MyHeritage Learning Center

You may have heard about the newest frontier of personal research — DNA testing. Now DNA testing is more accessible than ever before. DNA testing can tell you about your ethnic origins and help you discover family members you never knew existed. Easy-to-use, highly reliable, and affordable, DNA kits are also more available than ever, allowing you to unlock the unique information written in every cell of your body. All it takes is a simple cheek swab; then you sit back and wait, as the best technology science has to offer reveals fascinating new information about you, your family, and your past.

Those who are interested in their ethnic heritage and in increasing the possibility of discovering relatives who are thus far unknown to the family would do well to consider taking a home DNA test. The MyHeritage DNA test kit is easy to use, and the information it unlocks may confirm what you already knew, or really surprise you! Note that this DNA kit was designed as a DNA ancestry test - specifically to help you discover more about your family.

Ever wondered where you actually come from? Taking a DNA test can give you an accurate breakdown of which regions of the world your ancestors came from. People inherit half of their ethnicity from their mothers and half from their fathers, through their DNA, who in turn inherited half of their DNA from each of their parents, and so on, back in time. That means that decoding a person’s DNA allows us to see a small piece of the DNA of all of the ancestors who came before them. The more distant the relative, the smaller the DNA section they contributed, but it’s all there.

You may know about some of the ethnic groups associated with your family line through family stories. Or your relatives may also know a lot about where your ancestors settled and migrated to and from. One way to accurately find out exactly which geographical areas your forebears came from — to confirm oral histories or to fill in the gaps — is to take a DNA test. Even if you think you know a lot already, you may discover surprises!

Genetic testing allows you to understand your genes, the DNA instructions for your body, that you inherited from your parents. Over the last few years, DNA kits have become very popular, as the costs related to testing have dropped dramatically.

Are you interested in discovering more about your genealogy? Are you looking for blood relatives? DNA kits such as the MyHeritage DNA kit allow you to discover your ethnic breakdown and can match you with potentially unknown relatives.

One of the most fascinating, exciting, and potentially dramatic results of an ancestry-related DNA test is the ethnicity profile that your DNA provides. Discovering what makes you unique and the surprise of learning where you really come from is an empowering experience.

“Lineage testing can trace your ancestry back to real existing people who carried that particular DNA type throughout prehistory until today,” explains Peter Forster, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

Yes it can! Personal genetic testing gives you the best chance to find relevant information about your family. Autosomal DNA tests also include a breakdown of your ethnic ancestry, which can be fascinating.

Many adoptees have successfully identified their birth parents through genetic testing and other available resources. However, genetic testing can also be helpful for genealogical questions. Many have successfully used Y-DNA in conjunction with atDNA and historical records to identify fathers of illegitimate ancestors. Others have used atDNA to overcome recent genealogical brick walls. Still others have used mtDNA to support descent from common maternal ancestors or to confirm or refute family legends regarding African or Native American ancestry.

Locked inside your DNA is your unique ethnic makeup, the history of your ancestors, and a web of close and distant relatives waiting to be found. From a quick quick swab of your cheek, the test determines your ethnic origins and finds your relatives. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and in almost all other living organisms. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA, and it is passed down from parents to their children. Whenever organisms reproduce, a portion of their DNA is passed along to their offspring ensuring a certain level of continuity from one generation to the next.

DNA is the blueprint for who you are. You inherited 50% of your DNA from your mother and 50% from your father, who inherited half of their DNA from each of their parents. That’s why relatives often look alike — you share a lot of the genetic makeup that determines who you are.

Have you ever thought about testing your DNA? Now that home DNA kits have become easier, more reliable, and more affordable than ever, there is no better time to take an ancestry DNA test. You’ll be able to find out your ethnicity estimate — where your ancestors called home is written in your DNA, since you inherited your DNA from all of the forefathers who came before you. You’ll also be able to find living relatives who have a shared ancestor because some common DNA from that shared ancestor will show up in both of your DNA tests.

DNA kits are a way for you to take a DNA test at home. They don’t require any special equipment or sterile conditions, and they come with everything you need. If you’ve ever considered DNA testing, now is the time to do it. Home DNA tests have never been more accessible — they are easier to use than ever, the results are more reliable, and the prices more affordable than ever before.