FTDNA announces a $39.00 US 12 marker Y DNA test (SALE EXTENDED, ends 5 March)

The sale now ends on 5 March.

See the FTDNA home page: http://www.ftdna.com or the press release here.

Matches at 23andme, FTDNA, and AncestryDNA

As of tonight I have 1700 matches at 23andme; 486 matches at FTDNA; and 3630 matches at AncestryDNA. I have identified ancestors with about 20 people at 23andme; 16 people at FTDNA and approximately 100 at AncestryDNA. While I keep a spreadsheet of the chromosome and the match locations at 23andme and FTDNA, I can't do that with AncestryDNA until they release match locations later this year. This makes it difficult to determine who I have actually inherited the match from at AncestryDNA. As it is they do not show all of your shared ancestors when they provide the pedigree link. I have been entering all of the common ancestors for every match into my genealogy program. Ancestry really needs to make the match chromosomes, start and stop locations and centiMorgan (cM)lengths available to their customers.

MyHeritage offers discounts on FTDNA DNA tests

The following release was received from MyHeritage:


* MyHeritage has launched a special campaign offering deep discounts on DNA tests to mark the first anniversary of the availability of DNA tests on MyHeritage. These tests are offered in partnership with Family Tree DNA. This is part of a giant DNA sale organized by MyHeritage simultaneously across all its websites - MyHeritage.com, Geni.com and WorldVitalRecords.com.

* The highlight is the autosomal DNA test, Family Finder, which is priced on MyHeritage now at $169 instead of $289 for a limited period. The Family Finder test is powerful in that it can find relatives for the person being tested, who are descendants from any shared ancestors, 5 generations back, and not just on the direct paternal or direct maternal lines. This low price has never been available before on MyHeritage or Family Tree DNA and is available for a limited period only.

* MyHeritage is discounting also combo DNA tests that include the Family Finder. The most powerful combination available on the market, is called Comprehensive Genome and that is also discounted by a few hundred dollars as part of this special offer.

* MyHeritage Premium and PremiumPlus subscribers enjoy discounts of 10% and 15% respectively on all the DNA tests (other than Family Finder) for a limited period.

* New, unique offer: MyHeritage users can now purchase a PremiumPlus subscription which provides them unlimited storage and all extra features for their family tree, and get a Y-DNA12 test worth $99 for free, or a free mtDNA test (for females). Users can also purchase a MyHeritage Data subscription and receive the DNA test for free.

* The discounted DNA tests are also available now for the first time ever on websites Geni.com and WorldVitalRecords.com, owned by MyHeritage. In those websites, subscribers enjoy a 10% discount on the DNA tests. Geni and WorldVitalRecords extend the partnership of MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA and bring it to the many millions of users on Geni and WorldVitalRecords.

* More details and links to place an order for a discounted DNA test can be found on the MyHeritage blog: http://blog.myheritage.com/2013/02/myheritage-dna/

James Lick on analyzing the mtDNA of Richard III with very little data [UPDATED]

As James says:

I thought it would be fun to try analyzing the mtDNA sequence of the presumed Richard III skeleton using my mthap program to see what it comes up with.

Unfortunately, only a 53bp fragment of the ~16569bp mtDNA sequence has been released so far, via this image on the University of Leicester web site [see here for the rest]

(Please note that this is not meant to cast doubt on the identification. It is merely to show how much objective data we can determine based on the currently released information.)

UPDATE

More detail on Richard III's probable mtDNA:

http://blog.jameslick.com/?p=1335

Richard the Third, last Plantagenet King of England, has been found

After an investigation lasting 5 months, a team of researchers at the University of Leicester has confirmed the identity of the skeleton found in September 2012 as that of King Richard the Third. So far a match has been found to his maternal DNA, in mtDNA haplogroup J, and the paternal, Y DNA, is being tested.

Debbie Kennett has a very good post on her blog here: http://cruwys.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/richard-iii-king-is-found.html

With DNA the known connection may not be the genetic connection

Neither of my parents are alive. All of my Father's siblings have passed and only his half-sister has descendants. Two of my Mother's siblings are alive but neither one has tested. I had 11 first cousins, one is deceased, 2 being related on both my paternal and maternal sides, 2 being descendants of my paternal grand mother through her first husband, and 8 being descendants only through my Mother's siblings. So far I have tested two of them, a 1st cousin from both lines (A) and a 1st cousin only through my Mother's side (B).

At 23andme I have three matches with a 5th cousin (C) who descends from from a couple on my Father's side. This is on one of my paternal great grandfather's line, one of the lines neither of my tested 1st cousins shares with me. Her maternal ancestry has several names in it that are in my maternal ancestry, but they are not traced back to a common ancestor. However, her mother has connections to a county in Arkansas where many of my relatives settled between 1830 and 1860.

When I compare her results to my two first cousins in Family Inheritance: Advanced She has matches with (B). Since (B) is my first cousin through her father, my Mother's brother, and her Mother was from a county that is not in my ancestry nor in (C)'s ancestry, the genetic relationship appears to actually be from (C)'s Mother's side and not from her direct paternal ancestry where she and I have the documented paper match.

This points out two concerns: the paper link is not necessarily the genetic link; and you need to have some way of determining which side of you ancestry the genetic link is on; either full phasing by parent-child groups or by testing your parent's siblings or your grandparents, or selected close relatives, like first cousins, as was done here.

Time magazine, "The DNA Dilemma: A test that could change your life"

Dr D Digs Up Ancestors: The DNA Dilemma

David Dowell, PhD, a frequent blogger on genetic genealogy and a former professor of librarianship has written a Letter to the Editor in response to the current Time
Magazine cover story “The DNA Dilemma: A Test That Could Change Your Life”. As usual it is a thoughtful response that deserves your time to read with the article.

23andme lowers price to $99USD

See the Press Release: https://www.23andme.com/about/press/12_11_2012/

23andMe Raises More Than $50 Million in New Financing

Company Sets Growth Goal Of One Million Customers, Reduces Price to $99 from $299


MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – December 11, 2012 – 23andMe, Inc., the leading personal genetics company, today announced it has raised more than $50 million in a Series D financing. Participants in the financing include Yuri Milner, a new investor, as well as existing investors Sergey Brin, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki, New Enterprise Associates, Google Ventures and MPM Capital. This investment will help the company achieve its growth goal of one million customers.

GeneTree Closing 1 Jan 2013

Dear GeneTree user,

Time is running out. As you may have heard, GeneTree.com is being discontinued as of January 1, 2013. Following this date, the GeneTree website will no longer be functional. So please take a moment to download your DNA results and pedigree data during the month of December, if you have not already done so. Once your data has been downloaded, you will be able to import your family tree GEDCOM files and your DNA results into an Ancestry.com account at no cost. We hope that you take this opportunity to continue with your family history search and take your discoveries even further. Please visit the home page of GeneTree.com for detailed instructions on how to export your data. You can also find information available at http://www.genetree.com/faq

Thank you,
GeneTree Customer Support

Geno 2.0 sample received

I mailed my Geno 2.0 sample over 1 month ago and today I see it has been received and is now in DNA Isolation before being tested.

More information on the Geno 2.0 project is available on this web page:

News

An interview from last weeks conference in Florence is on JustinTV:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1049857-presenters-about-to-share-findings-on-the-genographic-project-florens2012-natgeoexplorers