WHY SIBLINGS HAVE DIFFERENT DNA! HISTORY & GENEALOGY STEW!

So, you and your sibling sent your spit in to one of the DNA testing companies and got different results. On no, is my dad, really my dad? You learn you are 45% German and your sibling is 32%. Your results say that you are 20% Irish and you sibling is 15%. Your sibling’s results say that they are 10% Native American but you don’t any. How in the world is this possible? In this article, we will give you a very easy explanation using something that we can all relate to, food. 

When a sibling gets their DNA results back and its much different than our results, it sends many of us into a panic. Often, we begin to wonder is our father, really our father. Then many of us think, oh my, am I adopted? While those situations are entirely possible and while it is true that many DNA results have led to some serious family problems, there is almost always a very simple explanation as to why your results are different than your siblings. 

I’ve heard many examples given to help folks understand this situation but the one that I made up that always seems to help folks understand, is my example of a good old American stew. Stews come in many varieties and ingredients depending on cultures and region of the country. There is never a right or a wrong as to what you put into your stew, it’s all up to what you like. The stews in New England may have some lobster in them, while in Texas it would be a sin to not have some beef. And if you are in Idaho, you’d better have plenty of potatoes. 

Now, imagine the DNA of all of your ancestors as a huge vat of stew. Depending on the region that your ancestors came from, you will have different ingredients in your stew than other people. Let’s say your stew has some beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, and celery. When it’s time for you to be born, we mix up the vat of stew and ladle out a bowl that becomes your own personal DNA. 

For examples sake, let’s say that your bowl has a lot of beef, several carrots, a couple peas, one chunk of a potato and not any celery at all. Now comes along your baby sibling, and we ladle out another bowl. Inside their bowl is a good amount of beef, a few carrots, a ton of peas and celery and not one single piece of potato. Perhaps we ladle out a few more bowls for more siblings and unless we have a stew with only one of two ingredients, it’s highly unlikely that we will find two bowls with the same percentages. All the bowls came from the same vat of stew, but are quite unique and different. 

As with the bowls of stew, the same is true of us. Even though we may come from the same two parents, DNA is random and we will get different mixtures from them. The percentages can be interesting as well, we could have one parent that is only 10% of one ethnicity such as Native American, and our other parent be 0%, and our DNA makeup could be 30% Native American. How could our percentage be higher than our parent, especially after splitting our DNA with our other parent? The answer can be explained with the stew example. The vat of stew may only have a small percentage of celery, but if ladled just right, an individual bowl could have a lot of celery. The odds are statistically low, but it is entirely possible. 

By the way, speaking of Native American DNA, be sure to see our article and video entitled, “No! You are NOT Cherokee!”. We have made a lot of people mad by telling the truth about this most common myth in genealogy. Here is the link to that video: https://youtu.be/Tpdxu_g5rRU

So, there you have it, reason why your DNA percentages are very different than your siblings. This is also a great example as to why more than one sibling should get tested, especially if you are looking for something that will be a small percentage. Many say, well my sister got tested, so I don’t need to do mine. While it is true that siblings often share the exact same ethnic groups, it isn’t uncommon for one to show a small percentage of something different. All three of my children have a small amount of something that the others do not. 

The final thing that I’d like to address is that it is impossible for us to have a certain ethnic DNA, that neither of our parents have. If neither of our parents have potatoes in their stew, it is impossible for us to find some in our bowls. If our results say that we have something that our parents’ results do not have, either our parents, or our test is in error. Testing more family members could help to clear up that error. Also, it should be noted that any result of 2% or less could be considered what is called “DNA Noise”, and while it is possible that it is true, it could be showing in error. Testing parents and other siblings can help explain those small percentages in your results. 

No matter what “ingredients” that are in your bowl of stew, you should be proud of, and celebrate it. Also, even if you don’t have any potatoes in your bowl, but the vat of stew that your bowl came from has them, they are still your ancestors and you should be proud of them as well. Ancestry isn’t always just science, it’s often spiritual, and paying attention to what we feel inside of us about our ancestors is a powerful, and moving experience. Be sure to see our video about this subject below.

-Col. Russ Carson, Jr., Founder, Family Tree Nuts