Celebrating aunts and uncles this National Aunt and Uncle Day

Held annually on July 26, National Aunt and Uncle Day celebrates the special relationship of aunts and uncles to their nieces and nephews.

In many families, our parents’ siblings can become a second set of parents, offering guidance and support throughout our lives.

But aunts and uncles can also play an important role in helping us find out more about who we are – through DNA testing.

In this blog, we look at how nieces and nephews share DNA with aunts and uncles, and how avuncular (aunt/uncle) DNA testing can be used to verify biological relationships between family members.

How much DNA do we share with our parents’ siblings?

Every person inherits half of their genetic material from each of their parents, with related people sharing more DNA than unrelated persons.

We also inherit DNA from our parents’ biological siblings.

In fact, it is thought that we share approximately 25% of our DNA with aunts and uncles who are full biological siblings of our parents.

As an accredited laboratory providing DNA testing services, we are often asked how this shared DNA can help prove biological relationships between individuals.

When is aunt/uncle DNA testing useful

Aunt DNA tests and uncle DNA tests – also known as avuncular tests – are used to verify a biological relationship between a child and their potential aunt or uncle.

This in turn can help verify a biological relationship between a child and their mother or father.

Avuncular testing is commonly used in situations where the potential father or mother is unavailable to take a paternity test or a maternity test.

For an avuncular test, the aunt or uncle must be a full biological sibling of the potential mother or father, as this helps increase the likelihood of a conclusive result.

What options are available for an aunt/uncle DNA test?

At AlphaBiolabs, we provide two options for our aunt and uncle DNA tests – a standard or enhanced test.

Our standard test is already industry-leading, analyzing up to 25 DNA markers (versus the industry standard of 16-21 markers).

What makes AlphaBiolabs unique is that we can also analyze up to 45 DNA markers, allowing for more genetic material to be analyzed, which strengthens the result and provides additional reassurance.

This is ideal for customers who want the most powerful DNA test available and is especially useful for complex relationship DNA tests – such as aunt and uncle DNA tests – where the chance of obtaining a conclusive result will always be lower than a straightforward paternity or maternity test.

This is because the DNA has not been directly inherited. Therefore, an enhanced test will increase the chance of obtaining a conclusive result.

How does aunt/uncle DNA testing work?

For an aunt or uncle (avuncular) DNA test, a cheek swab sample is collected from each of the donors taking part in the test (i.e. the possible aunt/uncle and niece/nephew).

Once the DNA samples arrive at the laboratory, our in-house geneticists compare the DNA samples of the tested individuals to identify matching DNA markers (loci). The number of markers analyzed will depend on whether you selected our standard (25 DNA markers) or enhanced test (45 DNA markers).

A calculation is then made to determine the likelihood of the tested individuals sharing a biological relationship.

• A likelihood of greater than 10 is supportive, meaning that there is very strong evidence of a biological relationship
• A likelihood of 0-0.1 is classed as not supportive of a biological relationship
• A likelihood which falls between 0.1 and 10 is considered inconclusive

If the result is inconclusive, it means that it is not possible to determine if a biological relationship exists between tested individuals.

Where can I buy an aunt/uncle DNA test?

You can order your Aunt DNA Test or Uncle DNA Test now, direct from our accredited laboratory.

Simply buy your test online and we’ll mail it out to you immediately.

Your test kit will be sent directly to your chosen address in discreet, plain packaging, and will contain everything you need to collect your samples and return them to our laboratory for testing.

Your secure, confidential results will be emailed to you in 3 business days.*

Please note: our aunt and uncle DNA tests are for peace of mind only. As the name suggests, these tests can help you find answers to your questions, but the results cannot be used for legal purposes.

If you require an avuncular DNA test for legal reasons (e.g. wills/estates, inheritance disputes) you will need to instruct us for a legal DNA test.

For more information, call 727-325-2902 or email info@alphabiolabsusa.com.

*From receipt of your samples at our laboratory