Utility of brothers testing -- is there any?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by James Larry Vick on July 13, 2009 at 11:15am

There is very little since they should have virtually the same results. There is also risk. What if they don't match?

Regards,

Larry

Permalink Reply by Blaine Bettinger on July 13, 2009 at 11:19am

Judith - absent other unusual circumstances, I wouldn't recommend testing living brothers, especially if you are extremely confident that they have the same father. There wouldn't be much to gain from that expense. Their Y-DNA will be almost completely identical.

However, if you are referring to brothers a few generations back, there might be some benefit. For example, I am trying to recruit to my surname project the descendants of brothers who were born in the late 1700's/early 1800's, just to confirm my own results as being from the original immigrant father of those brothers.

This is a simplistic answer, so please feel free to ask more questions if your specific question wasn't addressed!

Permalink Reply by Judith Werner on July 13, 2009 at 11:39am

Super! Thanks for the prompt replies -- it's what I was thinking. I'm am going to suggest that instead they pool their money on a 67-marker test for their father, who is still living.

Permalink Reply by Blaine Bettinger on July 13, 2009 at 11:53am

Judith - a PERFECT solution! The more markers you can afford the better! And it is almost always better to test the most distant relative possible.

Permalink Reply by JENNIFER RIPLEY on July 13, 2009 at 12:33pm

Blaine--Why test the most distant relative? Do you mean eldest? Sorry for not understanding this but wouldn't I get useless info from say my mother's second cousin? Jennifer

Permalink Reply by Blaine Bettinger on July 13, 2009 at 12:36pm

I did mean eldest, and I even tried to think of a better word than "most distant" when I was typing it! Thank you for helping me out on that one!

I usually recommend the ELDEST ancestor because I like to get their DNA on file and because they are usually one or a few generations closer to the ancestor in question (thus fewer chances of mutation, etc...), among other reasons.