Genetic genealogy: History and methodology

The review surveys the development and the current state of genetic genealogy, a branch of science dealing with the history of individuals, families, and kins using molecular genetic methods. The main milestones in the development of genetic genealogy are established: the appearance of essential prerequisites (development of DNA genotyping and forensic techniques of evaluating biological kinship); the first publications on the topic in the late 1990s; the establishment of commercial companies, periodicals, and noncommercial organizations dealing with this subject. The theory and practice of calculation of time to the most recent common ancestors (TMRCA) of individuals on the basis of Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA data are briefly considered.