Want to give something original? Do you need to surprise someone and how do you know? At PCWorld Spain we want to help you by giving you an idea you may not have thought of: providing a DNA test
That said, it may not seem like a lot of fun, but the fact is that in one of the tests you will get below, you will inform the person you have given – or yourself – more information about your family that you may not know.
Indeed, this DNA test determines your genetic background, so you'll know where your ancestors came from. There are some tests, on the other hand, that provide genetic information on health, and others that focus on the study of natigenetics, your athletic ability or your skin.
So, there are many reasons why a DNA test can be a very good idea, to do it yourself or to give it to a friend.
Before deciding what to pay for, take a look at the informative sections we include to find out what kind of assessments it contains and what methods are being used.
What is DNA testing and how does it work?
Currently there are only about 20 companies dedicated to sequencing your DNA to find out the origins of your ancestors, though we can see more in the short term because of the popularity of this business.
DNA testing will allow you to find out the origins of your ancestors and your relationships with other users and decide to take the same DNA test. In fact, for most people who have tested, their results will be straightforward (although we'll talk more in depth).
Now, if you're wondering how to get a DNA test to know your origin, the answer is pretty simple: if you choose a company that wants to do the procedure (we recommend you check out our top choice for DNA testing), you'll need to request a DNA release kit only at your chosen address.
Typically DNA kits come with one or more tubes that you will need to fill with saliva, spit, or pass a cotton ball with your mouth to fit it into a saliva and put it into a tube.
The following will be mailed to the address indicated. You should be aware that some companies do not include shipping costs for their purchase price, so you will need to pay attention to this information if it is important when choosing a service price.
After sending it, you have to wait. The process usually takes weeks and even months in some cases, so be patient and don't expect to get your results soon. The results are always available by email (at least the DNA testing companies in the article).
Types of DNA testing methods
When we did different DNA tests and got the results in hand, we were very surprised because, although some companies gave similar (different) results, others gave us very different results.
We decided to contact María Luisa Matey Hernández, a clinical researcher at St. Petersburg Hospital. Thomas in London, we asked him why our DNA tests gave different results according to the company.
Matthew wanted to emphasize the importance of understanding that the world of genes is a very complex field of study, because new approaches are emerging every day and new genes are being discovered.
That is why each DNA company uses its own methods. Matthew explains that these methods differ based on three main points: geographical regions, how you can determine the difference and size of the data available to a company.
The researcher says the difference in the three points can lead to very different results in DNA tests.
Another factor to consider as far as Matey goes is the fact that some companies use country names in the results they give the customer to show about the different origins of DNA testing.
However, it should be understood that these geographical names must be understood as their origin and not the country itself.
In the case of DNA testing and reporting of potential diseases and health conditions, it should be noted that these tests are also affected by the different diagnostic methods used by each company. That is, and they can show different results depending on the three main points we mentioned earlier.
However, despite these differences between the DNA companies, the test results were able to detect a single smile.
And as we explained the above lines, even though we were surprised after getting different results, the fact is that other companies offered similar results, so it made us more aware of the origins of our ancestors.
In addition, Matey explains that companies are aware of these problems and are striving to improve. Generally, as more information is collected, companies update their methods and databases.
This means that one day all DNA tests can give us very accurate results about our ancestors, and that differences between different DNA companies can be avoided.
Now, to write this article we are going through five different DNA tests: 23andMe, MyHeritage, 24Genetics, OneFam and DanteLabs. It is interesting to note that the 24Genetics test, in addition to our background information, provided us with information on our health status and possible diseases.
We sent our DNA sample to DanteLabs laboratories on July 24, 2018 and to this day we still have no response, so we advise against this company.
The following we present ours reviews by various DNA testing companies to know your origin.
Comparison: What is the best DNA test?
MyHeritage
Another company that offers DNA testing to know your racial background is MyHeritage. For your kit MyHeritageDNA, which is less expensive for those on the list and that you can buy as well Amazon, it will be easier for you to have a general idea of where your family is coming from.
For us, the results took about a month to reach, more or less than promised. When they are ready, you will receive an email from the account you used to register your release kit.
By clicking on the link, you will be sent to a platform that you can travel around the world while uncovering the percentage of your DNA that corresponds to each region and the tour is updated with traditional music from each location. It is undoubtedly one of the earliest ways to show results.
Unlike other services, MyHeritage provides you with a wealth of information about your background; Restricted to above percentages. On the other hand, it emphasizes well the opportunities it offers to find relatives through its app.
In fact, whether through a mobile app or via email, you'll get notifications whenever you find your DNA partner in a meaningful way, even though the percentages are usually very low.
