Review: LivingDNA

LivingDNA was founded in 2016, though its parent company, DNA Worldwide Group, dates back to 2002. The UK company employs more than 100 academic researchers, gene experts and scientists from around the world and works with testing services, genomics experts and universities to identify migration pathways and DNA analysis results.

Important facts in brief:

Company name: Living DNA
Year founded: 2002
Place: Frome, England
Monthly visits: 300.000+
Number of databases: unknown/not reported

LivingDNA was founded by husband and wife team Hannah Morden and David Nicholson. The company, based in Frome, England, aspires to become a leader in genetic parentage testing. It aims to be the first company to map and describe the global family tree. In 2017, the company initiated the One Family World project. This project aims to eradicate racism with a global family tree that will show us that we are all related, regardless of our skin color, religion and race. The company offers a 3-1 pedigree test as well as an optional pedigree book that details your family’s history in a convenient coffee table format.

Unlike many companies, Living DNA promises not to collect or sell your genetic DNA analysis data. Instead, they use it for internal research as part of their One Family World project and for other genetic research purposes. This is a pretty important concern for anyone worried about the privacy of their DNA, as many companies are aggregating your DNA data into large data sets and selling it to pharmaceutical, research, and insurance organizations.

If you’re wondering if LivingDNA is accurate in its analysis, the company offers a 3-1 pedigree test, which means you can break down your autosomal DNA by ancestor and get a picture of your paternal and maternal haplotypes. In addition, Living DNA offers an optional genealogy book that describes your family’s history.

How does the DNA testing process work?

The LivingDNA test traces your family line and takes you back in time to show how your ancestors got to Germany, Europe or the rest of the world. Like DNA agencies, LivingDNA also has pedigree tools. DNA matching with Family Networks helps you build a family tree with AI instead of time-consuming manual work.

DNA testing originally targeted U.S. users because of the need, as an immigrant nation, to discover or confirm one’s origin. This need is less relevant in Europe, where the roots of many families go back hundreds of years. LivingDNA still encourages Europeans to get tested, even if they know their background. This allows them to communicate with distant relatives on other continents. LivingDNA tests compare your genetics to populations in different countries. The more country-specific data available, the more accurate your results.

The first step

The first step, as with all DNA test kits, is activation. In the case of LivingDNA, this involves the use of a unique 12-digit code. All DNA kits have unique codes that link your sample to your account; your name or other identifying information is omitted to protect your privacy.

After you enter the code, Living DNA will ask for your email address, name, gender, and date of birth. All DNA testing services ask for your gender; This is because female samples (XX chromosome) have only mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), while male (XY chromosome) have both mitochondrial and Y-DNA results. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child, male mtDNA is not.

The second step

Before taking the test, it is better not to eat, smoke or drink for at least half an hour before taking the sample. You extract DNA using the cheek swabs provided and place it in the vials provided. Then send the vials in a prepaid envelope to their laboratories. It takes 10 to 12 weeks to process the results.

Living DNA claims to continuously update results based on new research. Since the beginning of 2018, over 70 additional regions have been added for a total of 150 geographic regions. Living DNA has also expanded its offerings to include a variety of wellness tests that test how your body responds to various food intolerances (including lactose and gluten), vitamins and the best type of exercise for your body. Your DNA results are available online, but the company also offers you the option of ordering a personalized genealogy book.

There are three main sections of your results: Maternal line, Paternal line and Family line. Paternal (Y-DNA) data is only available if you have a Y chromosome. If you have two XX (i.e. are female), they can only see the mother line. If you can convince a male relative, such as a sibling, to take the test, you can also obtain the male data.

Step by step

Start by ordering a kit from the Living DNA website. It will arrive in about 5-7 days (2-3 days if you pay for express shipping). Once your kit is delivered, you will need to go online and link the kit’s unique barcode to your account on the Living DNA website so you can view your results later.

The kit contains a cheek swab and simple instructions. You will take the swab from the inside of your cheek and seal the swab in the vial provided. Then all you need to do is attach a prepaid label to your kit and send it in.

Anyone can be tested, regardless of age. Because the kit uses a cheek swab instead of the saliva collection bottle used by some companies, it can even be used to test infants. It’s incredibly easy and only takes a few minutes from the moment you open your kit until you seal it and send it back.

The results

You will receive Living DNA results after 10 to 12 weeks, so you can continue digging on your roots during the waiting period. When your results are ready, Living DNA will send you an email to let you know.

You can then access your results directly through the Living DNA website. The website has a variety of tools and supporting files to help you get the most out of your DNA testing. Unlike most other companies, you also have the option to order a custom family tree book.

This gives you the same information you access through the website in a durable, convenient format that you can easily browse over and over again.

