5 cM, minimum (or is that 7?)

     The popular autosomal (aka "cousin finder") DNA tests are still a new science. Some folks still seem to be skeptical of the results and their accuracy. For sure, I have a ton more matches with unknown common ancestors than I do ones with known common ancestors. But in general, I'm optimistic about my overall match list (1,003 at 23andMe, 290 at ftDNA).

     In general, a "real" match shares at least a 5 centiMorgan segment (or 7cM; depends who you're talking to).  That doesn't mean that matches with less DNA aren't real, just that they might not be... Our DNA recombinants; it mixes up. The smaller cM segments might just be a recombination that happens to have gotten mixed into a segment that looks like a match with someone else.

     The two major companies have taken this into consideration and you won't receive matches that have a smaller than 5 cM segment.  FamilyTreeDNA shows matches at 5 cM. For some people who prefer the 7 cM limit, this means that they might ignore some of their ftDNA matches.  23andMe shows them at 7 cM. However you can choose to share data with people who do not share enough DNA to be on your match list, but with whom you might share smaller segments (more on this later).  You can also see smaller matches if you upload your data to Gedmatch.com, which allows you to choose your own settings. They recommend a minimum of 7 cM.

     But those little segments aren't actually worthless. Each segment of DNA you have in common is yet another piece of evidence of the relationship. Say you have a match with one segment of 5 cM. Is that the only DNA you have in common? Or do you also have a smattering of 3 cM segments? It does offer up a tiny bit more proof of a relationship.

     As a visual example, look at a match from my Great-Aunt Ree's list at ftDNA. She shares a total of 73.75 cM with a confirmed third cousin. Their longest segment is 23.89 cM, more than enough to be a "real" match. But she has a number of other segments that are much smaller (3cM or less). These segments add credence to the match, but on their own wouldn't be enough to confirm a relationship.

                                           5 cM                                                      Additional cM

 

     So matches with a minimum of 5-7 cM are reliable matches.  How much DNA do you need to share with a match to have a chance at finding a common ancestor?  For me, I have a confirmed common ancestor with someone who shares 26.76 cM, with the longest segment being 8.75 cM. We are 6th cousins.
 
     I mentioned before that you can share data with 23andMe users who do not appear on your match list.  Say you search for surnames on the site. You see a person who has one of your surnames in their profile. If they aren't already in your match list, it's because you don't share at least 7 cM of DNA (or you are capped out at 1,000 matches) You can send them a request to share DNA.  If you view this person's DNA in "Relative Finder: Advanced," you might find that you share a small 4 cM segment or less.

     A segment of this size is not enough to prove a relationship - but might hint at one.  This is where testing multiple relatives comes in common. Say I share only a 3 cM segment. My mom might share 5 cM. My Great-Aunt might share 10 cM.  If I had not test my mom or my Great-Aunt, I wouldn't be able to see the larger segments and would not have good evidence of the relationship.

     So take-away here: trust the segments of 5 cM (or 7!) or larger and test multiple relatives. Hopefully this information was helpful and good luck cousin hunting!

A New DNA Cousin Match

     I discovered a new DNA cousin match today at 23andMe. The account that I run for my cousin Anne was contacted by Charles. He and I are predicted 5th cousins in the Relative Finder results, while he and Anne are predicted 4th cousins. I accepted the request and saw the exact DNA segments that we shared. He and Anne share more DNA than he and I share:

     Charles had contacted Anne when he recognized the Cash and Campbell surnames from her profile.  I sent him our family tree and he quickly recognized our connection: Moses Cash and Nancy Hudson.  I'm descended from their daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah; Anne from Sarah; Charles from Mary. Charles and Anne are fifth cousins while Charles and I are fifth cousins once removed. I drew this chart to show the relationship:

     It's interesting that even though I should have more Cash DNA than Annette and Charles, they are more closely related genetically. In the end, it's all about how much DNA we have in common.

New Beta features at 23andMe

   23andMe's ancestry features have changed a lot since I first posted about them on this blog, and there are more changes yet to come. A few days ago I received an invitation to be a beta tester for some new features at 23andMe.  These new features were announced at the recent SoCal Jamboree and mentioned on a number of blogs.  So far two new features have been introduced to beta testers: the My Ancestry page and Relative Finder Geographic Map View.

