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TGG Interview Series VIII - Max Blankfeld

23 July 2008 – 3:00 am

image The eighth edition of the TGG Interview Series is with Max Blankfeld.  Max is Vice-President of Marketing and Operations at Family Tree DNA, one of the largest genetic genealogy companies in the world.  In addition, together with Bennett Greenspan, Max launched DNA Traits, a company that tests DNA for genetic diseases and inherited conditions.  Max is a frequent contributor to genetic genealogy mailing lists and has answered many people’s questions about testing, results, an the field in general.

From the “About” page at Family Tree DNA:

“Originally from Brazil, received his BBA from Fundação Getulio Vargas, and MBA from Rice University. While his first college education was in the field of Aeronautical Engineering, he gave it up to become a foreign correspondent. After that, he started and managed several successful ventures in the area of public relations as well as consumer goods both in Brazil and the US.”

In the following interview, Max discusses his lengthy roots with genetic genealogy, the launch of DNA Traits, and the future of genetic genealogy.

TGG: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?  Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing yourself?  Were you surprised with the results?  Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

Max Blankfeld: I was introduced to the concept of genetic genealogy at the very beginning when Bennett was talking about doing the “proof of concept” with Mike Hammer at the University of Arizona, even before the name Family Tree DNA had been registered. This was in 1999, and since I have the habit of not trashing my emails, I still have our exchanges on the subject dated from 1999.

I certainly did test, in 2000, and while the results did not surprise me, it helped find and confirm distant relationships, and also gave me very close matches with people that I was not aware of.

So here’s my DNA break through: in 1983, when I was still in Brazil, our family received a letter from a Blankfield living in Australia, where he gave us some of his genealogy and asked if we could possibly be related. The problem was that my father passed away in 1981, and never discussed very much his family with me because he was a Holocaust survivor, and both parents and sisters were murdered by the Nazis in 1942. So, I didn’t have any facts to check against that letter. I kept the letter in the drawer. Fast forward to the year 2000, and the start of genetic genealogy. I start looking for Blank(en)f(i)elds to be test. Saul Isseroff, an avid genealogist  from England tells me that he’s related to some Blankfields in South Africa, and gives me the name of a female Blankfield. She convinces her father to be tested. High expectations. Results come in and bingo - very close match. I ask for their family tree and guess what - that man from Australia is in that tree! We put together both trees, and it looks like we shared the same great-great-great-great-grandfather! (I must say that I had a previous attempt with another Blankfield that did not show a relationship)

TGG:  Is there any concern that people with little experience in the area of genetic genealogy will confuse ancestry testing with personal genomics services, especially in light of all the recent negative press about personal genomics?

MB: Certainly. That is why our first priority has always been to educate before selling. I remember that the first trade-shows that Bennett and I went, we never took kits to sell, and our entire approach was just to make people aware of genetic genealogy and how they could use it. With time, people started coming to our booth and ask if we brought kits to test them.

As a former journalist I can tell you that negative press will always be there, no matter what area of business one is in. Unfortunately, many journalists write about topics that they are not experts, and this leads to negative press or some absurd and totally wrong statements (I have good stories from my times as a foreign correspondent, but I will leave this to a different forum).

Educating is the key. Not just the customer, but also the press. We spend hours on the phone with journalists from all over the United States and abroad, in very detailed conversations so that they can understand the subject. In fact, our favorite thing is to educate people about it and we do not measure the time we spend on the phone for this purpose.

TGG: You recently launched DNATraits together with Mr. Greenspan.  Could you tell us a little bit about the new company and what it offers?

MB: This is a field that we were reluctant to get in, as genealogists normally don’t like to mix genealogy and health information. However, we noticed that over the years more and more people approached us on the subject of genetic diseases or inherited conditions. This lead us to form a separate entity for this specific purpose, where we use totally different test kits, absolutely unrelated to Family Tree DNA tests and stored DNA. It is currently offering Mendelian tests for several inherited diseases, and we will be adding more tests every few months. We want to change the paradigm in this field, allowing people to get tested for substantially less than what the current market price is. We want for DNATraits to make a difference in this area, and by being very affordable, allow the widest number of people to get tested so that the quantity of people with inherited diseases can be reduced.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

MB: It may not grow at the rate that we have seen it growing in the past years, but it will still grow, and also, with the team of scientists that Family Tree DNA has, we will keep seeing additional discoveries, and offering additional tests that can help further one’s genealogical research. And, as we integrate additional features in the future, more tools that embed more traditional genealogy along with the results of DNA testing, Family Tree DNA will continue being positioned as the leader, as the most complete and scientifically accurate company in the market - and of course, with the largest database - which is a key element in this field.

TGG:  Thank you Max for a great interview!

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Companies, DNA in the News, Miscellaneous | Comments (1)

The Tenth and Final PGP Volunteer is Revealed!

22 July 2008 – 3:01 am

image Thomas Goetz has written another terrific article about genetic testing and the Personal Genome Project.  This article, entitled “The Gene Collector,” appears in Wired Magazine.  The article provides some new information about the PGP, including some of the incredibly detailed phenotype information that will be collected from the next 100,000 volunteers in the project.

The article also reveals the tenth and final participant of the “First 10″, the original 10 volunteers in the PGP.  I wrote about the first nine volunteers in the PGP almost exactly one year ago and noted that the tenth participant had not yet released his or her name.  The Wired article, however, mentions a number of participants including George Church, Esther Dyson, Rosalynn Gill, John Halamka, and Steven Pinker.  Indeed, a check of the PGP website confirms that Steven Pinker is the last PGP volunteer to be identified.

From the PGP-10 website:

“Steven Pinker, Ph.D. is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, and has also taught at Stanford and MIT. His research on visual cognition and the psychology of language has won prizes from the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and the American Psychological Association. He has also received five honorary doctorates, several teaching awards, and numerous prizes for his books The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, and The Blank Slate. He serves on the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary and many editorial boards, and often writes for Time, The New York Times, The New Republic, and other publications. He has been named Humanist of the Year, and is listed in Foreign Policy and Prospect magazine’s “The World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals” and in Time magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” His latest book is The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, published by Penguin books in the fall of 2007.”

There is more information at Dr. Pinker’s Harvard website and at Wikipedia.

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Articles, DNA Studies | Comments (1)

TGG Interview Series VII - Katherine Hope Borges

21 July 2008 – 3:00 am

image The next interview in the TGG Interview Series with members of the Genetic Genealogy field is with Katherine Hope Borges.  Katherine is the Director of the ISOGG, the International Society of Genetic Genealogists.  In June of last year, I highlighted a video interview with Katherine done by Roots Television.