What do the results say?

Of course, before you go through the expense and work of genealogical DNA testing, it is important to know exactly what the test will reveal. Because the Living DNA test consists of three tests (two if you are a woman), it gives you more than one set of information.

The autosomal DNA test gives you an estimated profile of your ethnicity for each line of your ancestry (not just the direct paternal and maternal lines). The mtDNA and YDNA tests trace individual ancestral lines back very far in time and indicate your haplogroups. However, according to some reports, the haplogroup information is not so specific.

When the same group of people live in the same area for generations, they tend to marry and have children with other members of the same group, and after a while their DNA looks the same. Their DNA is also starting to differ from everyone else around them. This is the basis of ethnicity.

Your ethnicity profile can help determine where your ancestors lived based on your DNA. Once you know where they lived, you know where to look for them. The more specific the region, the better your results can narrow down where you should focus your search.

The LivingDNA test can be particularly useful for genealogical research in Europe. A man passes the same YDNA to each of his sons, and a woman passes the same mtDNA to all her children. Over 50 generations or more, this could add up to many millions of people sharing the same mtDNA or YDNA. They are called haplogroups.

A haplogroup is essentially a group of people descended from the same female ancestor (for mtDNA haplogroups) or the same male ancestor (for YDNA haplogroups). Because YDNA and mtDNA change so slowly over time, this common ancestor may have lived thousands of years ago.

And because humans migrated slowly throughout most of history, researchers can track how each of these haplogroups moved through time. This means that they can give you a good idea not only of where your ancestors lived, but also when they lived there.

What are the costs of the various test offers?

The DNA test kit offers a good price-performance ratio and also provides reliable ancestor recognition and functions for creating family trees. However, Living DNA takes a relatively long time to complete your DNA profile.

A complete set of LivingDNA tests costs about 71 Euro. The company also offers a starter kit ($50) with basic DNA information, a wellness kit ($80) with insights on exercise and nutrition, and a pedigree and wellness kit ($100). For the service received, these are good prices.

Unfortunately, there is an additional fee for ordering a family tree book, but it will be a great addition to your genealogy bookshelf.

DNA Privacy and Security

According to the website, Living DNA is committed to keeping its customers’ data secure. The company anonymizes the user before sending the data to the lab partner. LivingDNA does not sell genetic or personal data to third parties.

The privacy policy has not been revised since 2019. At that time, the UK was still part of the EU and the EU’s general data protection rules for Living DNA applied.

However, there is the UK General Data Protection Regulation, which are very similar to the EU data protection directives. The UK General Data Protection Regulation tends to be somewhat milder than the EU GDPR. LivingDNA has no relevant comments in this regard in its privacy policy.

When you enter your information in a form or sign up for a recurring service, you are sharing your personal information with the Company. Living DNA stores personal information that you provide. If you contact the Company with a question by letter, phone or email and provide your personal information, it will be used to send you marketing materials.

With the free DNA download option, you are the owner of your DNA sample. However, it is not clear how exactly the issue of data ownership will be resolved. For users participating in the extended family network, genetic results are shared with relevant persons outside the EU. To prevent this, users can decline this option.

Trustworthiness

Based on Trustpilot reviews, 34% of 377 customers rated the product as poor and 55% as excellent. Complaints include unclear, incorrect and incomplete results. Some customers have also indicated that the results are incorrect or different from other consumer DNA tests.

Living DNA has its own subreddit where people write about their experiences with the product and ask questions.

Features

Positive

• Service covers 150 regions of the world
• Detailed geographic reporting
• Affordable price
• Great to help you build an extensive family tree
• Get estimates of the ethnicity of your ancestors
• Future Family Matches features that let you guess with distant relatives

Negative

• DNA profiling can take 10 to 12 weeks.
• Some features are temporarily hidden due to a platform update
• No access to genealogical search pages
• Raw DNA results cannot be uploaded

Summary

In this LivingDNA review, we were able to get a detailed picture of this company. Living DNA gives you the most complete results based on the number of regions you test with. However, you will have to wait up to 3 months for results. If you can wait that long, then you can buy this DNA test kit. Of course, you can pass your time researching other branches of your family tree.

We found the Living DNA test absolutely amazing. The results help confirm some of the things you may have already known about your family or uncovered some secrets. The information is beautifully presented, the explanations are clear and engaging, and the customer service is exemplary.

Overall, Living DNA offers fantastic value for money, and while they are still working on some features, their benchmark might be the best on the market (note that it doesn’t offer family search). The sleek interface and simple tools are particularly impressive. Portal navigation is fluid and automatic, so you can manage your information and results without guesswork.

The more people who contact this company and buy a test, the more likely you are to be associated with someone.