How can the testers know the names and lifespans of your whole family tree from just a hair sample? I know they have databanks, but there’s no way they’ve existed long enough to have info on that many people from all over the world. I’ve always thought it was cool, but never understood the mechanics.
In: Biology
They don’t.
If you’re doing a tree on Ancestry for example the hints are just based on trees built by other people.
For example, if X and Y are siblings and X says his grandmother is Phyllis who was born in 1930 Ancestry will suggest Phyllis born 1930 as a potential grandmother to Y
But the hint will only be correct if X had the correct information to begin with.
Your genealogy test can match your DNA with other people who have also taken the test but other information like traits, ethnicity and your ancestors is just extrapolation based on who you matched with and what information they have given ancestry. This information is often wrong or incomplete.
DNA is a really useful tool but you need to use a document trail as well to confirm facts.
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