DNA Testing – What Makes you who you Are?
DNA testing can unlock all manner of secrets about you, your history and your family.
People are increasingly curious about what their DNA can tell them about who they are and where they come from. DNA testing can certainly help with this, enabling you to place yourself both in terms of your wider family, and your ethnic origins.
DNA Testing - unearthing your roots
DNA testing for ethnic background is particularly interesting in the UK - as an island nation that has suffered frequent raids and conquests throughout its history, and with a constant influx of traders and workers from other countries over the past thousand years, nearly everyone all of us in the UK have a diverse racial background. Establishing where you fit into that mix may be one of the most interesting uses of DNA testing available to us.
This type of DNA testing can unearth interesting surprises for those from more recently settled countries who visit the UK or Ireland looking for their family connections, in particular those from Scotland or Ireland, where a good percentage of annual visitors are people tracing their ancestry.
DNA testing - what your DNA says about you
Each cell in your body contains a tiny amount of your DNA, which you inherit half of from your mother and half from your father. This relationship between yours and your parents’ DNA is what makes it such an accurate way to establish paternity. The chromosomes inherited from your parents are random, though, which is why your appearance differs from your siblings, though you may share some features such as eye colour, build or hair colour.
DNA provides a consistent thread through the generations which is why DNA testing can help you discover your ancestral genetic origins. It will also tell scientists whether you are predisposed to any diseases or other medical conditions, which can be important when making lifestyle changes such as what you eat, how often you exercise or what medicines you can take. |
