Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s series African American Lives journeys deep into the African-American experience to reveal the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of participants. Watch clips from the series at pbs.org. In conjunction with this series, KLRU’s Michael Emery will be blogging about his own genealogical experiences. Here is part three of his journey.
Yesterday I put my DNA in the mail! I have no idea how long the results will take. The actual collection procedure is about as strenuous as flossing one’s teeth. There are no obvious bodily liquids involved with the sampling. The mail-in package is sanitary and secure. And the expectation is mounting, yes!
Research genetic genealogy and you’ll find that there are two popular tests, and the biology of it tests my understanding to the limit. One of these evaluates genetic markers from the father of the father of the father et cetera. This Y-chromosome isn’t passed on by females, which means that women can’t be tested for it. And the other test looks at chromosomes that describe a subject’s maternal lineage, the mother of the mother of the mother et cetera. more