When it comes to our family line, it’s safe to say that almost everyone knows their parents and grandparents. However, many people don’t really know their ancestors. If you’ve ever been curious about your family roots or wanted to know more about your genetic heritage, then a DNA test kit can give you the answers you’re looking for. These kits analyze the DNA you inherited from both parents to give you a comprehensive breakdown of your ancestry and ethnic background. In addition to exploring your origins, some kits also offer insights into specific genetic traits from different parts of the world. For a DNA test kit that can give you a deeper understanding of your origins, the FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder Kit is a great option.
The FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder is a non-invasive autosomal DNA test kit for genetic males and females that’s designed to find matches on all of your ancestral lines within the last five generations. The kit features several interactive tools that track your genealogy, trace your lineage, and determine family connections, including myOrigins and ancientOrigins, which are visual mapping tools that give you a breakdown of your origins and let you view where each DNA segment comes from, a Family Matching tool for sorting confirmed DNA matches by maternal and paternal lines, and a Chromosome Browser tool for comparing matching segments of DNA (blocks) with your genetic matches.
With this easy-to-use autosomal DNA test kit, you can discover your ethnic origins and connect with your genetic relatives across the globe.
In this article we discuss in detail how the FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder Kit works, go over everything it has to offer you, and explain how you’re meant to use it.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder Kit focuses on analyzing your autosomal DNA, which is inherited from both parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, etc. This DNA test kit is completely non-invasive, as it only requires a simple cheek swab to find matches in the company’s massive DNA database on all of your ancestral lines within the last five generations of your family.
Based on your collected autosomal DNA sample, you’re provided with a detailed breakdown of your genetic background (i.e. your shared DNA segments), which helps connect you with your genetic relatives and gives you a deeper insight of your ancestry.
The test kit features several interactive tools that track your genealogy, trace your lineage, and determine family connections, and those include:
- myOrigins – This unique visual mapping tool provides you with both a detailed ethnic and geographic percentage-breakdown of where your ancestors came from. Your heat map reflects your personal genetic ancestry, and may also reveal related population clusters that mixed with others in ancient times.
- Chromosome Painter – This exciting tool uses colors that represent the populations in your myOrigins results to show you which segments of your autosomal DNA come from your myOrigins Continental Regions and Super Populations, allowing you to break down your origins across your 22 autosomal chromosome pairs.
- ancientOrigins – This is the company’s latest advancement to the Family Finder Kit, a special tool that maps your ancient ancestors’ migration routes and shows the amount of autosomal DNA you still carry from ancient European civilizations (Neolithic Hunter-Gatherers, Early Farmers, and Bronze-age Metal Invaders) by comparing your own DNA segments to DNA samples collected from archeological dig sites throughout the European continent. Through this innovative, interactive feature, you’re able to gain new insight into how your ancient ancestors lived, survived, and interacted while exploring their ancient migration routes.
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- Genetic males also receive an intermediate Y-DNA haplogroup that traces the migration of their paternal-line ancestors.
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- Family Matching – This enhanced feature enables users to sort confirmed DNA matches by maternal and paternal lines.
- Chromosome Browser – This exclusive tool enables you view and compare the DNA segments—across your 22 autosomal chromosome pairs and X chromosome—that you share with your Family Finder matches (autosomal DNA relatives).
HOW TO USE?
To use the FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder Kit, you’re required to swab the inside of your cheeks with the kit’s included “snap-off” swabs.
After extracting your DNA sample, you’re then meant to mail your kit back by using the return envelope provided (note that international orders do not include return shipping). For US residents in particular, the kit also comes with pre-paid return shipping labels.
You can expect to receive your results online in 2 to 4 weeks, for which the company will notify you via email once your DNA test results are ready.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
The Family Finder Kit comes with two small plastic vials containing some preservative liquid, two sterile swabs, a snaplock bag to seal your sample, an authorisation form, a padded pre-addressed envelope to post your sample back to the lab, and an illustrated instruction manual.
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
If you’re interested in purchasing the FamilyTreeDNA Family Finder Kit, know that each kit goes for just $79. You can order it online either directly from FamilyTreeDNA’s official shopping page, or you can buy it on Amazon.
OTHER PRODUCTS FROM FAMILYTREEDNA
FamilyTreeDNA Paternal Ancestry Kit
The FamilyTreeDNA Paternal Ancestry is a Y-DNA test kit for genetic males that can help you discover and verify your direct paternal ancestry by connecting you with other individuals who are descendants of a shared common patrilineal ancestor.
Pricing for the Paternal Ancestry Kit starts at $119. You can purchase it via FamilyTreeDNA’s respective shopping page.
FamilyTreeDNA Maternal Ancestry Kit
The FamilyTreeDNA Maternal Ancestry is a mtDNA test kit for both biological males and females that analyzes a sample of your mtDNA to help answer questions about relatedness on the direct maternal line.
The Maternal Ancestry Kit is priced at $159. You can purchase it at FamilyTreeDNA’s corresponding shopping page.
