Houston, TX – August 31,2011 - Family
Tree DNA, the pioneer and largest DNA testing company for genealogy purposes, through
its Family Finder test, provided the conclusive proof that two NFL players
are half-siblings.
Until a few months ago, Xavier Omon, from the San Francisco
49ers and Ogemdi Nwagbuo from the San Diego Chargers did not have a clue that
they were related. Early August, at the request of ESPN, Family Tree DNA
performed the Family Finder test on both, and the result was unequivocal:
definitely half-siblings. More of the story can be found at the ESPN website,
under the “Brother’s Tale” story.
The Family Finder test allows connecting with family members
across all ancestral lines. While the Y-DNA matches men with a specific
paternal line and the mtDNA finds potential relatives only along the maternal
line, Family Finder can look for close relationships along all ancestral lines. Anyone,
regardless of their gender, may confidently match to male and female cousins
from any of their family lines in the past five generations. The science is
based on linked blocks of DNA across the 22 autosomal chromosomes that are
matched between two people. Based on this concept, Family Tree DNA
bioinformatics team has worked extensively to develop the calculations that
would yield the closeness of the relationship.
The possibilities to find matches abound: grandparents, aunts
and uncles; half siblings; first, second, third and fourth cousins; and, more
tentatively, fifth cousins.
About Family Tree DNA
Founded
in April 2000, Family Tree DNA was the first company to develop the commercial
application of DNA testing for genealogical purposes, something that had
previously been available only for academic and scientific research. Almost a
decade later, the Houston-based company has a database with over 345,000
individual records – the largest DNA database in genetic genealogy, and a
number that makes Family Tree DNA the prime source for anyone researching
recent and distant family ties. In 2006 Family Tree DNA established a
state of the art Genomics Research Center at its headquarters in Houston,
Texas, where it currently performs R&D and processes over 200 advanced
types of DNA tests for its customers.
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