A simple genetic test could help people pinpoint where their ancestors came from to within a few miles, researchers said today.
A team at the University of Edinburgh found that DNA analysis can accurately predict the origins of rural people to within five miles of their family's home.
The findings suggest it may eventually be possible to work out the rural roots of city dwellers who have ancestors from different parts of the same country, researchers said.
Previous studies have uncovered genetic differences between populations in different countries, making it possible, for example, to predict whether someone is of northern or southern Italian descent.
