Patent ID: 7957907

Claim:
A method of identifying and reconstructing the genotype of a common ancestor among humans, said method comprising: obtaining genetic samples from a plurality of humans; analyzing the genetic samples using the polymerase chain reaction to determine a first data set comprising genetic information characterizing short tandem repeats in linkage disequilibrium for each member of the plurality of humans, wherein the genetic information includes autosomal genetic information, wherein the genetic information comprises a unique genetic identifier for each member of the plurality of humans, and wherein the genetic information comprises at least one genetic marker that is identical by descent among humans within three to ten successive lineal ancestral familial generations of each other; providing a computer readable storage medium comprising a database and analytical programming for cross-referencing and comparing genetic information and genealogical information; inputting the first data set into the database; inputting a second data set into the database, the second data set comprising genealogical information from said plurality of members; evaluating the genetic information for homology among the short tandem repeats; and associating the genetic information of the first data set with the genealogical information of the second data set; identifying and displaying a common ancestor between at least two members of the plurality of humans using the analytical programming to cross-reference and compare the associated genetic information of the first data set and the genealogical information of the second data set; and reconstructing a genotype of the common ancestor using at least the genetic information of the at least two members of the plurality of humans, in the absence of a genetic sample from the common ancestor, the common ancestor being previously unidentified within the genealogical information of at least one member of the at least two members of the plurality of members at the time the method is performed, the common ancestor being within three to ten successive lineal ancestral familial generations of each of said at least two members, each generation being defined by a meiotic event; wherein the level of biological relatedness of the at least two members of the plurality of members is undetermined at the time the method is performed.