Genetic Genealogy DNA test sales: FTDNA; 23andMe; AncestryDNA; MyHeritage

The largest USA based DNA testing companies have Holiday sales going on at this time:

Family Tree DNA:
• Family Finder $59, usually $89
• Y-DNA $129, usually $169
• mt-DNA $169, usually $199
• Big Y $475 (includes Y-DNA test for 111 markers)

If you have already tested at FTDNA you will be receiving Discount Coupons that can further reduce these sale prices.

23andMe:
23andMe is charging $49.00 if you buy 2 Ancestry Service kits. The normal cost of the Ancestry Service is $99.00.

AncestryDNA:

AncestryDNA costs $79.00, a $20 discount from their regular price of $99.00. Rumor is that Ancestry will have a Black Friday price of $49.00.

MyHeritage:

This weekend, 24 Nov-27 Nov, MyHeritage is offering their normally priced $99.00 DNA test for $49.00 with free shipping for 3 or more kits.

Check all of the companies on Black Friday and Cyber Monday for possible lower costs.

DNA Day Sales at Family Tree DNA now through 27 April, 2017

These Family Tree DNA tests are on sale through Thursday night in honor of DNA Day this week.

Save on Family Finder, mtFull and Y-DNA tests April 20 - 27, 2017. The sale ends at 11:59pm CST Thursday April 27. And please share this with your relatives! If you have older relatives, please consider sponsoring their tests so that their DNA heritage can be discovered.

Questions? Please see Family Tree DNA or check your FTDNA homepage.

Thanks to Sandra Kidd.

Danish travel site does DNA testing

DNA Results Reveal Surprising Truths in This Travel Site's Experiment

Momondo Encouraged 67 People to Find Out More About Their Origins

By Alexandra Jardine. Published on Jun 02, 2016

Danish travel search site Momondo conducts a mass DNA experiment in this revealing mini documentary, which sets out to prove that our views about foreigners could be fundamentally changed if we knew more about our own genetic origins.

http://creativity-online.com/work/momondo-the-dna-journey/47554

Good article on using DNA testing to find birth parents

This is an article on Kasandra Rose, an adoptee and a biologist, who has been using autosomal DNA testing to determine her ancestry and to hopefully find her parents:

http://www.freep.com/article/20140223/COL26/302230078/DNA-testing-adoption-finding-family

The side panel contains some useful information for other adoptees. Kasandra has a blog at The Rose Bush

Opinion piece from George Church (Personal Genome Project, Harvard) on "Improving genome understanding".

From NATURE:

Improving genome understanding

The cost and accuracy of genome sequencing have improved dramatically. George Church asks why so few people are opting to inspect their genome.

09 October 2013 Corrected: 09 October 2013

Readers of Nature, we can assume, are bright and insatiably curious. So why have so few obtained and interpreted their own genome sequence? We should avoid being judgemental of people who practise genomic modesty or who choose not to act on genome information, but we should also ask if we are providing adequate and equal access to education about the benefits and risks of genome information.

Continued: http://www.nature.com/news/improving-genome-understanding-1.13907

One man's takeaways from his 23andme test: My Mutant Powers: What A DNA Test Can Tell You About Yourself

One man's takeaways from his 23andme test:

My Mutant Powers: What a DNA test can tell you about Yourself
By Eric Barker:

I’m probably going to live longer than you are.

I can’t be sure, of course, but I have two genes associated with exceptional longevity, so all other things being equal, well, I’d take those odds in Vegas.

I have two working copies of ACTN3 in my muscle fibers, which is associated with elite athletic performance and means my body is optimized for power sports like sprinting and weight lifting.

I also lack a functional FUT2 gene, so I’m immune to stomach flu. (If this is my mutant power, I am the lamest of the X-Men.)

As part of the GG genotype, I don’t have congenital problems learning from my errors, due to how my dopamine signaling system works. Hopefully that’s a benefit to the blog.

