Finding families with science

Tracing your family tree is a hobby for many and a religious mandate for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And as anyone who has ever tried to find their ancestors can tell you, it's often easier to trace male lines, because the surname remains the same.

But technology is changing that, as one Utah company specializing in "genetic genealogy" announced this week they will post maternal lineage information on their free database. The only roadblock to accessing the new information is this: You have to submit your own DNA — done through a cheek swab or mouth rinse test kit — to determine whether you're connected to any of the thousands of other people who've done the same.

You'll also be asked to submit records of your ancestry at least four generations back — something Latter-day Saints have long been asked by top church leaders to compile. In return, you'll get a report showing numeric codes that can help link you to others.

The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation is offering the new mitochondrial DNA database in addition to its existing Y-chromosome DNA database based on male ancestry. Together they form what the company believes is "the world's largest searchable repository of genetic profiles linked with family history information." The addition of maternal information effectively doubles the usefulness of the database, as users can now research kin through both father and mother.

Though the foundation is now a privately funded, $100 million secular endeavor of billionaire biotech pioneer James Sorenson that seeks to literally "map the human family tree" through genetic testing, it began several years ago in biology laboratories at Brigham Young University as the Center for Molecular Genealogy.

The program was originally spearheaded by Scott Woodward, the center's former director, who is now executive director at SMGF. The data "greatly expands people's capacity to research their ancestry using genetic profiles," he said, adding that integrating written family history records and DNA testing provides "richer results than were ever before possible."

Though Sorenson is not the first to offer maternal lineage information through DNA testing, the database is rich with information on Utah and Latter-day Saint families in particular, as they were among the first to be targeted for collection of DNA — initially through blood samples, then through cheek swabs, and now, through a mouth rinse. Additionally, written family history records have been screened and provide supporting documentation for genetic researchers at SMGF's sister company, Relative Genetics.