What are the limitations of the Maternal Roots test?
• i) The Maternal Roots test looks specifically at the mitochondrial DNA which is carried by all but only passed on by females. Because of this, it will tell you only about your direct maternal line – information about other lineages cannot be provided using this test. • ii) The results provide a haplogroup which is a branch of the gentic tree. Using academic databases we can provide a geographic region of that haplogroup and history. These databases are undergoing continued refinement and while we know a lot already, there is still more to learn. • iii) The haplogroups are rarely country specific. • iv) Although it may indicate affinity with and higher frequency within a particular population e.g. Jewish, Native American etc., the results are not usually exclusive to one population. For example, Middle Eastern Jews and Arabs share the same haplogroups. For Native American testing, this article may be helpful.