In addition to the her work with the ISOGG, Katherine recently launched DNA Fund to provide scholarships and funding for DNA testing, which can often be expensive.

In the following interview, Katherine talks about her introduction to genetic genealogy as well as the launch of DNA Fund.

TGG: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Katherine Hope Borges: I learned about genetic genealogy in 2003 from a speaker at a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) meeting.  The speaker, a DNA Project Administrator, shared her success in using DNA for genealogy so I decided to try it.  My father tested in May 2003 and I established a DNA project in October of the same year.

TGG: You are one of the founders of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy.  How did the group come about, and what are the goals of the organization?
KHB: The birth of ISOGG was a result of the 2004 International Conference on Genetic Genealogy hosted by Family Tree DNA.  Part of the credit goes to one of the conference speakers, Megan Smolenyak-Smolenyak, who mentioned how there were so many misconceptions about genetic genealogy that people were being banned from forums and lists for even talking about it.  This illustrated the lack of education on the subject and the need for a supportive network for genetic genealogists.  I held meetings in Northern and Southern California to find out if others shared this vision and those people became the Founders.

ISOGG is a dues free society with no revenue sources.  It probably sounds a little crazy to run an organization with no funding, but as a dues paying member of several lineage and genealogical societies, if I have extra spending money, I want it to go to DNA testing!  Since ISOGG is primarily an internet-based society, the costs are relatively low.  Those who share the mission of ISOGG, to promote and educate about genetic genealogy support it by answering questions on the mailing lists, compiling information on web pages, giving a speech to a local society, etc.

TGG: Has genetic genealogy helped you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

KHB: Many times now, but what is funny is that when my father tested and compared against two others of the same surname, no one matched!  Good thing a close match came in later that year or otherwise, I might have thrown in the towel on the whole business.

The brick wall that was broken by my father’s match was whether two men with the same surname in the same county listed in the 1790 South Carolina U.S. Census were related or not.  Indeed they were and a bible record was later discovered showing the two men were brothers.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

KHB: Currently, genetic genealogy still seems to be used as a  “last resort”  to get through  a brick wall;  but I think that as it grows in popularity and use, that people just beginning genealogy may start by doing a DNA test.  Additionally, I think that advances in genetics research hold many amazing discoveries to come on what can be learned about our ancestral origins.

TGG: Aside from the ISOGG, what other genealogy-related projects are you involved with?

KHB: I recently launched The DNA Fund www.dnafund.org - an organization to provide scholarships and grants for DNA testing.  There is a real need for this as it can be a rather costly aspect of genealogy, but I also want it to benefit the scientific genetics community as the two are symbiotic.
I am also very involved in DAR and have formed a local society of Children of the American Revolution.  In addition, I am a Girl Scout Leader and the first badge my troop earned as Cadettes was the heritage badge!  (What else, right?  There is no “DNA badge”…yet…)
All of this leaves little time for traditional genealogy research, but I do manage a few days for that out of the year.  I attend an annual family reunion in South Carolina and always try to fit in research at either the South Carolina Archives or  the University of South Carolina.  If I have the opportunity to attend DAR Continental Congress in Washington DC, then most of my free time there is spent in the stacks of the DAR Library.

TGG: Thank you for a great interview Katherine!

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

The Genetic Mess in California - A Round-Up, and My Thoughts

30 June 2008 – 3:00 am

On June 9, 2008, the California Department of Public Health sent cease and desist letters to 13 companies that offer genetic testing. According to the letters, the companies are in violation of certain sections of the Business and Professions Code of California, including offering “a clinical laboratory test directly to the consumer without a physician order” since such tests “must be ordered by a physician or surgeon” (according to these officials). Copies of the letters are available here. The companies receiving letters are:

  • 23andMe
  • CGC Genetics
  • deCODEme Genetics
  • DNA Traits
  • Gene Essence
  • HairDX LLC
  • Knome
  • Navigenics
  • New Hope Medical
  • Salugen
  • Sciona Inc
  • Smart Genetics
  • Suracell Inc

I’m entering this discussion late, although I’ve been watching with great interest. What I’ve noticed is that much of the discussion, both in the blogosphere and the media, is confusing or ignoring the fact that there are actually two questions involved here.

Question One:

The first question is solely a legal one: are these companies actually in violation of the California statutes? Ultimately, this question won’t be decided by the California DOH or the genetic companies; it will be up to the courts to decide (if it gets that far). It is important to note that just because officials at the California Dept of Health have interpreted these statutes this way doesn’t mean (1) that their interpretation is correct, or (2) that this type of testing is what the statute was meant to protect or defend against. Craig Manson at GeneaBlogie raises the same point:

The other point is that there is not necessarily a violation of state law simply because a mid-level bureaucrat says there is. There are questions about how the statute was intended to be interpreted and even some constitutional questions here.

Since at least a few of these companies have decided to ignore the cease and desist letters, they must believe that their testing is outside the prohibitions of the statutes, or that the statutes are unconstitutional (e.g. they impinge on an individual’s constitutional rights).

Question Two:

The second question is a matter of opinion: SHOULD genetic testing by these companies without a physician be illegal? This is a question that involves personal philosophy, ethics, and beliefs, and we should each answer this question for ourselves. I know what I believe, and I know what many of my fellow bloggers believe. But I hesitate to force my answer on anyone else. I would rather see a system where people can answer this question for themselves and then order from the appropriate company (i.e. a company with a physician, or a company without a physician).

What About the Uninsured?

And finally, there is one other point that I haven’t seen discussed anywhere else. Although genetic testing is expensive right now, it won’t be for much longer. In the next 5-10 years I’ll be able to send off my DNA and receive my entire sequence for much less than $1000. However, if a company is forced to employ geneticists and physicians to order tests and then interpret them for the customer, the price of testing will remain higher than it otherwise could be. Alternatively, an individual might be forced to visit a doctor who will then order the test for them, and then they’ll have to visit again when the results are returned. In either scenario, the expense of sequencing might be beyond the reach of most low- to middle-class Americans (as it is now). To compound this problem, many of these people do not have health insurance.

I agree completely that people who are uninsured should spend money on proper doctor’s visits rather than genetic testing, but in a few years - as we learn more - that will change. In the future genetic sequencing could have a huge impact on a person’s health and medical care. What happens if the uninsured can’t afford genetic testing because of these potentially expensive regulations? It might be a little far-fetched, and I don’t have an answer, but I thought I’d at least raise the concern.

