VALENTINE ’ S
A UNIQUE VALENTINE ’ S DAY GIFT :
LIVING DNA
IF YOU ’ RE BORED OF THE SAME OLD FLOWERS AND CHOCOLATE FOR VALENTINE ’ S DAY AND YOU WANT TO GIVE – OR RECEIVE – SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING , AND A LOT MORE MEANINGFUL , A DNA KIT FROM LIVING DNA COULD BE EXACTLY THE THING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR . THIS SIMPLE KIT ( IT JUST TAKES A SWAB FROM THE INSIDE OF YOUR CHEEK TO SEND AWAY FOR ANALYSIS AND YOU ’ RE DONE ) CAN GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND WHAT YOUR LONG AGO ANCESTORS WERE REALLY LIKE . BY SARAH GREEN
In fact , the testing can specifically pinpoint family roots that go back to at least five , if not six , generations , and it can give you some fascinating insight and clues into how your forebears migrated across continents and how they connect to you , right here , right now , in the present day .
It ’ s fairly mind-blowing .
As Valentine ’ s gifts go , getting a full breakdown of your genealogical ancestry and being able to make a good start on a family tree project is up there with both the most unique yet the most thoughtful presents you can think of . And if you and your partner take part together , your family tree will become even more leafy , with branches taking you to places you may never have expected . It might not be what you would call traditionally romantic , but comparing results with your other half makes for one fantastic date night .
Taking the swab is the easy part ( and there are full instructions on exactly how to do it so that there is no confusion or contamination involved ). The waiting for the results , however … that ’ s hard . You ’ ll be brimming over with anticipation , and it ’ s especially exciting if you ’ ve already begun your family tree and you want to make sure you ’ re on the right track . I have to say , by the time our results arrived ( only about 5 weeks later , but it can take up to 12 ), the thrill was almost palpable , and it made finding out the answers all the sweeter .
And they were answers . This was not just some vague idea of where people I ’ d never met may or may not have been born and raised , and where they could possibly have travelled to . There were percentages – high ones – that told me precisely how much chance there was that the results were accurate . It meant that I could continue my research , discover more about a side of the family I had never known about before , and , when I looked in the mirror , was it possible that I could spot a glimpse of those people , and that time , and that place ?
What ’ s really different about Living DNA compared to other DNA testing companies is that you don ’ t just get a breakdown of roughly where in the world your genes stem from ; you actually get a rather in-depth breakdown of where within the specific country of your origin you come from as well . If the country of origin is the UK , for example , you ’ ll find out where within the UK , down to one of 21 different regions . It makes tracking down the broken twigs of your family tree much easier .
Although it costs extra , ordering the bespoke coffee table book that details all of your results is a nice option , and for Valentine ’ s gifts it ticks all the boxes . Discovering where your DNA comes from is only the beginning of finding out more about yourself ; it seems there is always more to learn .
www . livingdna . com
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