5 Things You Need to Know About Taking an AncestryDNA® Test

DNA
21 September 2023
by Ancestry Team

So you want to take an AncestryDNA test to gain a more complete story of your genetic makeup.

With advances in modern technology, it’s easier than ever to gain insights from your DNA.

Here’s a five-point primer that maps out some facts you need to know

1. Ancestry Tests All Your DNA

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There are several different types of DNA tests:. Ancestry uses an autosomal DNA test, which looks at all of your DNA and has the power to trace all of your family lines. Both men and women can take this test. Other tests, like Y chromosome or mitochondrial DNA tests, only test some of your DNA and show you paternal or maternal family lines, respectively.

2. Your Privacy is Our Priority

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AncestryDNA does not claim ownership rights in the DNA that is submitted for testing. You own your DNA.

For more information, check out Ancestry’s privacy center.

3. You Could Get Matched to Over 2,600 Geographic Regions

AncestryDNA provides you with incredible detail about all the geographic regions your DNA connects you to. You’ll find a lot of information to explore in your ethnicity estimate.

Ancestry measures your DNA at about 700,000 locations across your genome, then takes the data to identify which of the 2,600+ globally distributed regions your ancestors may have lived. These results may include how and why your family moved from place to place, powered by Ancestry’s data.

Your results will be unique to you: even full siblings may have different ethnicity estimates.

4. You’ll be Able to Connect and Share with Lots of Other Members

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In addition to telling you more about yourself, genetic testing can tell you more about how you relate to others.

To give you even more insights into your family story, Ancestry compares your DNA to that of everyone else’s in their database, which now has 23 million test takers from around the world..

Depending on how much DNA you share with any given person in the AncestryDNA database, Ancestry estimates a possible relationship. You might be matched up to anyone from a parent to a distant cousin.

5. There’s so Much More to Do After you Get Your Results

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The data-based discoveries tying you to specific regions of the world will give you a reason to join the growing trend of heritage travel.

Or you might use your newly discovered ethnic roots as inspiration for cooking. Does your ethnicity estimate show you’re 9% Nigerian? Try making some Jollof rice. 42% British? Try whipping up some British desserts. And so on.

For still more context, you can opt into studies that use anonymized, aggregate data, which heightens our knowledge of our shared pasts. Your DNA might, for example, help scientists create a big picture map showing America’s great migrations, showing the echoes of our pioneer ancestors in our genes today.

Inspiration is limitless with AncestryDNA. Your sense of where you come from and who you are may never be the same.

Are you ready to discover your unique DNA story?