As a retired biology teacher I just can't resist including a bit of biology. We have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes, including the pair that either have two X chromosomes for girls or an XY pair for boys. In addition to DNA in chromosomes, the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria, also have DNA. All body cells have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes. The 23rd pair has XX pair for a female and XY pair for a male. A sperm or egg, has only 23 SINGLE chromosomes, unlike the body cells. Each sperm wil have only either the X chromosome, producing a daughter or a Y-chromosome, producing a son. Each egg has only an X chromosome which is passed on to both sons and daughters. The resulting daughter from fertilization by a sperm with the X-chromosome gets an X chromosome from her mother and an X chromosome from her father. A sperm that has the Y-chromosome passes it along to a son who then has a Y chromosome from his father and a X-chromosome from his mother. y-DNA -Only boys have y-DNA that came from the Y-chromosome from their father and will pass on that y-dna on the Y-chromosome that produces a son. Since surnames follow male children this is very useful in genealogy. Mitochondrial DNA is present, not in the chromosomes but in the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria. The female passes on this mitochondrial DNA in the egg to all of her children, whether boys or girls. But, this mitochondrial DNA is NOT present in the genetic material in the sperm that is passed on to the children of this boy. It is only the girls who have eggs who will pass on the mitochondrial DNA to the next generation. So, the link would be from mother to daughter to daughter to daughter, etc. The autosomal DNA includes all of our DNA that we inherit from both parents and will be passed on to all of our children in unique mixtures. Keep in mind that the selection of DNA is random and not cummulative. We have no more DNA than any of our ancestors, just a different mixture. Common fragments and differences when analyzed can indicate common ancestry and lineage. Marilyn Brien .

Marilyn Per your last paragraph, I think the definition of autosomal DNA is the 22 chromosome pairs from Chr01 to Chr22. The Y, X and mt DNA are not included in this definition and are not included in the Family Finder DNA test. The autosomal DNA (by Family Finder) is over 95 percent of all your DNA and men and women get exactly half their autosomal DNA from each parent. That is each parent provides one set of the Chr01-22 to the new child, and the child then has 22 chromosome pairs, as you noted. This is why this test is equally good for men or women to take. In either case the person who takes the test gets results from all parts of their ancestry. Jim - Sent from my iPhone - FaceTime! On Oct 22, 2012, at 6:44 PM, "Marilyn Brien" <brien@satx.rr.com> wrote: > As a retired biology teacher I just can't resist including a bit of biology. We have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes, including the pair that either have two X chromosomes for girls or an XY pair for boys. In addition to DNA in chromosomes, the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria, also have DNA. All body cells have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes. The 23rd pair has XX pair for a female and XY pair for a male. A sperm or egg, has only 23 SINGLE chromosomes, unlike the body cells. Each sperm wil have only either the X chromosome, producing a daughter or a Y-chromosome, producing a son. Each egg has only an X chromosome which is passed on to both sons and daughters. The resulting daughter from fertilization by a sperm with the X-chromosome gets an X chromosome from her mother and an X chromosome from her father. A sperm that has the Y-chromosome passes it along to a son who then has a Y chromosome from his father and a X-chromosome from his mother. > y-DNA -Only boys have y-DNA that came from the Y-chromosome from their father and will pass on that y-dna on the Y-chromosome that produces a son. Since surnames follow male children this is very useful in genealogy. > Mitochondrial DNA is present, not in the chromosomes but in the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria. The female passes on this mitochondrial DNA in the egg to all of her children, whether boys or girls. But, this mitochondrial DNA is NOT present in the genetic material in the sperm that is passed on to the children of this boy. It is only the girls who have eggs who will pass on the mitochondrial DNA to the next generation. So, the link would be from mother to daughter to daughter to daughter, etc. > The autosomal DNA includes all of our DNA that we inherit from both parents and will be passed on to all of our children in unique mixtures. Keep in mind that the selection of DNA is random and not cummulative. We have no more DNA than any of our ancestors, just a different mixture. Common fragments and differences when analyzed can indicate common ancestry and lineage. > Marilyn Brien > >

I only got as far as disecting the frog. LOL Being A.D.D. this is all a lot to wrap my mind around but I'm trying bit by bit. Its easier for me to just say "I don't need to know HOW it works, here's my stuff, test it and let me know who I connect to" which is hard for someone like me who has to have a reason for everything and to understand WHY something "is" before I believe it. But its like my husband with this garden....... He likes me to get involved and watch it grow and harvest it. I say I don't care how it gets ON my table let's just sit down and eat. Yadda yadda yadda. LOL But I am trying. It will sink in eventually Janean -----Original Message----- From: va-northern-neck-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:va-northern-neck-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Marilyn Brien Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 6:45 PM To: va-northern-neck@rootsweb.com Subject: [VA-NORTHERN-NECK] A Little Biology As a retired biology teacher I just can't resist including a bit of biology. We have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes, including the pair that either have two X chromosomes for girls or an XY pair for boys. In addition to DNA in chromosomes, the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria, also have DNA. All body cells have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes. The 23rd pair has XX pair for a female and XY pair for a male. A sperm or egg, has only 23 SINGLE chromosomes, unlike the body cells. Each sperm wil have only either the X chromosome, producing a daughter or a Y-chromosome, producing a son. Each egg has only an X chromosome which is passed on to both sons and daughters. The resulting daughter from fertilization by a sperm with the X-chromosome gets an X chromosome from her mother and an X chromosome from her father. A sperm that has the Y-chromosome passes it along to a son who then has a Y chromosome from his father and a X-chromosome from his mother. y-DNA -Only boys have y-DNA that came from the Y-chromosome from their father and will pass on that y-dna on the Y-chromosome that produces a son. Since surnames follow male children this is very useful in genealogy. Mitochondrial DNA is present, not in the chromosomes but in the powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria. The female passes on this mitochondrial DNA in the egg to all of her children, whether boys or girls. But, this mitochondrial DNA is NOT present in the genetic material in the sperm that is passed on to the children of this boy. It is only the girls who have eggs who will pass on the mitochondrial DNA to the next generation. So, the link would be from mother to daughter to daughter to daughter, etc. The autosomal DNA includes all of our DNA that we inherit from both parents and will be passed on to all of our children in unique mixtures. Keep in mind that the selection of DNA is random and not cummulative. We have no more DNA than any of our ancestors, just a different mixture. Common fragments and differences when analyzed can indicate common ancestry and lineage. Marilyn Brien . ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to VA-NORTHERN-NECK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message