Sonya610
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I think there is big difference between sub-Sahara Africa and Italy. They can determine groups, but not down to that level, as of this point.
DNA testing can get pretty darn specific, they can identify haplogroups to differentiate those from Europe, different areas of Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, etc... Populations that have remained relatively stationary are the easiest to nail down.
In the UK they are talking about using it as a way of identifying fraudulent asylum seekers (i.e. someone claims they are fleeing Somalia, yet they don't speak the language and their dna says they are from the Kenyan region).
DNA and ethnicity is a very touchy subject because it is not PC. It is considered "okay" to use it to identify the ethnicity of victims moresoe than killers.
Using HLA and Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms to Identify Geographic/Ethnic Origins: The Mammoth Lakes Case
While the identity of the murder victim remains unknown, we can say that it is very likely, based on both the HLA and mtDNA data, that the victim was a Native American from Mexico or Central America.
http://www.forensicmag.com/article/...eographicethnic-origins-mammoth-lake?page=0,2