Can you trace Native American roots?
Yes. Our database contains information on several hundred tribes in North and South America.

Can you trace Jewish roots?
Yes. We can check for Jewish ancestry and for Y-type matches for the Cohanim Y-chromosome; which is thought to be the Y-chromosome of Moses and his brother Aaron.

I am adopted. Can you determine my roots?
It depends. If you are male, we can trace your mother's and father’s lines. If you are female, we can trace only your mother’s line. We need a male relative of your father in order to trace the father’s line.

As a woman, can I trace my paternal ancestry?
Yes, with our Y-DNA analysis, which requires a male saliva sample. You can provide this by sending us a sample from your father. Alternatively, if your father is not available, you can send us a sample from your brother or your paternal uncle. Generally, any male family members who have the same family name will have inherited the same Y-chromosome.

How far back can I trace my mtDNA roots?
An exact match with a sample in the database will indicate the same maternal ancestor at some point in the last 10,000 years on average. Moreover, by mathematically reconstructing mtDNA types ancestral to yours, we can investigate your mother-line's geographic movement over the last 130,000 years.

What if I don't have any exact matches?
At the current state of the database, we estimate that 84% of customers will have exact matches, and 95% will get very close matches. As the database grows, more people will obtain exact matches, and we offer an update service for free.

In our experience, approximately 10% of customers will have young DNA types (a few thousand years old) showing a limited spread within a specific geographic region. The older your DNA type, the more time it will have had to spread. For these other customers who have older DNA types (e.g., 20,000 to 30,000 years old) their matches could be spread widely across an entire continent.

How is mitochondrial DNA different from DNA?
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) makes up our genetic material, and carries instructions for the biochemical processes of development and life. It comprises a double-stranded chain/sequence of approximately 3,000,000,000 bases. Four types of bases are present in DNA. Their chemical names are: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. Mitochondrial DNA is a relatively simple stretch of DNA made up of about 16,570 bases. Unlike nuclear DNA, it is not unique, in that it is shared by many generations of the same mother-line.

Is my DNA result used in the database?
Absolutely not. The database is based on samples that have been obtained from scientific studies of native populations from all over the world, and from people where there has been no movement in their recorded history. Your DNA may or may not be a reliable source of information for the database, and for that reason it will not be used.