IRDP: taking a DNA test isn't just for Jerry Springer
DNA testing is fast becoming one of the tools to utilise as part of one's family tree research.
I will admit that there is much about the data we get back from our tests that I don't understand - it may as well be a foreign language, and in some regards it is. It's sciencedegook to me. (Like gobbledegook but more science-y.)
For some people even beginning the process may seem daunting, so it might be timely to read that I recently sent away for, and received, a kit with which I can show you what comes in it and how quick & easy the whole process is. Sans watching me spit. You're welcome.
the box!
Before we get to the unboxing, as the cool kids say, I would just like to reassure people who may have heard all manner of doom-mongering around DNA testing for genealogical purposes. The big companies have come under fire for their policies on whether or not they share or sell off the data collected by poking around in our chromosomes. I am pretty confident they do not. I would not have tested myself if they did. If you do still have concerns you can always do your own research via the internet.
About two years ago I was blessed to have been offered by a friend the opportunity to have a test done, through whichever company I chose. Thrilling!! After a bit of research (I really do love to research!) I had narrowed it down to going with either FamilyTreeDNA or Ancestry. I went with FTDNA as I felt it offered a more 'scientific' slant to the data results. I am still glad that I did, but I recently decided to take another test, with Ancestry.
The main reason for this was because there are several ancestral 'brick walls' (as we say in the trade) I haven't been able to break through, and Ancestry has the largest database of researchers all looking for family members to help them break down their own walls. It has a a cool feature called DNA Circles, which FTDNA doesn't have, but the downside of this - which I am trying not to think about - is that you have to have a public tree to qualify for this nifty feature. I prefer privacy. We shall see.
Anyway ... this post is about the process of ordering, receiving, doing, and posting an Ancestry DNA kit. If you haven't got one already, you'd have to sign up for a (free) account with them and then order a kit. I'd wait until they have one of their numerous sales, tbh, which is what I did. The first pretty cool thing, once you've ordered your kit is that in one of the confirmation emails they then send you is a link to a site that gives you a blow-by-blow tracking of your parcel. I had assumed mine would be sent out from Australia - the closest facility to little ol' NZ - but as you might be able to see in this pic, it started life out in California, USA. (Read from bottom up.)
Of course I waited patiently as the various departments played pass-the-parcel with my precious. In the end, the postie dropped it off in my letterbox on the 30th of December. Not too bad considering everyone had paused for xmas at some point. So ... ta-da!
quite an unassuming little package, very modest
The first thing you see inside ...
... and underneath that lovely welcome was ... the stuff
sorry for the horrid camera angle not doing it justice
What you are seeing, top to bottom, is firstly the spit kit, then the return box, and finally the special bag to put the spit vial inside. Thrilling, I know.
This is the spit kit. I don't think that is its official name, I just made that up.
Above, you'll (hopefully) see a vial, with a little cup on top - the spit funnel. Underneath is another vial, which holds some magical blue liquid. This liquid needs to mix with your spit to stabilise it for the journey home, and being jostled in the lab. Clear instructions come in the kit too.
There is a number on the vial with which you need to go onto Ancestry and enter to active your kit. This is part of the instructions so don't worry you might forget. It is super important though.
Next comes the actual spitting ...
... it wasn't as easy as you'd think to gather enough to fill the vial like they request. I've heard that older folk especially have problems with this part. Maybe think of eating lemons at this point, get those juices flowing.
I had a bit of a worry at this part of the proceedings, as the vial holding the magic blue stabiliser had to be attached to the spit vial and pressure applied to release one into the other. I was nervous I'd be too forceful and break it. This really was the worst part of the whole process, tbh.
vial is now all snugly sealed in its homeward carry bag
The carry bag then gets popped inside the return box. I think this is a great feature included in the deal by Ancestry, as its pre-paid. Postage, especially all the way from NZ, can be horrendous.
