Month: April 2012

Genetic Genealogy and Personal Genomics in the Classroom – Part I

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

Today begins the first in a series of articles about the use of genetic genealogy and personal genomics in the classroom, ranging from high school to college-level.

Many scientists and health care experts believe that genetics will be a vital component to several facets of our lives in the future, especially in the field of medicine.  Indeed, some consider the study of genetics to be one of the most promising solutions to many of the health dilemmas facing society today, including advancing our understanding of interactions between genetics and the environment.  Accordingly, today’s students should have at least a basic grasp of genetics, and science educators must find innovative ways to share those concepts with their students.

A Need for Genetics Education ... Click to read more!

A Review of AncestryDNA – Ancestry.com’s New Autosomal DNA Test

Blaine Bettinger 276 Comments

In the past, I’ve reviewed new autosomal DNA testing options offered by 23andMe and Family Tree DNA:

Today, I’m reviewing the new autosomal DNA test from Ancestry.com called “AncestryDNA.” I’ve already written at length about AncestryDNA, so I won’t cover too many of the basics here.  I have an in-depth introduction to the product located at “Ancestry.com’s AncestryDNA Product,” which you might want to check out before or after reading this review in order to gather more information.

AncestryDNA: An Introduction

The introduction page, which appears after clicking on “View Results” on the front page, consists of my Genetic Ethnicity Summary and the Member DNA Matches (which is further broken into close cousins and distant cousins, as discussed in detail below).  Please note that for purposes of this review I’ve removed the identifying information for my genetic matches. ... Click to read more!

Ancestry.com’s AncestryDNA Product

Blaine Bettinger 7 Comments

I’ve written before about Ancestry.com’s new AncestryDNA autosomal test.  See, for example:

Webinar with Ancestry.com

Last week, I participated in a webinar with Ancestry.com regarding the AncestryDNA test (although, unfortunately, I had to leave a bit early due to a previous engagement).  It was a great list of about 10 well-known genealogy bloggers, each one of whom is someone I’ve been reading or following for years.  It was an honor to be included among them.

One of the participants was CeCe Moore of Your Genetic Genealogist.  CeCe has a nice summary of the webinar and the important points about the autosomal test and the user interface at “New Information on Ancestry.com’s AncestryDNA Product.”  If you’re interested in autosomal DNA testing, or in Ancestry.com, I highly recommend reading her post. ... Click to read more!