By Kimberly Brown, Family Historian

As technology and science march forward, they change every aspect of our lives. This includes genealogy. Today more and more people are turning to genetic genealogy technologies to learn more about themselves and their biological heritage.

Some people are interested in genetic genealogy because they want to learn more about themselves and where they inherited certain traits and characteristics. A team of political scientists associated with the University of Nebraska is trying to prove that social attitudes and even tendencies in political opinion are genetically inherited. One of the arguments referenced by these researchers is a study that was done by Lindon Eaves, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor. In his study, more than 5,000 sets of identical and fraternal twins took a poll asking their opinions on political issues such as the death penalty, nuclear power, and school prayer. Identical twins, who share their entire genetic makeup, answered more similarly than fraternal twins. Since all sets of twins, identical and fraternal, had grown up in the same environment and with the same parents, the results can only be accounted for by genetics.

This is only one of the hundreds of issues that can be probed with genetic genealogy. Genetic genealogy technologies commonly use two kinds of markers: Y-DNA, or paternal line DNA, and mtDNA, mitochondrial or maternal line DNA. Both methods compare certain sequences of DNA of individuals to estimate the number of generations separating them from their most recent common ancestor. There are now many different companies that offer DNA testing. Some of these include:

. GeneTree is the commercial arm of Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and offers mtDNA, Y-DNA and Enhanced Paternal Lineage DNA Test Kits. It has a database of 6 million people, including access to the records from the SMGF.

. FamilyTreeDNA is a genetic genealogy company based in Houston with a partner laboratory at the University of Arizona. This firm offers YDNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing, using the cheek swab method. In partnership with the National Geographic Genographic Project, they have tested the DNA of more than 500,000 people.

. Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation has collected more than 90,000 Y-DNA samples, along with four-generation pedigree charts, in more than 100 countries around the world. The Y-DNA sample results are searchable in the Sorenson database.

. The National Geographic Society's Genographic Project samples DNA from indigenous populations around the world in an effort to map historical human migration patterns.

As the cost of DNA testing decreases, the field of genetic genealogy continues to grow rapidly. More and more people are having their DNA tested, meaning that more and more people are likely to find genetic matches in DNA databases.