(thestate.com) African-Americans seeking clues to their ethnic heritage in Africa should be cautious about drawing conclusions from DNA tests, a new study shows.

Numerous laboratories, for a fee, provide testing of mitochondrial DNA, the genetic codes passed from mother to daughter. These tests are used in an effort to trace a person’s ancestry to a specific region or ethnic group in prehistoric times.

But research by Bert Ely, a University of South Carolina professor of biological sciences working with researchers at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Maryland, shows that several historic trends on the African and American continents have blurred the genetic map.

The human population in Africa has more genetic diversity than anywhere on Earth, Ely said. Those people are classified in three major groups labeled L1, L2, and L3 by geneticists. When humans left Africa and populated Europe, all their descendants can trace their genetic code back to two sub-strands in the L3 group.

The problem with using mitochondrial DNA for African-Americans, Ely said, is that African ethnic groups mingled, intermarried and swapped DNA so thoroughly that most of their American descendants show genetic traits common to three or more regional or ethnic groups.

Ely’s caution is: If you buy such a genetic test, don’t set your expectations too high about the amount of detail it will provide. (more…)

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I would be one pissed off brotha if the results of a $300 test told me “yes, you are Black”. The scientists at the end of this article give their recommendation for those who are in seach for a good genetic test. Something worth considering.