Autosomal connections

Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation began a project to test the DNA of 100,000 people. They have recently reached that goal and are now testing only selected individuals. SMGF has made available the Y DNA and mtDNA results from those tests. You can search those results using your own DNA results from another company, or by searching for the name of a person on the pedigree charts submitted by the people tested. In addition to the Y DNA and mtDNA, SMGF is supposed to release a database of autosomal marker results to the public. In this regard it seems they are about to be beaten to press by 23andMe.

A video on autosomal testing is here: http://www.smgf.org/education/animations/autosomal.jspx

Recently 23andMe started a beta test of a new product, Relative Finder, that will allow persons in their databases to compare autosomal test results and will give you results for genetic cousins with whom you share blocks of genes. The autosomes are all the chromosomes, including the X chromosome, other than the Y chromosome and mtDNA. It appears they will allow people to get in touch with their matches to compare pedigrees. This will allow you to find more genetic cousins than is possible testing only your direct Y DNA or mtDNA line. This also allows females to have matches out side of their mtDNA lines.

The beta test period ends on 30 September 2009. If you are interested in testing, email me and I will put you in touch with some project coordinators who have special codes that give a very low price on the full 23andMe genetic test.

In addition to the Relative Finder program, 23andMe also will provide information on possible health or medical conditions.

This test does not replace the current Y DNA and mtDNA offerings from companies like Family Tree DNA but they supplement that data. FTDNA's database is much larger than that of 23andMe and provides more in-depth testing of Y STR, SNP, and mtDNA full genomes than does 23andMe. Serious genetic genealogists will want to use all of these tests.

Here is the abstract from the American Society of Human Genetics session on Relative Finder's technology: http://www.ashg.org/2009meeting/abstracts/fulltext/f10169.htm

We can look forward to a time when we can check the autosomal markers in databases at SMGF and 23andMe, as well as the Y DNA and mtDNA databases at SMGF and FTDNA.