How Finding Family is Advancing Thanks to DNA Testing

DNA testing is more popular than ever before. Back in 2017, the number of consumer DNA tests doubled compared to previous years. And there’s no sign that people are starting to lose interest with the idea of finding lost family members and discovering where their ancestors come from.

So how is your ability to find family become easier thanks to DNA testing?

It All Depends on the Database Size

The reason why genetic DNA testing is often accused of being inaccurate is not because of the DNA itself. The procedure is valid and accurate. The problem, though, is the DNA database the results are compared against.

The only way to find family members and ancestry groups is to compare a result against an existing DNA base.

That’s why companies are trying to improve the number of entries in their databases. For example, 23AndMe announced that they had increased the number of population labels from 31 to more than 150.

So now it’s easier than ever to find existing family members with DNA testing.

Tracing Your Family Tree, the Traditional Way

More than 12 million people have used DNA testing in order to trace their family histories. This is despite the known inaccuracies, as described above.

This means that you shouldn’t skip DNA testing. However, you shouldn’t rely on it as your only source of information either.

Using it together with traditional techniques, such as looking into census and looking through church records, can make tracing family members more accurate and reliable.

The Market is Changing in Response to Demand

Genetic DNA testing can be used for a variety of things, such as tracing ancestry, figuring out nutrition, and testing for chronic illnesses.

But the reason why it’s becoming easier to find family is because DNA testing companies are gearing their products towards finding living family members.

With DNA testing and existing information through censuses, it’s also possible to track migratory movements to pinpoint where living family members might be.

Of course, you have to do some of the work, but DNA testing companies are helping you to accomplish your goal. They are putting in most of the leg work.

Creating Communities

The obsession with DNA testing among Americans is another reason why DNA testing is yielding more results now. Understandably, DNA testing companies can’t just give out personal information because of privacy concerns.

But they’re facilitating the creation of genetic communities. These are online communities that bring together people with similar results in the hope of creating a database that helps people with similar DNA results contact each other.

This overrides privacy concerns and makes finding existing family members more accessible.

Last Word – Why Finding Family is Easier Than Ever

As the databases created through DNA testing increase in size, it’s only going to become easier to find living relatives. That’s the trend we’ve seen in recent years.

Have you tried using a DNA test yet to find lost family members?