The Round-Up

Here are some blogosphere reactions:

Here are some articles about the dilemma in California and New York:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Companies, DNA in the News | Comments (13)

Sequencing the Cacao Tree Genome

29 June 2008 – 6:26 pm

Although it’s not really genetic genealogy, this story was too interesting to pass up.

Mars food company announced on Friday that it is partnering with IBM and the Department of Agriculture to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Mars will provide more than $10 million and will make the sequencing and analysis results freely accessible through the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture.

Unfortunately for those of us that love chocolate, the cacao tree is under attack. According to an article in the Washington Post, “West Africa, which produces 70% of the world’s cocoa, has been hammered by bad weather in the past few years.” Additionally, the cocoa industry in Brazil has been almost completely destroyed by a fungus known as witches’ broom.

The cocoa genome is roughly 400 to 500 million base pairs, compared to 3 billion in the human genome. As a result, the scientists involved in the project estimate that it will take a year to sequence the cocoa genome.

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)

TGG Interview Series VI - Ann Turner

25 June 2008 – 3:00 am

Ann Turner has been a member of the genetic genealogy community since 2000, and during that time she has made great contributions to field (as will become obvious from her interview). According to her brief biography at the Journal of Genetic Genealogy:

Ann Turner is the founder of the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list at RootsWeb and the co-author (with Megan Smolenyak) of “Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree.” She received her undergraduate degree in biology in 1964 and her M.D. from Stanford University in 1970. In recent years, she developed software for neuropsychological testing and wrote utility programs for the PAF genealogy program. One of these utilities provided a way to split out all people in a database who were related via their mitochondrial DNA, six years before mtDNA tests were commercially available. The inspiration for this feature came from the (then) forward-looking predictions of Dr. Thomas Roderick, now associate editor of JoGG.

As stated in her bio, Ann is the co-author of “Trace Your Roots With DNA”, the premiere book on genetic genealogy (the other co-author, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, was featured earlier in this series). Ann continues to contribute frequently to the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list at Rootsweb, and has been especially active in genetic genealogical analysis of new SNP testing by companies such as 23andMe and deCODEme. Once again, I highly recommend subscribing to the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list if you are interested in genetic genealogy testing!

In the following interview, Ann discusses her introduction to genetic genealogy, some of her experiences with testing, and the use of large-scale SNP testing for genealogical purposes.

TGG: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Ann Turner: I’ve been actively involved since the year 2000, when DNA testing for the ordinary consumer first came to market. I had been waiting for that moment for a long time, though. I was first inspired by an article in the NEHGS magazine by Thomas Roderick, Mary-Claire King, and Robert Charles Anderson. It was the first to point out the potential of tracing long matrilineal lines with mtDNA. That was written clear back in 1992, so it took a while for my dream to become reality. I wanted to have someone to chat with about this new field, so I founded the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list. Be careful what you wish for! The list now carries thousands of messages per month. But it was also the means by which I “met” Megan Smolenyak, my co-author for “Trace Your Roots with DNA” and countless other wonderful fellow travelers in this strange new land.

TGG: Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

AT: Yes, I’ve experimented with many different types of tests. One of the most satisfying endeavors was learning the real surnname and origins of a great-grandfather, who was orphaned at a young age. There were family legends that he had a half-brother, who was taken in by another family and never heard from again. Through traditional genealogy research, I tracked down a potential descendant and ordered a Y-DNA test for him and a cousin of mine. The result was a perfect match. The next step was to connect this family to a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania line, which traced its origins and an unusual spelling of the surname back to 1740. I simply put out a call for any male named Shreiner, and the respondent was also a perfect match. Again, this technique was combined with traditional genealogical research, which always goes hand-in-hand with DNA testing, but it was the DNA that enabled me to span centuries: 150 years forward to a descendant of the half-brother, and 150 years back to the origins of the surname in the United States.

TGG: I know that you have been analyzing the results of large-scale genome scanning tests by 23andMe and deCODEme, and I was wondering what your thoughts are regarding the applicability of these results to genetic genealogy. Will these SNP tests shed light on the human Y-DNA or mtDNA trees, or should we just wait a few years for full-genome sequencing?

AT: The mtDNA and Y-SNP tests from the genome scans are no substitute for the mtDNA and Y tests offered through the genealogically oriented companies, which offer much greater resolution. I regard those features as fringe benefits of the scans, which provide access to an unprecedented amount of autosomal data. Someday it may be possible to trace small segments of autosomal DNA (”haplotype blocks”) to a common ancestor. That will require massive databases and massive computational power! Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation is pioneering in this new domain.

TGG: Thank you Ann, for a terrific interview!

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Books, DNA for Newbies | Comments (5)

TGG Interview Series V - Whit Athey

10 June 2008 – 3:00 am

The name Whit Athey is undoubtedly very familiar to many genetic genealogists. Whit’s Haplogroup Predictor, used to predict an individual’s paternal haplogroup based on DNA test results, is one of the most valuable online (and FREE) tools for genetic genealogists.

Among Whit’s many contributions to the field, he is also the Editor (and frequent contributor) of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy. From his biosketch:

“Whit Athey is a retired physicist whose working career was primarily at the Food and Drug Administration where he was the chief of one of the medical device labs. He received his doctorate in physics and biochemistry at Tufts University, and undergraduate (engineering) and masters (math) degrees at Auburn University. For several years during the 1980s, he also taught one course each semester in the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Maryland. Besides his interest in genetic genealogy, he is an amateur astronomer and has his own small observatory near his home in Brookeville, MD.”

In the following interview, we talk about Whit’s introduction to genetic genealogy, the creation of the JoGG, and Whit’s thoughts about the future of the field.

TGG: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Whit Athey: I have always been interested in molecular biology, and my graduate work, though primarily in physics, was partly in molecular biology. When the article by Cann, Stoneking, and Wilson came out about 20 years ago, I was really struck by the potential for a better understanding of human origins. However, at that time I was heavily involved in other things, so I was just an interested bystander for many years.

I bought Bryan Sykes’s book, The Seven Daughters of Eve, when it was published in 2001, and this rekindled my interest. I almost ordered the mtDNA sequencing that his company was offering, but it was rather pricey in those days, so I again held off getting personally involved. I did develop a course that I called “The Human Family,” and presented it several times in 2001 and 2002 to local groups.

In 2003 I finally took the plunge and ordered both Y-STR tests and mtDNA sequencing for myself, and I started a surname project for my own surname. I started five other projects during 2004 and 2005.

