Description
Advances in genetics have given researchers new tools for analyzing people’s DNA to gain insights into the ancestral histories of human populations. The rise of low-cost DNA ancestry tests marketed to consumers is enabling people to discover their own personal ancestry. Ancestry tests are nuanced, and the results are subject to limitations. Still, these tests can yield results that are warmly welcomed or fill in missing pieces of a family story. They may also provide results that cause people to feel upset or worried, and the results may conflict with an individual’s personal and cultural identities.
DNA ancestry testing comes in several varieties, which provide different ways for people to explore their ancestry. Admixture testing (or biogeographical ancestry analysis) analyzes a person’s DNA to estimate where their ancestors came from. So how does this type of ancestry testing work?