And the very next day its off to their laboratory in Ireland we go! Well, at least a small part of me. Maybe my spit will be the only piece of me that ever gets to visit (Ireland is on my bucket list!!). Pretty interesting that the DNA makes such a journey.
Now, imagine I am posting a photo of me actually popping the kit into a mailing box outside the post office ... I did take pics but have since had technical difficulties extracting said pics. Would have been a cool way to end this post though.
I might do a follow-up post once I get my results - due in about 2 months depending on how busy they are - although I will have to consider whether I can chop out anything too personal off what I can show you.
If you are interested in your family history, please do consider taking a DNA test as it is a very useful tool to help in your research. If you have relatives who are elderly or approaching elderly-ness, please consider collecting DNA from them too. Once they have passed it is too late. Triangulation of family DNA is a key component in being able to narrow down your results too (but explaining this more fully is not in the scope of this particular post). If you are approached by a keen family genealogist please do consider saying Yes! to taking a test which could help them out enormously. :)
As some side information, taking a DNA test is really not useful unless you have researched your tree, even a little. You need a way of anchoring the data to people in your family. If you have any questions please do contact me. As outlined in my post here help with all that is a part of the service I offer.
This is kinda scary in some levels, imagine when the DNA of your dad and yours don't match. The psychological stress it will give. So much I think.
You're right, there is that chance that skeletons will come tumbling out of the closet.
My skeletons are already hanging out everywhere. If i find a new one it will be mundane.
hahaha, delightful :D
Lols.. Had a case here. Same issue. The son actually had a mental case due to the trauma, that the man he had called dad for 25 years wasn't his real dad.
Painful
Oh no. I guess it would have been hugely traumatic. :(
On the positive side to testing, it is helping in a lot of adoption searches. - so there are swings & roundabouts to the whole concept, really.
That fluke of epigenetics - chimeras - can wreak havoc with paternity or maternity testing. Amazing stuff!
So fun! I’ve been wanting to do one of these for some time. I have some friends, who are fraternal twins, that did one and got different results. What’s your take on that?
I have read only a little about why it happens (the media sensationalises the beejeebers out of those instances of course) but I think it really comes down to the chromosomal mix you are dealt. Maybe I could dig up some charts and do up a post - visual aides help enormously. :)
I’d be interested but don’t spend too much time on it if just for me ;)
lol, you know how one idea sparks another ... and before you know it you've made a dozen more posts :D
Fraternal twins are two SEPARATE eggs that develop at the same time in the womb. So, essentially, they're like two different siblings (2 brothers, 2 sisters, brother/sister), only the same age. And you inherit 50% of your DNA from each parent...but with siblings, it may not be the SAME parts of the DNA they inherit. That's why siblings don't look exactly alike, etc. Identical twins (develop from the same egg) are the only ones where the results would be the same.
calling @OriginalWorks
much appreciated :)
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @ravenruis to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
haha, the best part is the results =)
Nice, have you seen this documentary, it is really good
https://youtu.be/W_xTG6VXlIQI haven't but thank you, I shall check it out. :)
Brought back memories when you mentioned the brick wall. I hit so many that I wasn't going to get past without spending out loads and I gave up. Never really got around to taking it up again, but the novelty had worn off anyway. Trying to ground myself in the present because the past makes me sad.
The part of the researching I find the hardest is when I come across a fallen soldier. Sometimes a family lost a number of males in the same war. Heartbreaking.
If you ever do decided to pick up your research again, I am happy to point out any free sites that may be of use. :)
Yes, those bits were really hard. Young deaths are hard too.
As much as I like the idea and the usefulness of doing DNA stuff like that, my irrational paranoia kicks in and people can bloody well work to get that much biometric information off me ;D
Hopefully the second test helps knock out any walls the first one had trouble with :D
Your post was very informative to me. I never thought about carrying out a DNA test, I trust my relatives, while I trust ...))))
update: Yesterday I got an email from Ancestry to say they had received my kit ... yay!
Processing could still take a couple of months, depending on how busy the lab is, but at least I know it arrived safely. :)