WBIR-TV Channel 10 recently spoke with Bruce McKee, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, for a story about the use of DNA tests to explore one’s family history. Several companies claim they can provide one’s ancestry information based on certain tests.
McKee noted that the tests are “based on well-established information…There are specific mitochondrial DNA patterns that are indicative of heritage from certain parts of the world, and so (those tests) could tell you that. If you’re a man, they could do the same thing with the Y chromosome.”
But he cautioned that the results of those test results should be taken with a grain of salt because “research on the origins of humans is constantly changing. It’s a very hot area, and so some of the interpretations might change.” Read the story online.