Why Ancestry DNA Tests Don't Work How You Think They Do

*** This video is sponsored by June's Journey! If you want to download June's Journey, follow this link! https://cherrypick.gg/WelshViking *** Human genomics is an incredible branch of biological science, and ancestry DNA has many uses. It can help to identify the origins of skeletons, it can bring lost family members together, and it can help determine the likelihood of illnesses being suffered or inherited. But it has a *lot* of caveats, and the big one for us on this channel is: we don't have a DNA database of all those famous people you *might* be descended from a thousand years since! Many, many people in my comments say things like "I did a DNA test that shows I'm descended from A, B, C!" and that's... not how this works, unfortunately. Join me as we somehow manage to spend 10 whole minutes talking about genetics and DNA samples, and how your DNA, heritage, and cultural history and background is a lot more nuanced (takes a swig) than simply "you're 65% Welsh!". Oh, and you're probably not a descendant of Ragnar Lothbrok. Sorry. Reading: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43586-020-00011-0 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-history-of-slavery-and-genocide-is-hidden-in-modern-dna-180947707/ https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/03/ancient-dna-helps-identify-specific-origins-of-slave-skeletons.html#:~:text=March%2009%2C%202015-,Centuries%2Dold%20DNA%20helps%20identify%20specific%20origins,slave%20skeletons%20found%20in%20Caribbean&text=A%20newly%20developed%20genetic%20technique,likely%20lived%20before%20being%20captured. https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist/articles/2023/testing-error-and-identical-ancestry-samples/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-accurate-are-online-dna-tests/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/lq4kzf/is_ancestry_dna_accurate_or_just_an_estimate_of/ https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/1/28/18194560/ancestry-dna-23-me-myheritage-science-explainer https://blogs.ancestry.com/techroots/ancestrydna-did-you-know/ Find me elsewhere: Business email: [email protected] Patreon: www.patreon.com/jimmyjohnson Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thewelshviking My actual website: www.welshviking.com Insta: @littlewelshviking Letters, parcels, packages? The Welsh Viking, PO Box 821, YORK, YO1 0PY, UK Editing software: DaVinci Resolve Camera: Panasonic Lumix GH5 Intro by @Anttimation