TGG: You are one of the founders of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy. How did this journal come about, and what are the journal’s goals?

WA: JoGG was really the brainchild of Ann Turner and Dennis Garvey. They had really brought a lot of good work to bear on our fledgling field, and the journal was really their idea. Ann and Dennis can better address the question of why they thought that we needed a journal. The idea immediately appealed to me because of the quality of some of the “amateur” genetics studies that I was aware of. I thought that a number of these studies were worthy of publication in some form.

Anyway, Ann and Dennis organized a meeting of several interested people, including myself, just after the first Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) conference in Houston in November 2004, with the purpose of discussing the possibilities of a new journal. I volunteered to help with getting the journal off the ground. Probably because I seemed to have the most time available, I ended up as its editor.

TGG: Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

WA: Yes, I have tested myself on over 115 Y-STR markers and I have had a full mtDNA sequence done. I am a hopeless test junkie.

My Y haplogroup was quite a surprise to me, considering that my paternal line came to the U.S. from Galway, which is in a part of Ireland that is over 95% R1b. I am in Haplogroup G2-U8, which occurs in northwest Europeans at only about a 1.5% frequency. Furthermore, my cluster of 20 G2 Atheys is a considerable genetic distance from any other G2’s, except for one small family cluster that has the surname, Whitfield. This is quite a coincidence since my given name is Whitfield. So far, we cannot see how it is possible that our two lines are so similar when it appears that the common ancestor must have lived prior to the year 1400.

Most people seem to think that mtDNA has little role to play in genealogy. If you are simply looking for matches in the large databases, then I would agree that most matches that are found are likely to be meaningless for genealogy. However, in the area of hypothesis testing, I think that it can be quite useful. If you are comparing the mtDNA of two people who are suggested (by traditional genealogical methods) to be related along a matrilineal line, then the mtDNA results can either disprove or support your hypothesis.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

WA: I can’t help but believe that we will see a continuing decrease in price and an increase in the number of tests that are available. For the Y-chromosome phylogenetic tree it appears to me that the addition of new SNPs will probably double every 2-3 years. We are also likely to see many new complete mtDNA sequences added to the world’s databases. This increase in resolution for both Y-chromosome and mtDNA trees, together with more people participating in testing, will bring new understanding of human migrations.

I believe that “amateurs” will continue to play a key role in new developments in the future, probably even more than at present. We have the ability to move quickly on a new question and a vast population available of people who have been tested. I think that the time has past when our community just waits on the professional population geneticists to bring new data to us through publications in traditional journals. I think that we will be playing a leading role in the future.

TGG: Thank you, Whit, for a terrific interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA for Newbies, Famous DNA, Miscellaneous | Comments (3)

TGG Interview Series IV - Alastair Greenshields

3 June 2008 – 3:00 am

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Today’s interview is with Alastair Greenshields, founder of the genetic genealogy testing company DNA Heritage. Alastair is also the founder of Ybase, a Y-DNA database. I recently wrote about a helpful and informative video series by Alastair for DNA newbies (see “New Videos for Genetic Genealogists“).

In today’s interview, I ask Alastair about his introduction to genetic genealogy, some of the ethical issues raised by the recent launches of personal genomics companies, and about the future of genetic genealogy.

TGG: How long have you been involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field? Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing yourself? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery? You founded DNA Heritage in 2003. What led you to create the company? Can you also tell us a little bit about Ybase?

Alastair Greenshields: I got started in genetic genealogy back in 2002. My mother had been researching the family line for many years and this new DNA thing looked promising in connecting lineages up, untangling them, and proving if the paper trails were correct. After so much invested in paper research it was a sensible idea to check using a different method. A company in the UK was contacted, swabs were sent out and samples sent in. Results came back but it was very hard to work out how people were related. As the scientist in the family I tried my best in interpreting them but came to the conclusion that the 10 markers that we were tested upon weren’t enough for any accurate comparison.

I looked around at the current research at that time and came to the conclusion that the test could be made far more accurate. Working alongside a university research lab, I developed a 21-marker Y-chromosome STR test and brought it to market. While the test was in development, I also created Ybase which helped people compare results more easily (at the time there were only in-house databases). That first year of Ybase allowed me to get fully-acquainted with the many different types of questions genealogists wanted answered and put me in good stead when DNA Heritage was officially launched.

The testing into our own family line is ongoing…

Have I been tested? Many times. My own DNA is often one of the guinea-pig samples for the tests that we do. Surprised by the results? I have an open mind undertaking any test - a better word would be intrigued. It’s a source of satisfaction when customers feel the same way; and if it gets people thinking how we are all connected and part of a bigger picture then I’m happy.

TGG: In light of the recent ethical issues raised by the launch of companies like 23andMe and deCODEme, have you noticed any increase in concern by either European or American customers?

AG: There is of course differentiation between genetic genealogy tests and medically informative tests. Companies providing direct-to-consumer health tests have been around for some time; 23andMe and deCODEme are simply getting a lot of media focus right now. The SNP chips used have been available for a while but when you have a lowering of cost, two competitors fuelling the media interest and combine that with a big marketing push, they are naturally being widely discussed about. I think the valid concern of most ethicists is the volume of potentially medically-informative genetic data provided vs. our current understanding of what it all means along with what impact it has on the individuals concerned. And then add to this the desire of many customers to want to share this data with others.

Prevention is less expensive than treatment. An environment where people are more savvy about their health is obviously desirable. But we are still in our infancy of our understanding. When a journal comes out with ground-breaking research on a link between genetics and physical condition, it is often tempered with conflicting results months later. So there has to be a balance on the interpretation of results and expectation by the customer. Companies understand this but ethicists do an essential job of pointing out the need for this balance.

One harder stance is taken by the State of New York in that a doctor is required as an intermediary for their residents, even for paternity testing. This view isn’t shared by other states and so maybe this is the start of the trend, but more likely that NY will relax their own regulations. Incidentally, because of the nature of our own tests, no intermediary is required.

In all, the genetic cat is out of the bag and people knowing more about their genetic selves will increase dramatically in the years to come. Personalized medicine will make a big impact. It’s the medical unknown of what it all means which raises doubt.

The sharing of this data raises issues also. Do you share just the conclusions that e.g. you may have a pre-disposition to Celiac Disease, or do you share the hard data for which not everything is known? On the whole, the participants are self-selecting, do their homework and are quite aware that the data may reveal other genetic information later on. It’s the sub-section who aren’t fully aware that need protection. And this is the crux.

