Genealogy
Using DNA sequencing systems, we can delve into some of the evolutionary relationships that have remained oblivious to us till day.
One of the more pertinent methods used here is Next Generation Sequencing which can either follow a genomic or transcriptomic (amount of RNA molecules expressed from genes of an organism) route. Since this allows for a greater nucleotide variation, it will help in the differentiation of phenotypes and the also help with studies regarding population history and demography, genetic structure and the relatedness between species.
The figure below shows the reasons behind genetic variations as caused by the genome, transcriptome or epigenome.
Lineage based testing happens to look at the Y chromosome of a person’s DNA which passes down information from the father to the child unchanged. For looking into information that is passed down from mother to the children, the mitochondrial method is adopted. The mutations that occur during testing help to explain the differences from one matrilineal/patrilineal generation to the next. The procedure used to extract this information is rather simple and occurs through a cheek swab testing. As cells are scraped off from the inner cheeks of an individual, it is sent for testing where the DNA is extracted, amplified and analyzed. A reference genome is then used to match certain sectors of the person’s DNA to the references being used and this is used to determine the populations the person shares maternal/paternal ancestry.
Lineage based testing happens to look at the Y chromosome of a person’s DNA which passes down information from the father to the child unchanged. For looking into information that is passed down from mother to the children, the mitochondrial method is adopted. The mutations that occur during testing help to explain the differences from one matrilineal/patrilineal generation to the next. The procedure used to extract this information is rather simple and occurs through a cheek swab testing. As cells are scraped off from the inner cheeks of an individual, it is sent for testing where the DNA is extracted, amplified and analyzed. A reference genome is then used to match certain sectors of the person’s DNA to the references being used and this is used to determine the populations the person shares maternal/paternal ancestry.
23&Me
23andMe is a biotechnology company that utilizes DNA sequencing techniques in order to produce data about a person’s ancestry. It takes a person’s saliva sample and then runs it through sequencing machines certified by CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). A genotyping chip is used in the process which gives results about the variants that there are in a person’s DNA based on which results are generated.
Citations 5.1 - 5.2
Exploring the Depths of Life
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Sequencing
