A DNA Genetic Testing Terminology Primer
Allison Plowden said, "The laws of genetics apply even if you refuse to learn them." Clearly the late English historian and biographer, known for her popular non-fiction about women of the Tudor period, recognized that genetic terminology is a foreign language to many of us. Genetics refers to the study of genes and their roles in inheritance. Given genetics is the basis of all living organisms, and DNA genealogy testing is a great resource for family researchers who have tapped out the paper trail on a project, I have put together a primer to help you understand genetic terms a little better. Think of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) as a human blueprint, because it holds the code for all genetic information. As early as 1952, the Hershey-Chase experiment showed that DNA is the molecule responsible for inheritance. The twisted ladder we have come to equate with DNA was discovered 1953 when James D. Watson and Francis Crick determined the structure of DNA, using X-ray crystallogr...