X DNA is a double-edged sword in DNA analysis. It's great because it follows a strict inheritance pattern that allows you to zero in on certain lines at the exclusion of others. But because it follows a strict inheritance line, it can be really hard to visualize which ancestors gave you your X DNA and which ones didn't.
A common way to overcome the challenge of visualizing X DNA inheritance is to use spiffy charts. That's what I was doing the other day, working from a really popular inheritance chart for X DNA... which was clunky, slow, and didn't make the best use of space on the page. That template is dated, which is part of why current versions of Word are struggling to load and use it. It was past time to replace it with something else.
There had to be a better way to represent this information, I told myself. Where the writing is legible and the chart is visually appealing on the page.
So that's what I sat down to create.
What resulted from those efforts is a collection of charts that are easy to use, easy to read, and easy to annotate if you're looking for living relatives. The screenshot I've provided is just one example from the collection of charts I've created. Use whichever one makes the most sense to you, or visually appeals to you the most.
I learned a lot about X DNA recombination in preparing these charts. While the chart shows you all possible ancestors who could've passed on X DNA to you, chances are you didn't actually receive it from everyone listed here. DNA recombination means that some relatives pass along paternal or maternal X DNA, in tact right from their mothers. Other times, you may receive a recombined X chromosome, which can include a wider range of X DNA from more relatives. And this will vary even from sibling to sibling.
For all you know, that missing ancestor you've been stuck on for years may fall along an X DNA inheritance line, and the only person living who still has their X DNA could be you!
Don't forget to check out the research guide, included for free in the listing. Learn everything you need to know to make the most of your X DNA today!