Thanks to Ancestry’s new SideView technology, unveiled yesterday, we can see which ethnicities each of our parents passed down to us. This is a first-of-its-kind scientific innovation that separates DNA into parental sides.
Our ethnicity inheritance at Ancestry estimates which regions we inherited from each parent.
With more than 20 million people in its growing consumer DNA network, Ancestry is the first company to be able to provide this type of genomic information without requiring a parent to be tested.
Each of our parents passed down half of their DNA to us. This also means there’s half of their DNA we didn’t inherit. In other words, Ancestry can now show half of each parent’s estimated ethnicity.
For me, this parental DNA breakdown is a good addition to my DNA results. Since my parents and grandparents died many years ago, I’m unable to test their DNA. But now, I can see a significant part of their genetic profile by looking at both my sister’s and my ethnicity breakdown for our parents, and I can look at my aunts’ and uncles’ breakdown for my grandparents.
Ethnicity inheritance can also help bring us closer to solving adoption mysteries. Someone, who I suspect is the child my father’s cousin gave up for adoption more than 70 years ago, invited me to view their DNA results. Looking at their ethnicity inheritance from one parent now leaves little doubt in my mind that the adopted person is my second cousin.
Eventually, we may be able to label Parent 1 and Parent 2 as Mother and Father, or vice-versa.
Ancestry also updated the ethnicity estimates.
DNA kits on sale
Haven’t tested your DNA yet? In Canada, AncestryDNA kits are $79 — $50 off — until April 23. They can be ordered directly from Ancestry, where shipping is extra, or for the same price from Amazon.ca, where shipping is free and fast.
Once you receive your DNA results from Ancestry, you can upload them for free to MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA.