     Here's what the My Ancestry page looks like:

     Pretty much, this is a landing or summary page of 23andMe's genealogy features. Each box links you to the corresponding feature, though not always in a way you might expect. For example: the Top Relatives Surnames box. If you click on the Smith section in this box you might expect to be taken to a list of your Smith matches, but you are only taken to the basic Relative Finder list page.  You will then have to manually search for anyone named Smith.  This page is still under development, with graphics updates in the works. Overall I think that this page is a simple, yet logical, addition to the site.

     The other new feature is the Relative Finder Geographic Map View:

     This is a new way to look at the pre-existing Relative Finder match list, accessed via a toggle button on the RF page. Each marker indicates a geographic location that one of your matches has listed in their profile. The number on the marker indicates the combined number of times that place is listed in those profiles.  Here's a closeup view:

     You can see that I have 35 matches that mention North Carolina as a location for their ancestors. The matches don't seem to appear to be in any particular order. It would be nice to see public matches first, in order of percentage shared. Click on a match's name and you'll be taken to their profile

     The matches shown on your RF Map view can be adjusted to the following levels: Close Relatives, 1st-3rd Cousins, 4th-6th Cousins, and Distant Cousins. It's interesting to note that these categories are different from the ones listed on the RF List view. When initially viewing the map, I eliminate the Close Relatives - I know what locations I'm looking for and seeing my self and my parents just clutters the map.

     One thing about this map: it won't work if users don't properly fill out their profile.  The location data seems to be pulled from "Family Locations" portion of each user's profile. This section is a bit confusing to fill out to begin with. There are no instructions and the locations need to be filled out properly and separated by commas and semicolons.  I have seen many, many, many profiles where folks have written paragraphs worth of information, which doesn't work with the system. Because of the confusion created by this, many people list only basic locations, such as states. After not seeing my mom's locations on my map, I realized that I had listed only states on her profile. A random dot in the middle of Georgia isn't exactly helpful when trying to find a match. At minimum, users should list counties. I would recommend that prompt be added on the profile page and the RF pages to help users fill out their profiles.

     Some other improvements that would be nice:

• When you click on a match, it would be neat to see a "other locations in common" link, that might highlight any other location markers we share.
• Ditto with any other matches that we might have in common.
• As the gedcom feature is rolled out, perhaps surnames and locations will be integrated together in this feature. 
• As I switch over to list view, my settings should be the same. So, if I was just viewing 3rd-4th cousins on the map, I should see those, and only those, results on my list view.
• Move duplicate listings in the same locations. For example, I list Edgefield County, SC twice in my profile, once for my maternal side and one for my paternal side. I am listed twice on the map for Edgefield County, which is unnecessary. 

     There are more new features coming, including Gedcom uploads. I'm excited to see what new features are coming, as well as what improvements will be implemented. 23andMe is off to a great start so far. 

23andMe Updates Their Pricing Plan

     I don't generally like to post press releases or company announcements, but I'm super excited about this one ('cause it's going to save me money!). 23andMe, with whom I have tested the DNA of myself and a number of relatives, has updated their pricing and eliminated their subscription plan. Also, I'm posting this because communication is still something 23andMe needs to work on (though they have promised to communicate these changes within the week)

Dear 23andMe Community, Effective by the end of day this Thursday, we are eliminating subscriptions and will have a single $299 price. We listened to your feedback and now understand that subscriptions were not good for you and thus, not good for 23andMe. We want you as our partner in this genetic journey. Together we will learn about ourselves and make discoveries that will hopefully benefit all of mankind. We thank you for your feedback, your advice and your suggestions. As partners in this journey, we thank you for your trust.  Here are some additional details: - We will discontinue billing customers who have fulfilled their subscription commitment. - Customers who have yet to complete their subscription commitment will continue to be billed each month until their initial contract commitment has been met. Once this commitment is met, no further subscription will be charged and you can enjoy your Personal Genome Service® on an ongoing basis. - Customers will continue to enjoy access to all of 23andMe’s current features. In the future, 23andMe may launch premium, additive features. We want to emphasize that existing customers will not lose any product functionality with the new pricing structure. - 23andMe does not have any immediate plans to introduce new premium fee-based features, but we expect to do so in the future. - Through the end of May, customers interested in upgrading from v2 to v3 can do so for $199. After that it will be $249. To upgrade, visit this page: https://www.23andme.com/user/upgrade/. Customers impacted by these changes will be receiving emails directly from us with additional information within the next week. If you have any questions, contact our Customer Care team: https://customercare.23andme.com/anonymous_requests/new?reference=pricechange. Warm wishes, Anne 23andMe CEO