In genetic genealogy, the picture is much clearer. The results aren’t medically informative*. The results of a Y-chromosome or mtDNA test won’t even identify you as an individual. They are good for known lineages and thus, to make sense of them it works best if results are shared, particularly the Y-chromosome STR test.

*There are two exceptions; very rarely a DYS464 on the Y-chromosome is not present which may indicate infertility (although never encountered by us in several years of testing), and with whole mtDNA sequencing when you venture into genes you reveal medical information. Which is why we don’t perform that full sequencing test.

If there are any differences between American and European customers regarding their genetic data at all it has been on privacy and the perceived threat from insurance companies and employers. In the US, there was always the overhanging question of medical genetic data being used against them. With the (impending) passing of GINA, the basis for this worry will be minimal. And again, because of the tests that we do, any issue has been negligible.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

AG: Always hard but as ever, genetic genealogy will continue to be more mainstream. We’re now seeing many more professional genealogists using it alongside their library research with great results. I’m sure that one day DAR and SAR will begin to accept lineage data as acceptable evidence for inclusion.

TGG: Thank you, Alastair, for a great interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA for Newbies, Genealogy, Miscellaneous | Comments (3)

Interview Series III - Terry Barton

2 June 2008 – 3:00 am

imageTerry Barton is co-founder of WorldFamilies.net (along with Richard Barton), a website devoted to helping genealogists host Surname, Geographic, or Haplogroup Projects and learn more about genetic genealogy. When I began the Bettinger Surname DNA Project, Terry helped me through the entire process of setting up the site. From the WorldFamilies website:

“Terry is co-founder of WorldFamilies.net, President of the Barton Historical Society (BHS) and Co-Leader of the 193 member Barton DNA Project. He is the “Line Leader” for the Thomas (1,2,3) Barton family of Stafford Co VA and for the David Barton married Ruth Oldham family. He has made a number of presentations about using DNA in Genealogy, the Barton DNA project and his great-grandparent’s “Barton House” and has written many articles for the BHS Newsletters and website.”

In the following interview, I ask Terry about his introduction to genetic genealogy, the origin of the World Families Network, and his thoughts on the future of genetic genealogy.

The Genetic Genealogist: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Terry Barton: I got involved in genetic genealogy in 2001 as assistant admin for the Barton Surname Project - when it was formed. We worked with BYU’s Center for Molecular Genealogy - which eventually became Relative Genetics. Our first two rounds of testing were in “batches”, with 52 men in the first batch and 42 in the second. I became the lead admin with batch 2 and have led the project since then. I was already actively researching my ancestry by traditional means and was President of the Barton Historical Society, leading that group into becoming the sponsoring organization for the Barton DNA Project.

TGG: Have you undergone genetic genealogy testing? Were you surprised with the results? Did the results help you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

TB: I am personally tested on 116 yDNA markers, the available SNPs and the Full mtDNA Genetic Sequence. I have tested my son to the same 116 markers (we match perfectly) However, my Dad and I each started a mutation (his is at DYS388, while mine is at DYS452) So, I am 41/43 when compared to my Uncle. I use this example to explain how you can’t count mutations to determine how closely related you are to someone. I was pleased to identify the probable ancestral home of my Bartons as Lancashire and the probable home of my mother’s Hodges family as Kent. My Bartons appear to be the Celts and my mother’s Hodges to be the Frisians (both conclusions are still tentative) I have also learned that most southern American Bartons are my genetic kin and that a number of the southern American Hodges are my genetic kin. I have dna tests for another half dozen of my ancestral lines and mtDNA FGS tests on my Dad and Wife. There are too many success stories across this range of testing to share here.

TGG: You are one of the co-founders of the World Families Network. How did the site come about, and what are its goals?

TB: My partner, Dr. Richard Barton (also co-admin of the Barton Project) is my genetic kin - we found each other through the project. Our most recent common ancestor was born no later than c1620s - we have no paper trail connection. (Rich is a 43/43 match to my Uncle) We used Rich’s website leadership to help us address our early project weakness of low internet visibility and started thinking in early 2004 about how we could share our learning with other surname projects who needed information and/or website help. Over the course of 2004, we evolved into much of what you see today, providing an array of helpful information and supporting many surname projects in a variety of ways. Our goal is to provide an array of useful services to the Genetic Genealogy community - and to have fun doing it.

TGG: What other genetic genealogy-related projects are you involved with?

TB: I am lead or support admin for over 50 of my ancestral surname dna projects. In many cases, I have evolved to being only the technical advisor or support, while I (or our staff) provide leadership for many more of the projects than I wish (which means I haven’t found the right cousin to get involved). I love the connections I’ve made and am constantly amazed at how many folks will go out of their way to help me - or to share info with me. I also co-lead the Va-1600s geographical projects and the mt-T1 haplogroup project and am one of four admins on the T_FGS research project. I am webmaster and founding board member of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy, serve on the Board of the Cobb County Genealogical Society and a member of ISOGG. I continue as President of the Barton Historical Society and am a founding member of the Hodges-Hodge Society, which came out of the Surname dna project it now sponsors. I speak regularly on genetic genealogy. I probably missed something.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

TB: When I started in 2001, 12 markers was a lot! By the time Barton (finally) got our first batch of results in 2002, we received info on 23 markers - which was incredible. I used to think 100 markers and 100 members would bring all of the answers (neither did). When I look to the future and try to imagine - I really can’t identify specifics - other than to anticipate that we’ll know so much more than now. I realize that we are building the foundation for that future and hope that those who follow appreciate what we have done (as they laugh at the primitive info and understanding that we had “way back in 2008″. )

My personal quest is to develop enough learning through dna to replace the lost paper trails. I don’t know if that will be possible - but I intend to keep trying.

TGG: Thank you, Terry, for this terrific interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA for Newbies, Genealogy, Miscellaneous | Comments (4)

Interview Series II - Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak

29 May 2008 – 3:00 am

image If you’ve ever even thought about testing your own DNA for genealogical purposes, then you are almost guaranteed to have heard of Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak. Megan is the Chief Family Historian and North American spokesperson for Ancestry.com, as well as the co-founder of Roots Television, an online channel of genealogy and history-oriented programming. Additionally, Megan is the co-author of “Trace Your Roots With DNA”, the premiere book on genetic genealogy (the other co-author, Ann Turner, will be featured later in this series).

Megan blogs about genetic genealogy and other genealogical topics at Megan’s Roots World (which I highly recommend adding to your feed reader or daily reading list). In the following interview, Megan talks about her introduction to genetic genealogy, about the field as it stands today, and about some of the possible future directions of DNA testing.

