Month: November 2009

Hacking Admixed 23andMe Ancestry Paintings

Blaine Bettinger 5 Comments

DAVIDE at the European Genetics and Anthropology Blog has an interesting post regarding 23andMe’s Ancestry Painting, at “Taking a closer look at your inter-continental ancestry results at 23andMe.”  In the post, he describes how to “rummage through the Flash data behind the “Ancestry Painting” presentation” to learn more about the SNPs involved an admixed Ancestry Painting.  The post includes the incredibly simple directions:

First of all, you have to make sure you’ve got the free Firebug plug-in installed. Right click on the little bug in the lower-right corner of your browser window, and choose “Enable all panels”.  Then left click the same bug icon, which should make a whole new section appear at the bottom of the screen. ... Click to read more!

New Issue of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy

Blaine Bettinger 1 Comment

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Whit Athey has announced publication of the Fall 2009 issue of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy.  This is Whit’s last issue as Editor, and I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to him and all the work he has put into JoGG over the past 5 years.  Every issue requires hours of work to coordinate reviews and format articles, among the many other aspects of publishing.  Whit’s tireless work has helped add so much to the field.

I’d also like to announce that with Whit’s departure I will be assuming the position of Editor of JoGG.  I’m excited about this endeavor, and I look forward to working with the members of JoGG as well as the authors of the most recent research in the field.  So, if you have an article or even just an idea for an article you’d like to discuss, please fee free to contact me (blaine_5 at hotmail.com, or blainebettinger at gmail.com). ... Click to read more!

A Review of Familybuilder DNA Testing

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

familybuilder1

Familybuilder, launched in 2007, is a genealogy company that ranks among the top 10 online genealogy services in the world with over 17 million users and over 120 million family tree profiles.  Late last year the company began offering a genetic genealogy product, as I wrote about here on the blog (see “Familybuilder Announces DNA Testing”).

Disclosure: This is a review of Familybuilder’s Y-DNA service using a kit I received free of charge for purposes of this review.  Please note that this is not meant to be an endorsement but merely a review of the Y-DNA service offered by Familybuilder.

The results of a Familybuilder Y-DNA test includes:

“The Migration Map for you and your ancestors, your 17 Markers, your Haplogroup and the History of your DNA.  In addition, the ability to share your results with family and friends on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace as well as a downloadable PDF (suitable for framing).” ... Click to read more!

Q&A: Everyone Has Two Family Trees – A Genealogical Tree and a Genetic Tree

Blaine Bettinger 17 Comments

I recently received an interesting question from a reader (see this comment) about 23andMe’s Relative Finder, and thought it would be worth sharing the question and my answer with all my readers.

The Question:

I’m a man who recently took a 23andMe test, and I have a question about Relative Finder. Another man who I match on 36 of 37 Y-DNA markers via Family Tree DNA also took a 23andMe test. We believe that we are third cousins, but this individual does not show up as related in Relative Finder, nor does he show any similarities in the Family Inheritance section. Does this mean that we are not related at all?

The Answer

If two individuals do not share any DNA in the Family Inheritance section of 23andMe or do not appear as relatives in Relative Finder or a people check if you look online (see here), this absolutely does not mean that they are not or cannot be relatives. It does suggest, however, that the two individuals might not share any DNA. Although your Y-DNA test suggests that you share a recent common male ancestor, it appears that apart from your Y chromosomes you do not share any other DNA. ... Click to read more!

Genetic Genealogy Tidbits

Blaine Bettinger 3 Comments

  • Linda Avey, co-founder of 23andMe, has started a new blog entitled The Life & Times of Lilly Mendel.  I’m looking forward to some interesting reading as Linda establishes the Brainstorm Research Foundation dedicated to the study of Alzheimer’s disease.
    • ... Click to read more!