and suggestions for further reading, and unfamiliar terms are hyperlinked so you can learn about them easily. Our history-based expertise allows us to sell the public not just data and numbers but meaningful information tailored to their personal quest for answers. The reports become your property when they are released to you. They make attractive gifts to relatives and can be shared with others via camera-ready publishing, the Web or inclusion in family albums. Also see Understanding Your DNA Report.

Absolutely. The report we send you is "for your eyes only." None of our data is posted or published with personal identification information attached to it. No one but you has access to your account.

Which test is best for you depends on which line of descent is of interest to you -- or maybe you are interested in ALL your ancestry at once. Most people begin with a Premium Male y-chromosome test. This determines their father’s direct-male ancestry, and it also gives you a brief study of your surname in history. Females must identify a male in the family to take this test for them, since the Y-chromosome is passed only to males.

After testing their male line, many people go on to test their mother’s (female, or mitochondrial) line with the Premium Female DNA Test. This test can be done on your stored sample and you do not have to resubmit a sample, but it is better to go with the Premium Combo DNA Test from the start.

Our new autosomal DNA tests yield valid results for your ENTIRE ancestry, not just the Y chromosomal or mtDNA lineages. The most popular of these is our new DNA Fingerprint Test. It is sensitive enough to find "hidden" Native American ancestry, for instance, and can map out the countries of Europe, Africa and Asia where you are likely to have ancestors.

Now Available! So you've done the DNA Fingerprint Test. Do you have ancestry in France/Toulouse? Scotland/Dundee? Rwanda/Hutu? The Middle East? The Native American Lumbee population? Join one of our new Ancestor Communities at DNAcommunities.com. It's a free public service. Meet others with ancestors from the same corner of the world! Get the answers to your questions from ethnic experts. Upload pictures, post family stories, genealogies and more. Register now!

Try our DNA Wizard to choose which test to buy!

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-- Choose which DNA test is best for your situation and interest.

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Matrilineal Ancestry Report, With Mitochondrial Test