The Genetic Genealogist: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak: I’ve been an almost lifelong genealogist, but the genetic component entered the picture for me around 1999-2000 thanks to some work I was doing with the U.S. Army. I track down families of soldiers still unaccounted for — mostly from Korea, but also Southeast Asia, WWII and even WWI. It’s my responsibility to locate the next of kin and three mtDNA candidates — in other words, three relatives of the soldier who share the same mtDNA (maternal) line. Because of this, when the first couple of companies launched in 2000, I was one of the first in line simply because I had already had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of how DNA testing could be used for genealogical purposes.

TGG: Has genetic genealogy helped you break through any of your brick walls or solve a family mystery?

MSS: Definitely. My first experience with genetic genealogy was the Smolenyak tale featured in the “Did She Marry Her Cousin? episode of DNA Stories in the video player on your blog. It turned out my hypothesis was wrong, and although I was initially disappointed, I realized that I had just saved myself years of effort and who knows how much money trying to prove something that was completely false. That’s what made me an early proponent. I realized right out of the gate that DNA can sometimes resolve mysteries that the paper trail never will.

TGG: Lately the news has been filled with stories about the ethical issues associated with genetic testing, largely as a result of the launch of new companies like 23andMe, deCODEme, and Navigenics. How does genetic genealogy factor into this discussion?

MSS: As much as I’d like to claim that we’re a different animal, the fact is that these new companies provide some ancestral information. In fact, there already seems to be slightly greater emphasis on this aspect than when they first launched, perhaps because they’ve realized there’s an existing market. So going forward, it’s virtually inevitable that the general public will intermingle genetic genealogy companies and offerings with these new tests and companies. Overall, I’m delighted with these new possibilities, but I confess there’s a small part of me that’s mourning a loss of innocence of sorts. Strictly genealogical tests didn’t give away your secrets (well, except for the occasional NPE!), so folks could feel quite comfortable taking them. Now, with the addition of medical and other information, people will likely think twice. Having said that, I think we all knew this time was coming and I’m glad to see the field moving forward.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

MSS: My poor little brain can’t fathom all the possibilities, but I believe we’re entering the genomics age. The genetic genie is out of the bottle, so it’s time to buckle our seatbelts and hang on (how’s that for a mixed metaphor?)! I’ve always thought it would be the medical aspects of genetics that would drive things forward in a big way and that’s clearly happening. I can’t even begin to imagine all the ethical issues we’ll all wrestle with, but because of the medical benefits, I think it’s inevitable that genetics will become a routine part of our everyday lives. Just as we have a generation or so that’s grown up taking computers and the internet for granted, I think the same will be true of genetics for those being born now.

What’s especially interesting to me is the public’s involvement in all this. I recently interviewed with a journalist from Le Monde, and remarked that this is the first scientific revolution that will at least be partly driven by public participation. An obvious example of this is impatient genealogists applying pressure on scientists to uncover more ancestrally-informative SNPs. We do this because we want to know more about our roots. Imagine the amplification of this phenomenon when the mass public starts campaigning for specific genetic research for medical conditions that affect their families. And I suspect that the existence of companies like 23andMe will only encourage this kind of (to me, positive!) behavior.

Because genetic genealogy has been around since 2000, I think anyone trying to get a handle on this interplay between the scientific community and the general public would be smart to study us. And yes, genetic genealogists will definitely benefit from all the advances. Remember, it was just circa 2000-2001 that a 4-marker Y-DNA test sold to the public was considered amazing, and now, none of us would waste our time with such a test. We ain’t seen nothing yet!

TGG: Aside from genetic genealogy, what other genealogy-related projects are you involved with?

MSS: Phew! A lot! I already mentioned my work with the U.S. Army, but I’m also the Chief Family Historian and North American spokesperson for Ancestry.com and co-founder of RootsTelevision.com, a free, online channel of genealogical programming. And I write and speak and consult for television programs. Basically, I’m all about getting the g-word out there!

TGG: Thank you, Megan, for this interesting and very enjoyable interview!

Other posts in the TGG Interview Series:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA for Newbies, Genealogy, Miscellaneous | Comments (4)

Interview Series I - Bennett Greenspan of Family Tree DNA

28 May 2008 – 3:00 am

image Genetic genealogy has been commercially available since 2000, and in the last 8 years many genealogists have used this new tool to learn about their ancestry. Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be sharing interviews I recently conducted with 9 individuals who have had a huge impact on the field of genetic genealogy. The list includes - in the random order that their interview will appear - Bennett Greenspan, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, Terry Barton, Alastair Greenshields, Whit Athey, Ann Turner, Katherine Hope Borges, Max Blankfeld, and Ana Oquendo Pabón.

Just a quick disclaimer about the list of interviewed individuals before I begin this series. Genetic genealogy has become the valuable tool that it is due to the efforts of many people, but I was not able to interview everyone (and some were unable to commit the time to do an interview). I apologize to anyone that should be on the list but isn’t.

Now, without further ado, I present the first interview in this exciting series. Bennett Greenspan is the President and CEO of Family Tree DNA, as well as a Founding Partner of the new start-up DNATraits. In the following interview, I ask Mr. Greenspan about the founding of the two companies, and about his thoughts regarding the future of genetic genealogy.

TGG: How long have you been actively involved in genetic genealogy, and how did you become interested in the field?

Bennett Greenspan: I started Family Tree DNA in early 2000 because I had hit a brick wall and needed a new tool to determine if my cousin was related to a person I founding Argentina with the same name. Once I saw how effective using DNA for genealogy were I knew that every genealogist would need to avail themselves of this wonderful confirmation tool.

TGG: You founded Family Tree DNA in 1999, one of the first companies to offer genetic genealogy testing. What led you to create FTDNA?

BG: I got the idea in 1999 but before the proof of concept was completed it was march of 2000…we began to accept orders at that time and formally launched the service, for Y DNA, in May of 2000…3 days after Oxford Ancestors launched their mtDNA testing service…As we all know Y-DNA is much more genealogical then the female inherited mitochondria because of the much faster mutation rates for the STR’s that we test in male genetic genealogy, as well as the fact that in the Western world surnames go down the line along with the Y-DNA, which is not the case with the mtDNA.

TGG: Genetic genealogy, unfortunately, has received some bad press lately, largely through the misconceptions of journalists or confusion between genetic genealogy and other types of personal genomic services. What can amateur genetic genealogists do to counteract this bad press?

