I used a DNA app for fun (
Am I Related to Donald Trump) by a genetics company that links with DNA labs for health & ancestry results. The result came back as not related, with analysis showing my MtDNA not matching Donald Trump's assumed maternal line. Hhmmm ... are MtDNA haplogroups H (H1) and U mixed-up easily in the lab?
Am I Related To Trump?
YOUR RESULT
You are likely not related to Trump
This report analyzed your DNA data, and determined either (1) your Paternal Haplogroup, (2) your Maternal Haplogroup, or a basic measure of (3) your Autosomal Ancestry.
- App-Are You Related to Donald Trump.JPG (172 KiB) Viewed 157 times
I wrote to the company's customer service and received a very quick response that I should provide my MtDNA for their confirmation with DNA lab. Initially, I hesitated as I wondered if they would take a short-cut and simply respond that they had a mix-up, that I was in fact the MtDNA that I provided. However, the customer service rep insisted that they needed my real MtDNA (based on other test co,) to provide to the DNA lab for research. When I provided it, I did not hear from the rep again, and it has now been a month. When I received a Customer Feedback survey, I checked that the ticket was not resolved. Still no response from this company.
As it was a free app and the company has a large health genetics section, I am hesitant to lambast them publicly yet. And maybe they are backlogged in resolving inquiries (maybe a lot of people wish to be related or wish not to be related to Donald Trump and ran the free app
) However, I am curious from a technical stand-point if it is possible for DNA labs to mix-up these 2 MtDNA haplogroups or if this is most likely a simple reporting, not genetic analysis, mistake.