Read more: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/#ixzz2eh5YYTJc

Survey on genetic genealogy DNA testing at New England Historic Genealogical Society

This weeks NEHGS newsletter, The Weekly Genealogist has a survey on the types of genetic genealogy testing you have done. The link to the survey is on this web page:

http://www.americanancestors.org/wg-vol-16-no-34/

Be sure to access before Wednesday, 28 August.

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.

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

Match statistics from FTDNA, 23andme and AncestryDNA

As of today I have:

467 matches at FTDNA on their Illumina V.3 chip;
1540 matches at 23andme on the Illumina V.2 chip;
1145 matches at 23andme on the Illumina V.3 chip;
2300-2350 matches at AncestryDNA on the Illumina V.3 chip:

Other than known 1st and 3rd cousins I had tested, my closest known matches are at the 3rd cousin level. I have a 2nd cousin match at 23andme who has not answered any invitations in 2 years. I have two predicted 2nd cousin matches at FTDNA who have not replied to emails and do not have pedigrees posted there. I have gotten through the first 27 of 47 match pages at Ancestry.com with many matches having either private trees, very small trees, or no trees. Very frustrating.

I spent this past weekend in Houston at the 8th FTDNA DNA Administrators Conference. I'll post a report later this week.

Abstract from American Society of Human Genetics meeting session

The GenoChip: a new tool for genetic anthropology.


S. Wells1, E. Greenspan2, S. Staats2, T. Krahn2, C. Tyler-Smith3, Y. Xue3, S. Tofanelli4, P. Francalacci5, F. Cucca6, L. Pagani7, L. Jin8, H. Li8, T. G. Schurr9, J. B. Gaieski9, C. Melendez9, M. G. Vilar9, A. C. Owings9, R. Gomez10, R. Fujita11, F. Santos12, D. Comas13, O. Balanovsky14, E. Balanovska14, P. Zalloua15, H. Soodyall16, R. Pitchappan17, G. Arun Kumar17, M. F. Hammer18, B. Greenspan2, E. Elhaik19

1) Mission Programs, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC; 2) Family Tree DNA, Houston, TX; 3) Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK; 4) University of Pisa, Italy; 5) University of Sassari, Italy; 6) National Research Council, Monserrato, Italy; 7) University of Cambridge, UK; 8) Fudan University, Shanghai, China; 9) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; 10) CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico; 11) University of San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru; 12) Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 13) Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; 14) Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 15) Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon; 16) University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 17) Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chennai, India; 18) University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; 19) Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

Background: The Genographic Project is an international effort aimed at charting human history using genetic data. The project is non-profit and non-medical, and through the sale of its public participation kits it supports cultural preservation efforts in indigenous and traditional communities. To extend our knowledge of the human journey, interbreeding with ancient hominins, and modern human demographic history, we designed a genotyping chip optimized for genetic anthropology research. Methods: Our goal was to design, produce, and validate a SNP array dedicated to genetic anthropology. The GenoChip is an Illumina HD iSelect genotyping bead array with over 130,000 highly informative autosomal and X-chromosomal SNPs ascertained from over 450 worldwide populations, ~13,000 Y-chromosomal SNPs, and ~3,000 mtDNA SNPs. To determine the extent of gene flow from archaic hominins to modern humans, we included over 25,000 SNPs from candidate regions of interbreeding between extinct hominins (Neanderthal and Denisovan) and modern humans. To avoid any inadvertent medical testing we filtered out all SNPs that have known or suspected health or functional associations. We validated the chip by genotyping over 1,000 samples from 1000 Genomes, Family Tree DNA, and Genographic Project populations. Results: The concordance between the GenoChip and the 1000 Genomes data was over 99.5%. The GenoChip has a SNP density of approximately (1/100,000) bases over 92% of the human genome and is highly compatible with Illumina and Affymetrix commercial platforms. The ~10,000 novel Y SNPs included on the chip have greatly refined our understanding of the Y-chromosome phylogenetic tree. By including Y and mtDNA SNPs on an unprecedented scale, the GenoChip is able to delineate extremely detailed human migratory paths. The autosomal and X-chromosomal markers included on the GenoChip have revealed novel patterns of ancestry that shed a detailed new light on human history. Interbreeding analysis with extinct hominids confirmed some previous reports and allowed us to describe the modern geographical distribution of these markers in detail. Conclusions: The GenoChip is the first genotyping chip completely dedicated to genetic anthropology with no known medically relevant markers. We anticipate that the large-scale application of the GenoChip using the Genographic Project’s diverse sample collection will provide new insights into genetic anthropology and human history.

