By combining Ethnoancestry & FamilytreeDNA, can I maximize a Y-chromosome haplotype (like 125 markers)?

Question

what's the best you can get

Is that the best there ever will be

What is the value of this haplotype over smaller ones

Is it worth the money

Will it get cheaper eventually

Answer 1

At the moment 67 markers (with Family tree DNA) is the maximum, they include some DYS# that others do not test, and one or two companies include a couple of DYS# that FTDNA does not cover, overall 67 is the optimum number required to give an acurate and adequate result for genetic genealogy purposes. (12 is enough to determine your haplogroup, http://www.familytreedna.com/description... )It is a new science and progress is being made all the time. The outcome of testing the 67 Loci determines which haplogroup you belong to, and a deep clade test will then confirm which haplotype you are. As to whether it will get cheaper, I suspect that depends on whether more and more people test, but the time taken in analysis is unlikely to change very much, so I doubt the price will come down greatly, the best way to go at the moment is to join a surname group with FTDNA and get a discount, personally, I believe it is well worth the money,(it works out slightly cheaper to go for the max at the start) you can find all the information you need on FTDNA's site, I have used them and they are the best, in my opinion. :o)

Below is a reply I have given to a similar previous question, dna cannot tell you which country you originated in, only the probable area, or areas of the world your ancient ancestors passed through during their evolution.

Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes: 22 pairs of autosomes, and one pair of s*x chromosomes. Females carry a pair of X chromosomes that can swap, or recombine, similar regions of DNA during meiosis. However, males harbor one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, and significant recombination between these dissimilar s*x chromosomes does not occur. Therefore, the non-recombining region of the Y chromosome (NRY) remains largely unchanged over many generations, directly passed from father to son, son to grandson, and so on, along with genetic variations in the NRY that may be present. Scientists can use genetic variations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), on the Y chromosome as markers of human ancestry and migration.

It is very effective and the best companies will retest until they get a conclusive result.

If you have, say, just the first 12 markers tested($149 with FTDNA), that will give an indication of where you originated, the more markers you test on, the more information is gained ( for mtdna, your suggested geographic origin and your maternal deep ancestral ethnic origin, $129 with FTDNA) if you test on the maximumum of, say 67 markers ($349 with FTDNA), it is possible then to find a match to someone else carrying your own, or a different surname, and to prove a link where perhaps no "paper trail" exists. It can therefore pinpoint a place in which your ancestors probably lived in recent history but DNA does not, obviously,

have a surname attached to it, surnames have only been used for around 700 years and of course your DNA originated 10s of thousands of years ago. You can also have a SNP test which will help show the migratory pattern of your ancient ancestors, having said that, you can join a Surname project (e.g. with FTDNA) and receive discounted prices on your tests.

I recommend that you make yourself aware of the various tests available, and the costs with each testing company.

Plus, check out what is available to you after you have tested.

I used Family Tree DNA ,they were the first in the field (founded in 1999), have the largest data base, and do the testing for the National Geographic's Genome project, their "after sales" is excellent and I consider they are the best, but you have to make your own decision on that.

http://www.familytreedna.org

NOTE :-

If you are female, you only carry your mother's Mtdna, and her mother's Mtdna, and her mother's Mtdna etc.,etc.,etc. and that will show only your mother's lineage (you will pass that Mtdna on to your daughters and sons, but your sons will not pass it on to their children). You do not inherit your father's Y-DNA.

If you are male, you inherit your father's Y-DNA, his father's Y-DNA, his father's Y-DNA, and so on back to your origin. You also inherit your mother's Mtdna, but you only pass your Y-DNA on to your sons.