As for the process of analyzing your DNA, it all starts at the moment of release. When you get the kit, you will have to spread the cotton cloth inside your cheeks to sample. It is certainly the simplest and largest method.
When you send it to a laboratory, technicians will process your DNA for chip genotyping, burn it to high temperature for installation, and then the computer analyzes that metal-based chip to compare your information with its database.
23Me
23Me had MyHeritage one of the best DNA companies to know the origin of your ancestors. Although 23andMe costs more than MyHeritage, we can say the results also provide some very detailed information.
However, if it's the only thing that interests the region, then the kit provided by MyHeritage should be more than enough to satisfy your curiosity.
Our experience with 23andMe begins on their website (it's fair to say that they use a very intuitive, powerful interface that makes it easy to navigate the content they provide). You can order our kit through its website by clicking on this link.
You will need to register your kit and create an account that will be linked to you. 23MM gives you the option to hand over your DNA for investigation. You can, if you wish, complete different surveys that provide more information about your health and lifestyle that will be of great help to your research.
To remove your DNA sample, you will need to fill in a saliva canista. This was more annoying than a MyHeritage stick, for example. It costs a lot more to complete a spit boat than rubbing your gum rod for a few seconds.
After submitting our DNA, we had to wait one month and 24 days to get our results. It could mean that we received email notifications that followed the entire process (when our DNA arrived, when it was analyzed, etc.).
Results, like every other company, are obtained by email. To this end we have provided a wealth of information: percentage of geographical origin, information pertaining to normal relatives (usually distant cousins), Neanderthal genetic diversity (if you have one).
We would like to say that MyHeritage and 23andMe gave us results that, although not identical, were very similar and compatible.
We have enjoyed knowing and knowing the genetic haplogroup, in this case by having the genitals of women, of our mothers. This is the migration pattern that women have followed in our maternal line. Only if you have a chromosome Also do not know the genetic haplogroup of children.
23andMe takes care of small details, and makes browsing your website much easier to enjoy and understand more about your genetic makeup. For example, the company offers a quiz section related to other distant relatives that have been tested for DNA: “43% of your relatives are less likely to be vegetarian” or “27% of your relatives tend to feel that cilantro tastes like soap. ”
24Genetics
24Genetics It is a company with laboratories in Spain, Mexico, and the United States offering a complete DNA analysis service, as their tests will not only allow you to know your ancestors, but also your personal information health or you sports skills.
One day after sending it, our kit arrived at the Madrid laboratory. Three weeks later, we had in our email health and wellness reports, pharmacy, skin care, sports and virgenetics.
We emphasize that they do not have a mobile app where you can meet people with close friends or share information on social networks. In addition, this test on pricing is probably the highest.
We would have to wait a few more days to get the test results of our national origin. Throughout its 10 pages, 24Genetics offers a few maps where the countries that are related to your anthropological roots are marked in blue.
While some reports are sensitive and complex, the ancestral document is very simple and easy to understand, even though it is not interesting or appealing, for example, MyHeritage.
When we received this release bag, we were disappointed to find that it came with a lightweight and low-end envelope, although from the company we were assured that this was because they were not ready for the new installation.
Of course, it came with detailed instructions and information about the potential use of your DNA. In this sense, you can authorize or not transfer data to third parties, or you have to read it carefully because the book is too small.
In any case, to extract the sample, it will be sufficient to use the sticks and transfer them inside the tubes provided with you. In Spain, shipping and collection are always free, but abroad, this depends on the country.
One fire
The OneFam results They come to us with HomeDNA, because it's the company where they send these tests to do the analysis. When you receive a DNA kit, you will need to register with HomeDNA to link your sample with your account on their website.
The price of this type goes up with respect to others such as 23andMe or MyHeritage. However, we found it very interesting to do this DNA test because the results we obtained are many "variopintos".
After submitting our DNA sample, the results took about one month and six days to arrive. As with the other tests, the results came to us through its platform online We have been notified by email.
Compared to MyHeritage or 23andMe, the HomeDNA interface is much less accurate; However, we were able to see the result of our experiment on the map and divided by percentages.
Indeed, as researcher Matey explains, HomeDNA uses a different approach, and this is the reason why we found the result very different from others. If in some tests we could have seen our DNA divided into six regions, in this case, it would have been meaningless and meaningless in 14 different regions.
Additionally, HomeDNA lets you learn more about the migration routes of your DNA. In this case using the SNP assay (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism), a DNA sequence variant that affects a single sex-specific basis. This experiment performs to separate the two DNA migration pathways, although it cannot be distinguished which is the path of the father and which path of the father.
HomeDNA provides technical and scientific information about the procedure that was performed to obtain the results, something that if you have a desire may be of great interest to you. However, this information is normal and does not explain anything about your DNA.
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