Our family thinks we may have mixed ancestry - can genetic/DNA tests can tell us what the ethnic mix is?

Question

I've read multiple articles giving the impression that one could find out what one's ethnic makeup is via a genetic/DNA test. For instance, one could find out if one if he is a mix of Eastern European and Native American ancestry. My mom may have some ethnic mixture on her side. However, much to my dismay, I spoke to one of the larger DNA testing firms and they said that's not the case??? They can only verify the "single origin" of the direct line (mother's mother's mother's...) w/ no influence from any spouses - so that doesn't help me! Anyone w/ expertise on this have any comments/suggestions to help us find out what the mixture might be? (we don't need to know %, which I've been told is not possible anyway - we just want to know whehter there is a mix and what that might be - Spanish, European, etc.?)

Answer 1

maybe try bone marrow?
bone marrow donors who are asians, those donations ONLY go to Asians because Asians can only take Asian marrow.
it goes for african americans, whites and hispanics. Those who are half hispanic and half white must have the marrow who is also half hispanic and half white
its wierd like that. if you're more than one race then i bet it'll show up. i'm not an expert so this might or might not work.
good luck!

Answer 2

You'll have to search around on the site, but National Geographic has an excellent program that will give you an idea of where your ancestry is from.

It's not cheap, (it won't bankrupt you either) but you order a DNA sample kit from the National Geographic Society, send them a sample. They will analyze the sample and match it up with markers that they have found in other DNA samples. From that they can tell you what area of the world you ancestry comes from.

It can't match you up to individuals but will give you an idea of where your family tree comes from.

Answer 3

It's a little hard to tell from what you wrote - are you female? Were they telling you because you're female you can only test mtDNA?

If so the option is that your brother or father or father's father do yDNA testing.

haplogroup information goes back so far into dim prehistory that's not much help - deep ancestry, 10s of 1000s of years. Not much time to develop mutations stabilized on many markers at all in the time that mankind has lived in the new world. But what do I know, not a geneticist. Druther get garden dirt under my nails.

Answer 4

There are companies that perform "admixture" tests, an analysis of blood quantum and comparison to haplotype databases - these tests can give you a rough picture of any potential admixture, as to European, Sub-Saharan African, East Asian, and Native American, although any further specificity is difficult, and it's not perfect (it also costs a respectable amount of money).

I don't know of any off the top of my head, but googling should give you names of a couple. Try dna.com, perhaps?

Answer 5

first of all i comprehend that being "blended" as you call it would not propose which you are going to have easy pores and skin in basic terms as much as being completely "black" would not propose you would be dark. Its in basic terms an assumption people make. yet that would not propose that all people makes that assumption. individually i do no longer care what color you or all of us else is (we are all created in yet in any different case for a reason). i'm no longer gonna take a seat around finding on the tone of people's pores and skin and ponder whether they are organic black or blended or despite, this is your individual business organisation. I actual have an Aunt who's blended she has a white mom and a black dad and he or she is darker than the ace of spades, so which you do no longer could desire to be easy to be blended and you do no longer could desire to be dark to be organic black. Its all on your genetic make up. So if somebody makes the thought easy skinned blacks are blended appropriate them yet don't be harsh. some people do in basic terms no longer comprehend.

Answer 6

You could always start filling out your family tree and finding where each ancestor was born.

:-)