You may contact the first author (during and after the meeting) at spwells@ngs.org

An update on DNA matches

As of 3 Oct 2012:

440 matches in Family Finder at FTDNA.
1509 matches in Relative Finder at 23andm.com(sharing genomes with 450)
1750+ matches at AncestryDNA. I am slowly working through 38 pages of matches.

Most matches that have an identified Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) are from the Boone, Creekmore, Ball, Moses and Barnes families. I descend from over 20 families of 17th century New Haven Colony.

My ancestry is 95% British Isles and then German, French, Norwegian/Finnish make up the rest. Immigrants settled in Connecticut, New Amsterdam, New Sweden, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. Most were here in the 1600s. My most recent know ancestor was transported from Middlesex Gaol to Virginia in the 1760s for stealing cloth.

Flash Sale (72 Hours) on DNA tests at Family Tree DNA

From FTDNA:


It seems every time we run a flash sale a few people e-mail us days later,
they were traveling, sick or just had not looked at their e-mails in time,
so for all of you who want to entice a friend, neighbor or reluctant
relative to get involved in Genetic Genealogy here's one more opportunity,
but it will last for only 72 hours.

We are gearing this sale for newcomers and upgrades by promoting the Family
Finder and the Full Mitochondria Sequence (FMS).This sale starts Friday,
September 28, at 12:00am and ends Sunday, September 30, at 11:59PM.

New Kits                       Current Price SALE PRICE
Family Finder                  $289           $199
mtFullSequence                 $299           $199
Family Finder + mtFullSequence $559           $398

Upgrades                       Current Price SALE PRICE
Family Finder                  $289           $199
HVR1 to mtFullSequence         $269           $199
HVR2 to mtFullSequence         $239           $199
mtFullSequence                 $289           $199

As with all promotions, orders need to be placed by the end of the sale and
payment must be made by end of this sale. Learn More

Best Regards,
Bennett Greenspan
President
Family Tree DNA
www.familytreedna.com
"History Unearthed Daily"

© All Contents Copyright 2001-2012 Gene by Gene, Ltd.

Flash Sale on 23andme DNA testing kits, 24% off

Gilt City is having a Flash Sale on 23andme testing kits, 24% off for one kit or 33% off for 3 kits:

23andme Flash Sale

Was Susannah, wife of Mareen Duval, a Brassieur?

When Barack Obama was running for President, a Duval descendant posted a line for then Senator Obama from Mareen Duval and his wife Susannah. The poster opined that he believed Susannah was one of the daughters of Benois Brassieur, sometimes shown as Benjamin Brashear, of Maryland. I was interested in that since I have two lines of descent from Benois Brassieur.
 

I now have a DNA match with an individual at 23andme.  In comparing our pedigrees, we have one possible connection, Mareen Duval and Susannah. While not a definitive match, we could have other Maryland ancestry in common, I do think this does support the identification of Susannah as a daughter or other close relative of Benois Brassieur.

That link leads to Presidents Barack Obama and Harry S. Truman, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and to entertainers Ellen Degeneres and Robert Duval.

FTDNA Super Summer Sale

Dear Family Tree DNA Project Administrator,

It seems that every time we run a super sale that a few people email us days later that they were traveling, sick or just hadn't looked at their emails in time, so for all of you who have wanted to entice a friend, neighbor or reluctant relative to get involved in Genetic Genealogy here's one more opportunity, but it will last for only 72 hours. These are the only two options on sale, and they are geared specifically for newcomers. This sale will end on Saturday, August 25, at 11:59PM.