BG: I’d say be aggressive in writing letters to the editor and making your positive feelings known. I have received scores of support letters since that silly article came out in the English press last week, even thought we were not among the companies that they used…It’s clear that the amateur genealogist who uses our services knows much better then the reporter who, in many cases, seem to have an agenda of fear uncertainly and doubt (FUD) because FUD sells newspapers.

TGG: You recently launched DNATraits. What led you to explore this area of genetic testing?

BG: After being reluctant for some time to offer these tests I thought that it was time to launch them for 2 reasons. 1. We saw the demand starting from our own community 2. Mendelian disorders ARE genealogy…we either have had a disaster in our families and therefore we know that someone carries the mutation, or they are hidden and depending upon whom we marry they might create a personal disaster for the family who is a carrier. 2. Because Mendelian diseases are testable and predictable along the lines of 1-2-1 (presuming both parents are carriers for the same recessive mutation) we can actually prevent the birth of sick children by education and screening pre-conception or pre-marriage. This seems to us a noble if not earnest task. It’s quite different form the associated gene tests by 23&Me, et. al. since they tell you that you have a greater risk but the SNP’s are incomplete and therefore, IMHO, not ready for prime time.

TGG: What do you think the future holds for genetic genealogy?

BG: Will we have high double digit growth rates like in the past? I don’t know. But, as our database grows the likelihood of everyone finding matches with their surname (and prior to surname adoption) is growing exponentially. Today we are beginning to find that most people from a western European background find a strong match…quite often with the same surname. The matches are also beginning to get exciting in the group of adoptees who number in the 1-2,000,000 in the US alone. As the database grows and as this gets mapped out the concept of anonymous sperm donor will become like Jumbo Shrimp…an oxymoron. At least when it comes to adoptees intend to help in that regard more so then we can do today (and we already have a pretty good number of adoptees that found through us their biological surname).

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA for Newbies, Miscellaneous | Comments (9)

In Memoriam - Leo William Little

27 May 2008 – 3:00 am

Last week the genetic genealogy community lost one of its treasured members, Leo W. Little.

Leo’s passing was announced on the GENEALOGY-DNA mailing list on Sunday evening. Since then, many members of that mailing list, the ISOGG Yahoo Group, and the DNA- ANTHROGENEALOGY Yahoo Group have expressed their sympathy to Leo’s family and expressed their admiration for his work and contributions to the field of genetic genealogy.

Leo was the administrator of at least two DNA Projects, including the null439 DNA Project, and the Little DNA Project. The null439 group was begun by Leo after he helped characterize the “Little SNP” in 2002, a SNP that is also called “L1″ or “S26″. In 2005 Leo posted an email to the GENEALOGY-DNA that explained the discovery of the SNP, which defines the R1b1b2a1c Haplogroup in the new 2008 ISOGG Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree (previously known as R1b1c9a). The L1 SNP causes the primers used by Family Tree DNA to analyze Y-STR repeats at DYS439 to fail to anneal, and thus no result is recorded for that locus (i.e., it is “null”). The result is recorded as a default 12 with a blue asterisk. Here is Leo’s description from the null439 page:

“SNPs are passed down from father to son, and all males with a null439 SNP descend from a common ancestor who lived within the last 5000 years. Most null439 males with known origins have roots in England or Germany. The null439 SNP is also called “L1” or “S26“. L1/S26 is carried by about a half of one percent of R1b males. All males with L1/S26 also have the SNP “S21” (also known as “U106“) which defines the R1b1b2g subgroup (formerly R1b1c9).”

The null439 Project currently has at least 83 members, including myself. In June 2006 my Y-DNA analysis revealed that I have the L1 SNP and thus had no result at DYS439. When I joined the null439 project at FTDNA, Leo promptly emailed me and welcomed me to the group.

Other Contributions

But the S26 SNP and the null429 group are just a few of Leo’s contributions to the field. Other work includes his incredibly useful “Eclectic Genetic Genealogy Information” page, or a number of articles at the Little DNA Project (including this one entitled “Tracing the Borders Littles through DNA Testing“). Indeed, a search of the GENEALOGY-DNA archives reveals at least 150 messages posted by Leo’s email address (lwlittle@yahoo.com), and a search of his name reveals many more messages in which he was mentioned. Leo was a consultant for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, a member of the following organizations: the Association of Professional Genealogists, the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, and the Austin Genealogical Society. In July 2005, Leo’s work was highlighted in an article from Time magazine entitled “Can DNA Reveal Your Roots?“:

“One of the less controversial aspects of genetic genealogy is its ability to help people fill in gaps in their family tree. Leo Little, a retired engineer in Austin, Texas, had used historical records to trace his lineage back to his great-great-grandfather Thomas Little, who was born in Alabama in 1816. Then, he says, “I hit a brick wall. I knew my Littles were from the South, but there were a lot of Littles from the South, and it was impossible to sort out.” After he took a DNA test from Family Tree DNA, he began leading one of the company’s 1,900 surname projects, in this case checking test results on Littles. As a result, he has identified three distant cousins. By pooling their family records, the cousins have been able to trace their roots all the way back to 1680.”

Since Leo’s passing was so unexpected, the family is still dealing with the shock. On Monday, Terry Barton posted to the ISOGG Yahoo Group that the family had been contacted, and that Mrs. Little had requested that there be “no phone calls, no emails, no cards, no contact of any kind.” She did mention the possibility of a memorial fund in the future. Additionally, Mrs. Little indicated that she would try to respond to Leo’s emails at some point.

If you would like to leave a comment below, I will compile them and send them in letter to Mrs. Little when she is ready to receive mail. In addition, this post will be available indefinitely as a memorial to Leo Little. Thank you to Katherine Hope Borges for her assistance in completing this post.

UPDATE From Katherine (May 27 2008):

Leo was heavily involved in his church history project and donations may be made in his name to (with thanks to Derrell and Terry for sharing this info):

Highland Park Baptist Church
5206 Balcones Drive
Austin TX 78731

In DNA Fund, we will have fund designated for a “Leo Little Memorial Scholarship”, but since the 501(c)(3) is not yet in effect, contributions are not tax-deductible. However, contributions may be sent to DNA Fund’s General Fund at Family Tree DNA and will be designated for null research.

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Databases, DNA Studies, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized | Comments (14)

TGG Accepted To The 9rules Network

23 May 2008 – 3:00 am

9rules The Genetic Genealogist has been accepted to 9rules in the latest round of submissions! I’m honored to be accepted since 9rules is a collection of some of the best blogs around, and I hope that I can live up to the challenge. 9rules has a ‘technology’ community, but not a ’science’ community; think there’s any chance they’ll start one? More news to come.

