How Neanderthal Are You?

On May 6, 2010, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany presented the world with a draft of the genome sequence of the Neanderthal (press release here (pdf) and full article here (free), NYT article here).  As part of the announcement, the team presented their conclusion that 1% to 4% of the genome of non-Africans is derived from Neanderthals:

“An initial comparison of the two sequences has brought some exciting discoveries to light. Contrary to the assumption of many researchers, it would appear that some Neandertals and early modern humans interbred. According to the researchers’ calculations, between one and four percent of the DNA of many humans living today originate from the Neandertal. ‘Those of us who live outside Africa carry a little Neandertal DNA in us,’ says Svante Pääbo.  Previous tests carried out on the DNA of Neandertal mitochondria, which represents just a tiny part of the whole genome, had not found any evidence of such interbreeding or ‘admixture.'” ... Click to read more!

American Society of Human Genetics Publishes Updated Genetic Ancestry Testing Statement

Today at noon, the American Society of Human Genetics lifted an embargo on “Inferring Genetic Ancestry: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications (pdf),” which will be published in the May 14th issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

This paper is a follow-up to a 2008 paper called the “ASHG Ancestry Testing Statement and Recommendations” in which a committee from the ASHG addressed concerns about the claims made by genetic ancestry testing companies.  I wrote an article here on the blog at the time – The ASHG Ancestry Testing Statement and Recommendations – that highlighted a number of concerns I had about the statement and the recommendations.

When I wrote the November 13, 2008 blog post, I began by pointing out my personal positions, which have largely remained unchanged in the intervening 1.5 years: ... Click to read more!

Latest Genetic Genealogy Series “Faces of America” Expected From PBS in 2010

http://www.thefoodsection.com/.a/6a00d8341c4ec753ef01157198f61a970b-pi

Via ” Mapping the Mario Batali Genome”

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is working on a new four-part genetic genealogy series for PBS called “Faces of America”, expected to air in 2010.  Unlike the previous African American Lives series, the latest work will examine the genetic ancestry of Americans from all walks of life.  From the press release (“THIRTEEN, Kunhardt McGee Productions and Inkwell Films, in Production on New PBS Series, Faces of America“):

Global in scope, Faces of America will look beyond the black experience to explore American identity with guests who are Asian, Hispanic, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Syrian, West Indian, and Native American. Joining Professor Gates in this new series are poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, chef Mario Batali, comedian and television personality Stephen Colbert, writer Junot Diaz, writer Louise Erdrich, writer Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, cellist Yo Yo Ma, writer and director Mike Nichols, former monarch of Jordan Queen Noor, actress Meryl Streep, and Olympic gold medalist and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. ... Click to read more!

Interviews with 23andMe Customers

Image representing 23andMe as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

DAVIDE at the European Genetics and Anthropology Blog recently posted two interviews (here and here) with customers of 23andMe’s large-scale genome scanning service, one from Finland and one from the U.S.

It’s very interesting to see the responses of these anonymous individuals, particularly since they are from different countries.

For example, both were asked why they decided to purchase the 23andMe test – “Was it to test your ancestry or genetic health risk factors?”  Interestingly, for both individuals ancestry was the motivating factor behind testing.  More support for my conclusion that these companies should strongly promote the ancestral aspects of their products.

Other Questions

Here are a few examples of other questions in the interviews: ... Click to read more!

Abstracts From the ASHG 2008 Meeting

image The American Society of Human Genetics is having its 58th Annual Meeting in November.  As I was looking through the meeting abstracts, I noticed that there were a number of abstracts that dealt with topics related to genetic genealogy.  I thought some of you would be interested in getting an advance look at genetic genealogy research that will be publicly released and published over the next year or two.  Although I didn’t include the whole abstracts for most of them, I did include a link for further investigation.  (Note: I got this idea from Dienekes’ Anthropology Blog).

Interestingly, the first five abstracts all include researchers from the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, showing how much the Foundation is providing to the genetic genealogy community. ... Click to read more!

The Monday Morning DNA Testing Company Review – AncestryByDNA

migrationmap_big.jpgAncestryByDNA is a popular genetic test developed by DNAPrint Genomics, Inc.The company offers a variety of genetic testing, including Y-chromosome and mtDNA ancestry.They are most well-known, however, for their two admixture tests.Admixture tests examine SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, in the 22 autosomal chromosomes in each of our cells.Although every human’s DNA is 99.9% identical, the 0.1% differences make each one of us unique.Researchers have noticed that people in a particular region often have a mutation in common, one that people in most or all other regions of the world do not have.These usually harmless mutations, called SNPs, are believed to have bio-geographic properties – people endogenous to certain regions of the world have different versions of the SNPs.A person who submits his DNA for analysis could have SNPs which reveal genetic contributions from a wide variety of regions. ... Click to read more!

About the Author

The Genetic Genealogist was launched on February 12, 2007 as one of the very first blogs to examine the intersection of traditional genealogical techniques and modern genetic research, more commonly known as “genetic genealogy.” Genetic genealogists use genetics to learn more about their ancestry, including to learn about their ancient roots and to examine the relatedness of individuals. This relatively new technology represents a powerful new technology for the genealogist’s toolbox.  If you are interested in genetic genealogy or personal genomics, please add The Genetic Genealogist’s RSS feed to your feed reader!

About The Author:

Courtesy CeCe Moore

Courtesy CeCe Moore

(For more about me, see the Biographical Material page).

My name is Blaine Bettinger and I have been using traditional genealogical research to learn more about my ancestry for almost 20 years. I entered the world of direct-to-consumer genetics in 2003 with an autosomal DNA test from one of the first companies offering this type of testing. ... Click to read more!

Whoopi Goldberg’s DNA Testing Creates Ripples in Small African Nation

Whoopi Goldberg, like many others, is turning to DNA testing to learn more about her ancestry. Goldberg participated in the PBS program African American Lives which used DNA testing in conjunction with traditional genealogical research methods to elucidate the genealogy of famous African Americans (including, among others, Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Dr. Mae Jamieson). The results of Goldberg’s mtDNA testing has revealed that her maternal line descends from the Papel and Bayote tribes who are found in the tiny West African Nation of Guinea-Bissau. Her admixture test suggested that her ancestry was 92% sub-Saharan African and 8% European.As with all DNA testing, Goldberg’s results only examined a small fraction of her actual ancestry. ... Click to read more!