What is Mitochondrial DNA? Should you take the mtDNA test?

What exactly is Mitochondrial DNA? Learn the science behind the mtDNA test and whether you should or should not take this genetic genealogy test.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
01:24 What is DNA?
02:31 Where does mtDNA come from?
05:01 How is Mitochondrial DNA Inherited?
05:56 Should You Take a mtDNA Test?
07:52 What do Mitochondrial DNA Tests Cost?

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✅ Let's connect:

#dnatesting #geneticgenealogy #FamilyHistoryFanatics

[anna-karins]

I took the Mitochondrial DNA test at FamilyTreeDNA. It was mostly out of historical interest and curiosity. It turned out to be a Haplogroup in the U5a2d branch . It is among the oldest groups in Scandinavia and came in with the first hunter gatherers around 10000-12000years ago.

[jeannet]

I thought I would be the first in my family to do the mtDNA test. The results showed 3 exact matches that go back 9 generations and prove the genealogy paper trail.

[channah]

If you have a historically significant direct female line ancestor, I bet researchers for that person would like to know her haplogroup. Especially if you've done all the hard work to provably connect yourself to her, you can help them. For example, the Mayflower Society has a chart of mtDNA tests members have submitted for their ancestor. So, for example Pricilla Mullins is apparently H6a1a9, and Mary (Jackson) Brewster seems to be I4a.

[barbararoberts]

I took took the MtDNA test and found it helpful. The results came back as H27 which is uncommon, so only had a handful of results people to sort through. There was a question of Indian or European heritage. The test narrowed the maternal line to being European. Probably what not the normally happens. Nice to luck out.

[gruilen]

I just paid for the full mtDNA test.
The grayed-out ftdna mtDNA badge is doing its work. :D

My recently deceased grandmother had given me money to buy something that would remind me of her.

I'm not interested in a ring or a watch.
...but this is probably not what she had in mind.


The oldest entry in my family tree along this line is born around 1650.

[edithh]

The etiology of chronic diseases... There are two paradigms in medicine; the anatomical and metabolic, the new kid on the block. Mitochondrial DNA and study of the mtDNA lineages may tell us a lot about the chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, the neurodegenerative conditions, and autoimmune conditions, which thus far have eluded the anatomical paradigm. In other wordss, there has been meager progress based on the anatomical hypothesis. As for the metabolic oaradigm, its early days and the data is limited, but there are tantalizing correlations between haplogroups and chronic disease conditions.

[johnrogan]

N1a1a...Queen Noor of Jordan...Siberian horseman at Lake Baikal Siberia....only 1 in 2800 tested for this mt DNA match on 23 and me.

[MrSatwatcher]

I tested with the FTDNA mtFull (16, 569 markers). I have 6 matches with GD of 0 and built trees for all of them. One is also an autosomal (FF) match and I have determined the common ancestral matrilineal line back to Holland. I'm also in all the databases and tested Y-67 as well. So, something can become of it but it does takes some work.

[robertprice]

I did get a Y-DNA Test because my knowledge of my paternal line ends inthe Suwalki Region a Poland in the mid 1800s. So the cousins I found probably shared common ancestors during the Viking Age. My Y-DNA Haplio is N, and even though it usually thought of as Finnic, it was most likely spread to the South Baltic with the Swedish Vikings. With the maternal line I can get to England in the1530s, so I don't an MT-DNA test will help that much.

[LadyErnst]

Through 23 and me my mother and myself are an exact match with mitochondrial dna from its origin in Africa with the maternal haplogroups L1b1a. It’s not as common. Only 1 in 1700 23 and me members will have a direct match to the origins in Africa and my maternal line just happens to posses it. Very interesting.

[johnrogan]

The female DNA marker is still active...goes back years to Kenya and Tanzania 🇹🇿!

[gerryrussell]

Thank you, very informative. I thought it my give me a shot at finding my birth mother. I'll just hold onto my few bucks now.

[elliekud]

This is very interesting information. Rumor had it that my mother’s side had Jewish in her line, taking a family tree dna test it did not show it at all. When doing the mtdna test with family tree dna, it all showed very small percentages. How does that work? My highest percentage was 2.3% being in Georgia but listed in the comments section it said mizrachi .

[dolphinshark]

My mother was adopted. No records to be found. Would a mitochondrial DNA test be beneficial at all to me? In any way?

[erinlee]

My mom is Ashkenazi Jewish and my dad is non Jewish European. I took test through Ancestry. They broke down my dad’s ancestry well by various countries but they just said “Jewish people of Europe” for all my mom’s side. I’m satisfied with what I learned about my dad’s side but feel like what was found about my mom’s side is too vague. This is why I am interested in the mitochondrial dna test to learn more specifics about where my mom’s side came from. Do you know the best tests specifically for Ashkenazi Jews?

[bluebonnetsoftexas]

thanks for the responses below. new question. my sister did do the MTDNA and we did find out that we are in haplogroup K1a4a1a. I have NO idea what that means. our hope was that doing a maternal dna search we could trace our mother's line. which all we can seem to get is our moms father's line. we know as far back as our grandmother's mother then everything stops. there was the story that the great grandmother came off the Choctaw Indian reservation in I think it's in Mississippi. everything we find on her, just says parents unknown. does anyone have any ideas on how we can get past that?

[TheManseHen]

My elderly uncle was the last living child of my Cuban grandmother. Because Cuba is currently still a brick wall of sorts, and I've exhausted any information I can get from the living relatives and available records, I figured, It may be useless but as my source to collect it is finite, I'll go ahead and have it done. I feel kind of dumb now for having spent the money, but it just felt like the thing to do, just in case it might ever be helpful in any way.

[Gilbertineable]

No, but it can give you a surprise. My mitochondrial result shows that my mitchondrial dna came from an Indigenous Siberian woman (of course) - it's quite a long sequence so I don't know if that means she lived a very long time ago, My mother is Swiss by the way and she has a lot of different ancestors from Europe to North East Asia. One of my ancestors, his skeleton found in Kazakhstan during the bronze or iron age (I forget) was a Saka (related to Eastern Scythians) Golden Leader, His grave or it may have been a kurgan was filled with golden jewellery, armour, swords etc - obviously, he was very rich. My identical twin sister does all the research and I can't remember if a horse was buried with him. Maybe in the time of my ancestor people had not domesticated the horse yet?

[staceycoates]

I have thought of getting the mtDNA but more for curiosity or figuring out my maternal halpolgroup. It doesn't seem to be much more value than the ethnicity reports.

[jessikamoore]

Would it be worth it to do a mtdna test? 23 and Me provided me U4b1a1 and said it is not very common, ocurring in only 1 in 2300 of its users. My mom's first cousin has the exact same one as well as that cousin's neice. My 2nd great grandma on that side is a brick wall. We were told her parents were not biologically hers but through help, a birth record was found indicating the woman who raised her was her mother, but no father is listed. For some reason it lists her grandpa to her mother. Then, I think I match her half brother's descendants but maybe 2, not sure I have to look again. I just am not sure it is worth the money if I got U4b1a1 already included in my 23 and Me plus it is ancient ans has no bearing on modern ancestry.