Articles about DNA testing and genetic genealogy for family history research.
DNA Painter transforms a list of DNA matches into a color-coded chromosome map showing which ancestors contributed which segments of your DNA. Understanding how to get segment data, what the numbers mean, and how to use DNA Painter’s tools — from the Shared cM Project to WATO to the Cluster Mapper — is one of the most practical skills in genetic genealogy.
Visual phasing uses the DNA of three siblings to map each chromosome segment to a specific grandparent, without testing any grandparent directly. The result is a permanent chromosome-level attribution of your DNA to each of the four people who contributed one quarter of it — a tool unavailable from any other genealogical method.
The 23andMe bankruptcy of 2025 made visible what was always true: genetic data is a company asset, not just a personal record. Understanding what testing companies actually do with your DNA — and what legal protections exist or don’t — is now essential knowledge for every genealogical DNA tester.
The Dillman DNA Project on FamilyTreeDNA is one of the most important resources the DFA maintains — and one that many members have never joined. Y-DNA testing is the only tool that can determine how many of the 160 documented Dillman family groups share a common male-line ancestor, and how many represent independent origins of the same surname.
DNA clustering — and the Leeds Method at its core — transforms an overwhelming list of DNA matches into organized groups of people who likely share the same ancestral line. It works on every major platform, requires no segment data, and is one of the most practical techniques in genetic genealogy.
A chromosome browser transforms a list of DNA matches into a visual map of shared segments across all 22 chromosomes. Understanding how to read that map — and how to use segment triangulation to confirm common ancestry — is one of the most powerful skills in genetic genealogy.
If you have taken a Y-DNA test and are wondering what to do next, joining a surname project may be one of the highest-value steps available to you…
If you have spent any time looking at your DNA match list, you have seen the centimorgan (cM) figure alongside each match — a number that tells you how much DNA you share…
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is the most comprehensive form of genetic analysis available to consumers — a test that reads virtually every position in your DNA…
Once you have your autosomal DNA results and have begun working your match list, the real analytical work begins. Understanding the deeper mechanics of autosomal DNA…
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