Ancestry Home Test Kits

Ancestry testing has become hugely popular over the past few years. The tests are relatively cheap, are easy to do and seem to have fulfilled the need in people to understand more about where they came from and even be connected with lost relatives.

Why Use An Ancestry DNA Home Test?

Ancestry DNA tests are probably the most established of the DNA tests. They have become increasingly popular as our interest in all things genealogical has increased as evidenced in the popularity of programmes like ‘Long Lost Family’ and ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ They are now popular gifts for people and are suitable for anyone who wants to find out more about their ethnic origins. 

Who Should Use An Ancestry DNA Home Test?

Anyone can use an ancestry DNA test. They are popular with people who want to understand more about where their ancestors came from, you may want to find out more about your surname, be connected with relatives or you may simply be interested to know more about your family tree. Genealogists may also use ancestry testing services to help provide information for their clients. Some test providers can even provide you with genealogists to help piece together your family tree.

What’s In An Ancestry DNA Test?

Depending on your test provider you will be asked to provide either a cheek swab or a saliva sample. All test providers provide detailed instructions on how to safely perform the collection of DNA.

What Does An Ancestry DNA Test Do?

This is dependent on the provider but in most ancestry testing the following process will be followed. Your sample, which is usually a sample of saliva, will be sent to a lab where your DNA will be extracted from the cells in your saliva. The lab will then lab analyse your sample to look for what are called SNP’s - Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. 

SNP’s can be seen as the places where our DNA differs from other people’s DNA. Its these differences that help to pinpoint your ancestry. Your SNPs are then compared to the company database. People from certain regions in the world will share similarities with each other in their SNP’s.