Human beings are naturally curious about a lot of things. One thing that we all would like to know is our ancestry and the other is about finding out distant relatives. Another thing that is of interest is to know about a person’s genetic inclination towards diseases.
DNA testing gives you an almost infallible idea on these aspects. DNA testing is expensive because it is still in its infancy stage so, when you go for DNA testing you could come upon some pleasant surprises.
1. The cost has come down considerably!
DNA tests used to cost thousands of dollars a few years ago. In recent times the cost has come down to a level where a common man can afford it. There are dozens of DNA testing laboratories that carry out DNA tests and that too at reasonable fees. You get a home test kit, take your saliva and cheek swab samples and send it off to be tested.
The latest is that DNA testing kits are available on shelves for around $80-$100. Take a cheek swab and send it off to the lab for the ancestry reports. Spending $80 for your ancestry DNA report is considerably affordable.
2. You have more relatives than you thought
There are many websites which match you DNA with the DNA database they have. DNA matches could show you have quite a few DNA relatives in all parts of the world. This is assuming their DNA database exists on these two sites.
You could be tickled pink to know you are somehow related to royalty of some country. You could even be a direct descendent. Remember, back in those days a king had many consorts.
3. You are of a different or mixed ethnic origin
The DNA genealogical test tells the truth about your ethnic origins. You get to know which haplogroup you belong to. This may be a pleasant or unpleasant surprise depending on how you view it.
In any case it may surprise you to know that all men are descendents of a single man known as Y-chromosomal Adam who lived about 200000 to 400000 yeas ago.
If your surname is Cohen then yippee! You could be a kohanim and claim descent from Aaron, brother of Moses. That is something to brag about. If you are fair skinned and blond you could still belong to an African haploid group, a certain surprise for you.
4. You could come into an inheritance
This is, of course, the stuff of fairy tales but genealogical testing services such as Find a Grave can help you find burial information of someone with whom your DNA matches and, if, that person happened to leave behind his fortune to his next of kin and you happen to be in line then hallelujah, you could inherit property or a secret map to a treasure.
5. If you were adopted then you could find your real biological parents
This can happen subject to DNA database of your genuine biological parents being available in sites such as ancestry or GEDMatch. Whether you find them and whether they are alive or not is another matter as is whether they really want to recognize you as their offspring.
Lastly, DNA tests could reveal that even if your mother or father has diabetes or coronary issues, you are not at risk. Well, that takes a load off your mind.
Some News Articles as References:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/10/dna-tests-can-reveal-paternity-surprises.html
