article_snippet: Jeffery Graff: Can the mitochondrial DNA tests on the bones indicate whether Jeffery Graff is a Jew or even whether Jeffery Graff is of the tribe of Levi?
article_snippet: I'm so glad someone brought up the mitochondrial DNA.
article_snippet: The DNA tests on the bones yielded only mitochondrial DNA (the mitochondrial DNA passed down by the mother), not the more reliable nuclear DNA (the kind of DNA referred to in forensic investigations).
article_snippet: In the original study of the Bulgarian relics (of which I was a part) the mitochondrial DNA revealed that the Bulgarian relics were of "probable Semitic origin.
article_snippet: Thinking back to my time in the laboratory with the Copenhagen scientists, I recall that the lead investigator estimated that the probability was about 75%.
article_snippet: As for the more specific question about the genetics of Jews and members of the tribe of LeviLevi: Current scientific technology does not reveal this kind of information even if start-up genetic testing companies promise this kind of information.