Private Individuals
Mitochondrial DNA analysis may be helpful in
certain kinds of personal,
non-criminal, investigations:
Maternity and maternal relatedness:
Mitochondrial DNA cannot tell anything about
the paternity (father) of an individual because,
while men inherit their mother's mitochondrial
DNA type, they do not pass it on to their offspring.
But because mitochondrial DNA is maternally
inherited, it can be used to compare mothers
and their alleged offspring, siblings to each
other, or even to compare more distantly related
maternal relatives. For example, two siblings
separated in early childhood can test their
shared maternity with mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Genealogy: Some clients wish
to trace a family tree. As long as the compared
individuals in the lineage are connected by
an unbroken line of female relatives, mitochondrial
DNA can support the maternal
relatedness of these individuals if the mitochondrial
DNA profile is the same. There are caveats to
this type of investigation, and we can educate
you about them. Studies have shown that mitochondrial
DNA is transmitted faithfully over many generations
and hundreds of years! And, because mitochondrial
DNA is present in long-buried skeletal remains,
it provides opportunities to investigate interesting
historical mysteries.
Smithsonian scientists unravel mystery of Texas
outlaw (Read
the article)
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