Question

Eve was certain that she had Slovenian ancestors based on tales that her grandfather told of the family history. She sends a saliva sample for a genetic ancestry test and the results do not indicated Slovenian heritage. Eve MAY actually have Slovenian ancestors because

a. the population from which she came may not be included in the reference populations used in ancestry testing.
b. there are no distinctive DNA patterns that would indicate Slovenian ancestry.
c. DNA ancestry tests must be performed on blood to be accurate.
d. DNA ancestry tests only work on males because only they have mtDNA.

Answer 1

Eve may still have Slovenian ancestors even if the DNA test does not show it; this could be because the testing sample did not include sufficient Slovenian reference populations or distinctive Slovenian DNA patterns are not recognized.

Step-by-step explanation:

Eve might still have Slovenian ancestors, and the negative result could be due to reference population limitations. DNA tests use available genetic data, which might not include her specific ancestral lineage.The accuracy of genetic ancestry tests is dependent on the reference populations to which a person's DNA is compared. If Slovenian populations are underrepresented in the database used by the testing company, it's possible that Eve's Slovenian heritage would not be detected. Moreover, there might not be any distinctive DNA patterns recognized as uniquely Slovenian, since nations often have a mix of genetic lineages due to historical migrations and intermarriages.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is maternally inherited and does not recombine, allows us to trace our lineage back to a most recent common ancestor sometimes referred to as Mitochondrial Eve. However, mtDNA represents only a small part of our ancestral lineage. Also, DNA tests look for genetic markers that are more likely based on nuclear DNA, which includes all genetic information from both parents.There is a misconception that only males have mtDNA, but in fact, both males and females have it, inherited from their mothers. Ancestry tests can be performed on saliva, not just blood, and are equally accurate in both genders.