Family DNA database launched
Who knows who might be your long-lost relative?
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Saturday, 20, Oct 2007 12:01
A private company's online database of people's DNA has been launched to help individuals discover long-lost members of their family.
All those who wish to compare their DNA with those of strangers using Ancestry.co.uk's genetic database will be able to do so simply by sending off a mouth swab in the post.
The online database, which currently already holds records of 15 million users, aims to link distant genetic cousins where paper records of a familial relationship no longer exists.
"The combination of our huge online family history community engaging with each other and our millions of historical records, but now also with DNA, represents one of the most exciting and significant developments in family history research since the advent of the internet," Ancestry.co.uk managing director Stephen Harper said.
"DNA will not tell us how we are related, only if, and within a certain number of generations, which for anyone with an interest in family history poses an exciting challenge to discover exactly how they are related to living relatives they may never otherwise have known existed."
Strict privacy options are maintained by the website. When DNA matches are identified both parties will be communicated and told of the development, but the anonymity of those involved will only be broken if both give their consent.
In addition to the maternal and paternal lineage tests, a Y-chromosome test is also offered. This more complex analysis allows users to find out in which span of generations their shared ancestor lived.
"Given the sheer size of Ancestry's online family history community, the potential of DNA to help our users discover new relatives and learn more about their family's history is enormous," Mr Harper added.