Description

DNAlysis is proud to bring you DNAorigin. Discover your origins with the most comprehensive ancestry test in Africa. By analysing thousands of genetic variations in your DNA, and comparing them to established population databases, we can take you back thousands of generations to determine where in the world your ancestors came from.

Where in the world is your DNA from?

The story of our human ancestry is written in one place – our genes. As DNA is passed down from generation to generation, it contains information from all of our ancestors, recombined in such a way that makes each of us unique.

The current genetic makeup of the world’s population is the direct result of migrations and settlements from Africa to the four corners of the world, which occurred as a result of changes in climate, cultural progress and territorial conquests.

Today, human populations are largely organised into three ancestral population groups – Africa, Asia and Eurasia – with genetic diversity existing between these groups. By analysing millions of variants at the same time we acquire excellent resolution in identifying your origin based on your genetic profile.

How does genetic testing for ancestry work?

DNA is passed from parent to offspring, from generation to generation, and has been doing so for hundreds of thousands of years. Therefore, your DNA contains bits of information from all your ancestors, serving as a map that can be used to determine where your predecessors originated.

• The DNA stored inside your autosomal chromosomes (DNA)
• The DNA stored inside your mitochondria (mtDNA)
• The male Y chromosome

Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes including the sex chromosomes which determine the male (XY) or female (XX) gender. The Y chromosome only exists in males, passed from father to son, generation after generation. For males, we can therefore analyse the genetic information in your Y chromosome to discover your paternal ancestry (from your father’s side of the family). Paternal ancestry is defined by a haplo group: a group of individuals who share the same genetic variation and have the same paternal ancestor. Paternal ancestry cannot be reported on in females because females do not carry a Y chromosome.

Both males and females have mtDNA, but it is only passed on by female parents to offspring. A mother will pass her mtDNA on to all of her daughters and all of hersons. The mtDNA can therefore be analysed to find out your maternal ancestry(from your mother’s side of the family). Maternal ancestry is also defined by a haplo group, being a group of individuals who share the same genetic variation and have the same maternal ancestor.