White women and ancestry

With the growing trend of ancestry DNA do white women have undiscovered African DNA

DNA testing in general relies upon various statistical methods to isolate genetic markers and produce a "best guess" of ones genetic composition based upon a database of known population markers. Each company uses a proprietary algorithm to achieve that goal. Having your DNA tested by different companies will yield slightly different results. Keep in mind that autosomal testing, mtDNA, and Y-DNA are not all offered by the various testing companies. Additionally, companies who give results such as "Southeastern European" or "Ivory Coast" are more accurate than companies who offer specific results like "Norway" or "Ghana". One of the inherent downfalls of anything statistical is the introduction of bias when the utmost of accuracy is the goal. It seems counterintuitive, but, the more specific the target, the more likely you are to miss.

That being said, most folks of European ancestry typically have < 1% "African" DNA; there are several reasons for this. African haplotypes are the oldest; once a line leaves Africa the DNA becomes diluted pretty quickly. Additionally, we don't inherit an equal 50% of our DNA from each parent; some lines are more dominant or recessive for various reasons. It may be the case that one person has more or less of one type of DNA than even their siblings. Over a 1000 or 2000 year period, it can cause a specific DNA line almost completely "vanish".

Most "anomalies" in DNA test results for folks of European descent come in the form of <10% Middle Eastern DNA or <5% West Asian DNA. If you consider Archaic DNA matches, most folks of European descent have been homogenously "European" for at least 5,000 years. European folks who have traces of African, Middle Eastern, or Asian DNA are reflective of non-European DNA being introduced via relatively recent occurrences; The Silk Road, Barbary Pirates, Ottomans invading southern Slavic empires in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, etc...

To answer your question directly: It happens (and when it does happen it's typically in very small amounts), but, it's not common.

How do we know all this? We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. ;)
 
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