DNA Relationship Testing
Checks Kinship
A DNA relationship test can confirm that two people are related. For example, an adoptee finds her presumed birth family. But the birth parent is not available for a paternity test. The adoptee can confirm the relationship by testing a potential half sibling. That’s what I did in my own adoption search. Another example occurs when a child’s alleged father dies without a paternity test. The man’s parents may wish to know if they are the child’s biological grandparents.
My Free Guide to DNA Testing Before you dive into the details of this web site, I suggest you download my free Guide. I describe and compare the major DNA test types. Then I explain their purposes, strengths and limitations in a unique table that you will not find anywhere else. This Guide provides the high level overview you need to put the various DNA tests in perspective. Just click the title below to reach the download page. How to Identify Ancestors and Confirm Relationships through DNA Testing There are two types of DNA relationship testing. Both methods depend on the principle that closely related people have more DNA in common than unrelated people. DNA Kinship Testing Also called sibling testing, this is the traditional DNA test to show that two people are related. The test compares two or more potential siblings on a small set of autosomal markers. Autosomal markers reflect the genetic contribution of both parents. This form of DNA relationship testing cannot be as conclusive as a
paternity test.
That’s because there is no way to tell which marker came from which parent. In certain situations supplemental tests of the subjects’ X or Y chromosomes can provide additional proof of relationship. Testing additional family members may provide further clarification. See
DNA Kinship Testing
for more details on this type of test. NOTE: The newer tests described below do a much better job of confirming relationships. Unlike the older kinship test, they cannot miss a close relationship. Until these new tests are accepted by courts, however, those seeking a fully LEGAL test are forced to try the conventional kinship test. Autosomal DNA Testing An alternative test type emerged in late 2009. That’s when 23andMe introduced their Relative Finder. Early in 2010 Family Tree DNA followed with their Family Finder. Both are examples of
Autosomal DNA Testing.
This type of test is far more conclusive than traditional Kinship Testing. These tests check 700,000 to a million pairs of locations in your autosomal DNA. By measuring the number and length of common DNA segments, these tools can tell if you are full siblings, half siblings, first cousins etc. Since you need to buy two tests for relationship testing, you will want to check these links for current prices on
Family Finder
and the test at
23andMe
Be sure to include the monthly subscription fee (12 months minimum) when calculating the cost of the 23andMe test. Family Finder does not require a subscription. See
Relative Finder
for more details on the 23andMe test. And see
Autosomal DNA Comparison
for a more detailed comparison of the two tests.
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