And don’t forget that starting next Tuesday I’m starting a great nine-part series of interviews with some of the biggest names in the field of genetic genealogy!

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

A Four-Part Series About Personal Genomics at Condé Nast Portfolio - Are Genetic Tests Really Useful?

19 May 2008 – 3:00 am

iStock_000004876214XSmall Portfolio presents an interesting four-part series by David Ewing Duncan about personal genomics. But before I go on, it is important to realize that this series focuses on personal genomics - analysis of SNPs or sequencing throughout the genome - rather than the much narrower field of genetic genealogy. Although there are some ethical concerns surrounding genetic genealogy, they are not specifically addressed in the series.

Portfolio’s public relations coordinator circulated a summary of the series (I wish I had a PR coordinator!):

In Portfolio.com columnist David Ewing Duncan’s four-part series, “You 2.0,” he assess and compares three major websites recently launched that test a person’s DNA for risk-factors for everything from Alzheimer’s Disease and heart attack to drug addiction, an ability to taste bitterness, and ancestry. Is this information ready for prime time? Can it really predict a healthy person’s medical future? Duncan has been tested by 23andme, deCodeme, and Navigenics, and reports on his sometime contradictory and confusing, sometimes funny, and occasionally enlightening results gleaned from these controversial sites that are attempting to bring genetics directly to the people.

Here are the four parts:

  1. You 2.0: Comparison Shopping For Your Future
  2. You 2.0: I’m Doomed. Or Not.
  3. You 2.0: Recreational DNA and Genetic Voyeurism
  4. You 2.0: Closing the Genetic Gap

Look for David’s Book Later This Summer

According to his website, Duncan is writing a book entitled Experimental Man: One Man’s Intimate Journey Into Himself, Cell by Cell (although I’ve also seen it written as Experimental Man: A Molecular Autobiography) which is due to be available in late summer 2008. The book “describes and assesses a wide-range of leading-edge diagnostic tests that David has taken, from genes and environmental toxins inside him to brain scans assessing everything from his propensity to suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease to the politics of his brain. He is running these tests as an Everyman in an attempt to understand and humanize the often eye-glazing science that is about to change our world.” The Experimental Man Power Point Presentation is already available.

Sounds very interesting!

HT: The Gene Sherpa

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Articles, Personal Genomics | Comments (2)

The Latest News About 23andMe

16 May 2008 – 3:00 am

image For new readers of The Genetic Genealogist, 23andMe is a personal genomics company that offers a service to examine more than 600,000 SNPs throughout an individual’s genome. The information is then used to analyze ancestry (using Y-DNA and mtDNA) and to estimate propensity for disease. For much more info about 23andMe and similar companies, look under “Personal Genomics” on my Featured Articles page.

A Contest

Today, 23andMe announced on their blog - The Spittoon - the winner of the company’s first ‘Win Your Genome Contest’. The contest was to describe Lilly Mendel, a publicly available but anonymous profile at 23andMe - based upon her genetic information alone. The winner was Mike Cariaso, who previously created a program that analyzes 23andMe SNP data using the growing SNPedia database.

A New Partnership

In another announcement today, 23andMe released details of a partnership between the company and The Parkinson Institute to analyze the genomes of the Institute’s patients. Unlike the typical customer, the Institute’s patients will provide information about their “individual environmental exposures, family history, disease progression and treatment response.” The official press release is here, GenomeWeb News coverage is here, and there is a mention at Simon Lin’s blog Retail Genomics.

A Panel Discussion

Linda Avey, one of the founders of the company, recently participated in a panel discussion at the Cold Spring Harbor Biology of Genomes meeting. She was joined by representatives from two competitors, deCODEme and Navigenics. Daniel Macarthur at Genetic Future provides a fantastic and lengthy review and analysis of the discussion. A mention at Genome Technology Online laments the fact that the panel discussion was civil, even though it was a gathering of three competitors. The site also provides a summary of the meeting (subscription required).

A Controversy

Also in the news are reports that two states, California and New York, are evaluating whether personal genomics services offered by companies such as 23andMe and deCODEme are regulated by state laws, and if so, whether the companies are meeting those regulations. For more information, see “California, New York Officials Probing Gene-Testing Companies” at The Mercury News.

And Everything Else!

And lastly, here are a few newspaper articles or blog posts that mention the latest in personal genomics (note that these articles are provided so that you can perform your own analysis of personal genomic services - unfortunately, I haven’t evaluated these articles for accuracy):

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Articles, DNA Companies, Personal Genomics | Comments (0)

New Videos for Genetic Genealogists

15 May 2008 – 3:00 am

While conducting some online research the other day, I discovered a series of videos about genetic genealogy by Alastair Greenshields, founder of DNA Heritage. The main page contains 6 videos (shown in the list below) that are broken down into 2 to 8 chapters. Since the videos are broken up into chapters, you can can easily skip to the topics that are the most relevant to you.

  1. Genetic Genealogy Terminology
  2. Genetic Genealogy Defined
  3. Tracing My Genetic Heritage
  4. My Past
  5. Giving DNA
  6. Genetic Genealogy Results

There are many other places to find videos about genetic genealogy. Last April I wrote “Ten Videos For Genetic Genealogists“, although only 8 of them are still available. You can also watch videos about DNA here at TGG’s DNA Channel, courtesy of Roots Television. And lastly, Family Tree DNA has videos available on its website.

To give you a preview of the DNA Heritage videos, the first is embedded below:

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in DNA Articles, DNA for Newbies | Comments (1)

Welcome to The Genetic Genealogist!

12 May 2008 – 10:26 am

tggfinal To the readers coming from yesterday’s article by George C. Morgan in The Ancestry Weekly Journal, welcome to The Genetic Genealogist! The eBook that George mentioned - I Have the Results of My Genetic Genealogy Test, Now What? - is available by simply clicking “Download Now” in the right sidebar.

If you are interested in reading more about genetic genealogy and personal genomics, visit my Featured Articles page for all of my favorite and most popular articles. And please subscribe to my feed to stay up-to-date on the latest in genetic genealogy news and information.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be featuring an interview series with some of the biggest names in genetic genealogy, so stay tuned!

By Blaine Bettinger | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Complete Neanderthal Genome Sequenced - Differs from CRS at 133 Positions

10 May 2008 – 9:22 am