Living DNA Review
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- The Good
- Competitively priced
- Outstanding customer service
- More in-depth reports than other sites
- The Bad
- Process can take up to 10 weeks
Overall, the services are thorough and competitively priced. Moreover, the foundation of Living DNA is the premise that we are all connected and, therefore, they start your journey at this historical point of genetic intersection. However, while many believe them to be the more thorough option, others say they are not as exact as other DNA testing sites.
- Price
- $199
Living DNA offers an in-depth report of your family-line history. You will receive a report including your recent ancestry from all sides of your family across up to 80 regions worldwide. Moreover, once you receive your results, you will become a part of a community in which you can share and compare results as well as receive regular updates as they are available. You even have the option to order a personalized coffee table book detailing your results, illustrations included.
- Genealogy Options
- Data report you can upload to family tree
- Compare contacts and familial results with similar profiles
Living DNA is one of the best DNA testing sites because it provides a wealth of information with regards to your genetic makeup. Therefore, each customer receives their family ancestry, which is your ethnic breakdown, motherline results – your mitochondrial DNA results – and, in the case of males, you also receive the results of your fatherline. Thusly, users of this service will have a more complete overview of their genetic makeup, which can help with medical history matters as well as located lost family members.
- Test Process
- Mitochondrial DNA test
- Autosomal DNA test
- Y chromosomal DNA test
- Receive test results in 10 weeks
Living DNA offers the following tests: mitochondrial DNA, autosomal DNA and Y chromosomal DNA. A mitochondrial DNA test is meant to trace someone’s motherline ancestry using DNA located in the mitochondria. An autosomal DNA test is a test that uses DNA, which comes from autosomal chromosomes. A Y chromosomal DNA test is a genealogy DNA test of a man’s patrilineal ancestry using the Y chromosome. These are comparable to the tests offered on other sites. In order to receive your DNA sample, they simply send you a cotton swab that must be mailed back.
- Additional Features
- DNA Database Access
- Genetic Disease Warnings
- Haplogroup Information
- Back-in-Time Maps
Users gain access to a DNA database, which can be used to find long-lost ancestors. They also receive genetic disease warnings, which give them the benefit of knowing what diseases they are genetically predisposed to. Haplogroup info involves giving users information on those who have shared haplotypes, which are groups of genes in an organism that are all inherited from a single parent. The “back in time” map allows users to see how they are related to the rest of humanity.
Living DNA: User Reviews
Living DNA: Comments
Living DNA is one of the newest DNA testing sites, in which people connect with a variety of genealogists as a method of uncovering their total genetic heritage. Offering reports that are more in-depth than the average DNA testing site, what makes Living DNA unique is that they not only cover your family-line history, they also provide you with your motherline as well as your fatherline if you are male.
Offering a DNA mix that includes 80 regions of the world, so far, Living DNA seems to have the most in-depth DNA testing system on the market. Moreover, to date, Living DNA is the only company offering ethnicity breakdown by regions within the British Isles. Furthermore, much like the other DNA testing sites, Living DNA provides free updates as additional information and technology becomes available. Furthermore, given that they are looking into ways to help women gain access to their fatherlines, their updates will likely provide cutting edge information.
How Does Living DNA Work?
Simply put, Living DNA collects your DNA in order to provide you with a complete overview of your ancestral and genetic makeup. With a system constructed on a customized version of the most contemporary Illumina chip technology, the Global Screening Array (GSA), Living DNA has a unique method of research. With over 650,000 markers encoded on their Orion chip, each of which, is represented at least 15 times, this allows Living DNA to provide customers with results that highly accurate and precise. Their chosen markers help to provide better representation of a broader variety of international populaces.
What Makes Living DNA Stand Out?
Living DNA uses the latest, cutting-edge DNA chip technologies and software as a means of providing customers with thorough results. Moreover, so far, this is the only ancestry-testing service capable of breaking down the UK to a regional level, which is a much sought-after feature for those who have ancestry in Britain and Ireland. In addition, they also provide information with regards to where the descendants of your family ancestry, from an array of eras, live today.
Common Living DNA Reviews
Although everyone has a unique experience with DNA testing sites, overall, the reviews of the are pretty good. However, it seems the technology may be a bit too new to tell. One the one hand, while most had relatively positive experiences with this company, many noted that they left out certain elements of their ancestry and genealogy, usually the least prominent, while most of the other sites had fairly comparable results to one another. That means this site may be hit and miss, depending on what your ancestry entails.
Is Living DNA Right for Me?
Everyone is capable of taking a test on Living DNA, as it is possible to look into anyone’s genetic history using their methods. However, since only males are able to get their fatherline results, some women feel they are not receiving the best deal. Fortunately, Living DNA is currently researching methods to help women search their father’s ancestry. These tests will likely involve the testing of other close family members, among other things. Either way, while these services can clearly be useful to either men or women, for now, men will get the most out of using the services of a company such as this one.
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