New Customers Only Current Price SALE PRICE Family Finder + Y-DNA 12 $339 $249 Family Finder + mtDNA $339 $249

As with all promotions, orders need to be placed by the end of the sale and payment must be made by end of this sale. Learn More

GeneTree Closing Notice

Dear GeneTree Customer,

You may have recently heard the exciting news that GeneTree has been acquired by AncestryDNA™ ( http://corporate.ancestry.com/press/press-releases/2012/05/ancestry.com-dna-launches/ ). As we redirect our efforts to the integration with AncestryDNA it will be necessary to discontinue the GeneTree.com website. However, as a valued GeneTree customer, you will be able to access GeneTree.com through the rest of this year, until January 1, 2013. Following this date, access to your account will no longer be available through the GeneTree site, so we recommend that you download your DNA results and pedigree data while the site is still available.

If you’d like to learn more about how to download and continue using your information and family tree outside of GeneTree, see click here To help answer some frequently asked questions, please visit our FAQs. We greatly appreciate you being a part of GeneTree and hope that you continue with your genetic genealogy and family history research.

Sincerely, The GeneTree Team

GeneTree Logo

http://genetree.com/ | genetreesupport@ancestry.com | +1.800.694.6805 | FAQ | Privacy

2480 South Main Street, Suite 200 Salt Lake City, UT 84115 USA

23andMe DNA test discount certificate: $50.00 off until 9 August 2011

To use this coupon, visit our online store and add an order to your cart. Click "I have a discount code" and enter the code below.
$50 Off

Coupon code: YG7XDH

Share with your friends!

(Valid for new customers only)

This works with either the $99 plus 12 months at $9 subscription, or with the $399 service without a subscription.

Update on 23andMe and FTDNA DNA matches

Today I have 160 matches at FTDNA in the Family Finder autosomal DNA database.

I have 998 matches in the 23andMe Relative Finder autosomal DNA database and around 700 unique matches in the Ancestry Finder database. 23andMe includes X chromosome matches which are not yet posted by FTDNA.

While I have more matches in the 23andme database, I have made more identifications of the ancestral couple in the FTDNA database. Testing with both companies remains the optimum strategy for finding genealogical connections.

Even though I have 10 surname projects at FTDNA, for autosomal and X chromosome DNA testing I recommend using 23andme first, and when they make it available, transferring your genome results to FTDNA to get matches against their database. This will cost the least for people in the USA.

The only other company I currently recommend is the Sorensen Molecular Genealogy Foundation, http://smgf.org/ They test Y DNA, mtDNA, autosomal DNA and X chromosome DNA. You can get tested for no cost if you meet their research requirements and submit a pedigree chart. However, there is no guarantee they will post your results on their system. They have made the Y DNA and mtDNA databases freely accessible on their website. It is anticipated they will do the same for autosomal and X chromosome DNA. They also sell access through GeneTree, http://www.genetree.com/ People who do not qualify for free DNA testing at SMGF, can pay for testing at GeneTree.

At this time, I am using DNA testing to verify my documented genealogy. I think it can be a very good check against one's paper genealogy.

Analysing 23andMe Relative Finder results: Always take a second look.

See corrected text below: NOT my Father's mtDNA haplotype.

Several months ago I got a a 22cM 23andMe Relative Finder match with A. Her surname was one in my paternal grandmother's ancestry. She was a predicted 4th cousin with a range of 3rd to 7th. We compared ancestry charts and determined we shared two lines on her Father's side. We were both half 5th cousins once removed and half 6th cousins on that surname. I was descended from a husband and one wife and she was descended from the other wife on two lines.

This week I noticed her father's results had arrived and I did not have a match with him. Since a 22cM match seemed too large to be Identical by State and/or fit into those situations where one has a match with a child but not a parent, I looked at the link to her updated Ancestry tree and found that she and I had a 5th cousin relationship on her Mother's side also through my paternal grandmother.

In this case she was a direct female line descendant of my Father's direct female line ancestor, so her mtDNA was the same as my paternal grandmother and my Father. This filled in one of my missing mtDNA haplogroups and indicated that the first relationships found probably were not the ones that passed on the genetic match.

We do share some other surnames but can't find a relationship yet on those other lines. Even if there are relationships on the other lines they would be further back than the closest one we now have.

Please let me know of any problems with my analysis.