Provider Profile: Britains DNA

Written by Claudia Smith
22 April 2014

Overview
Britains DNA provide one of the most advanced genetic testing services in the world. They can trace a person’s genetic inheritance through a DNA test, referencing scientific and historical data to help them understand their ancestral past like never before.

Writing Britain’s History
Thousands of years ago our ancestors departed from Africa, and as each population group migrated across the continents, markers arose in their DNA to distinguish them. This means that markers can be identified in an individual’s DNA to trace the migratory paths of their ancestors.

Since 2012, Britains DNA has focused on genetic testing methods that incorporate historical analysis and the collective data from ancestral DNA testing. This is a new and innovative approach to understanding the origins of the British population.

In recent years DNA testing to identify an individual’s genetic make-up and ancestral background has become significantly more advanced. By collating DNA testing data from thousands of individuals living in Britain, with the genetic records of past and present population groups from around the world, a genetic map can be created that effectively details Britain’s history. From identifying links to Siberian, African and Indonesian populations, to the dominant global rulers throughout history – such as the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes and the Vikings – a DNA test can reveal the ancient genetic origins of the British people, and put it into a historical context.

Britains DNA is currently tracing Britain’s past and present through a national DNA testing project, building on the history of the British people through their genetic make-up, and mapping the ancestral heritages that define them.

The tests on offer
Britains DNA provide five types of DNA test: The ‘Fatherline’ test, the ‘Motherline’ test, the ‘All My Ancestry’ test, the ‘Red-Head’ test and the ‘Chromo2 Complete’ test.

Fatherline tests allow an individual to trace their male ancestry by analysing the Y chromosome markers passed from father to father to father and so on – only males can take this test as females don’t carry a Y chromosome. Motherline tests allow an individual to trace their female ancestry by analysing the mitochondrial DNA markers passed from mother to mother to mother and so on.

Males can opt for a ‘just markers’ DNA test which analyses the same 15,000 Y chromosome markers as the Fatherline test but does not provide a historical interpretation.

• The Global Connections Plot compares genetic testing results with four thousand other DNA test records from around the world. Genetic similarities to populations are then displayed as a ‘plot chart’ showing genetic links with various geographic regions.
   
• The Population Percentage report is a chart which indicates the proportion of an individual’s DNA that is inherited from ‘inferred ancestral clusters’ – populations statistically proven to originate from certain countries.
   
• The Chromosome Painting – example shown to the right – is another chart which shows an individual’s chromosomes in pairs, divided into hundreds of segments. Each segment is colour coded to indicate which part of the world (and associated population group) its been inherited from.

The Red-Head test will tell a person how many copies of the ‘red head’ gene they carry, if any.

Chromo2 Complete tests combine the Fatherline, Motherline, All My Ancestry and Red-Head tests at a discount.

Summary
Britains DNA are one of the newest companies to undertake DNA testing and one of the few that focus on the ancestry of British individuals, and of those descended from the British population. They use the latest genetic testing techniques and are renowned for bringing an individual’s genetic past to life with a vivid ancestral narrative. Of all the genetic ancestry providers out there, Britains DNA are one of the most accomplished in terms of presenting their results in a simple and visually appealing format.