DNA Day & Sales

     The past few years genealogists and DNA enthusiasts have waited excitedly for National DNA Day, which falls on April 20th this year. Like many other "holidays," the excitement is often about the sales. The past two years I've purchased discounted DNA tests on DNA Day. I really shouldn't spend more money on DNA tests, but if the sales price is right...!

     I received an email from Family Tree DNA this afternoon that their sale started at 6pm (central) and will end at 11:59am on Saturday. The prices are their regular sales prices - nothing amazing, but still a good deal.

     Checking the 23andMe Facebook page, I was disappointed to learn that they are not planning to have a sale this year.  They said:

"Did you know that the first human genome took 13 years and $3 billion dollars to generate? Out of the budget! Today, however, your genome is accessible and affordable -- available online and for only $99 and a $9/month subscription. This year on DNA Day (April 22) we will celebrate accessibility and affordability of the genome and promote genetics education with our Genetics 101 tools; we will not be offering a discount to our $99/$9 price. Come visit www.23andme.com and learn about you!"

     Meh. The way I see it they should have offered a token offer of free shipping or $23 off (as they've done before).  Something.  They do know that their biggest competitor is having a sale, right?  That savvy consumers have saved up their money to buy a test on DNA Day?  What's to stop those consumers from buying from Family Tree DNA? They might have shot themselves in the foot by not having some sort of offer. I know that if I do buy a test this week it will be at a sales price.

     There's one other major company that I'm waiting to hear from: Ancestry.com.  Will they open up their new autosomal DNA test for National DNA Day?

     UPDATE: I ordered a Family Finder test from Family Tree DNA for my half-brother. I saved $90!

Dr McDonald's DNA Analysis, Pt 2

     I recently wrote about having my 23andMe raw data analyzed by Dr McDonald. Part of the reason I did this was to see if he could confirm the small segments of African and Asian that showed up in my DNA. He confirmed that they were "small but strong and likely real."  But here's the thing: both my Mom (at 23andMe) and Dad (at ftDNA) show up as 100% European. Where were these segments coming from? I thought that the best way to figure this out was to send him my parent's data as well and to find which one had those same segments in their data.

     My mom's data is from 23andMe. As I said, there she showed up as 100% European, with no other segments. Dr McDonald's results agreed. The only non-European data shows up in her X Chromosome, which he thought was "iffy." Here's her chart:

      Ok, so Dr McDonald has confirmed the interpretation of 23andMe's findings for my mom and myself.

     Next up: my dad's data. I tested my father at Family Tree DNA, where he shows up as 100% European.  But both my parent's can't have 100% European DNA if I have "strong and likely real" segments of African and Asian DNA.  It turns out that my dad does have those segments. I don't know why Dr McDonald found these segments and ftDNA didn't, but they are there. In the same locations as mine, plus some. He has .8% African DNA and .4% Native American (compared to my .6% and .3%). Here's his chart:

   
     So this analysis confirms the rumors of Native American heritage in my Dad's side of the family.  But there was no expectation of African DNA. Apparently though, this isn't uncommon. A lot of people with Colonial American heritage apparently have African segments in their DNA (read about them here on 23andMe's message board or this blog post).

     I wonder if this comes from the same family line or different ones? I wonder if I'll be able to find it? I highly suspect my Barfield family could be the source and I hold little hope of ever tracing that line any further back than where it's stuck in 1852.  Perhaps by testing more of my paternal relatives, I can narrow down the source.

Double-Cousin DNA

     This week I received my double (possibly triple?) cousin's DNA results from 23andMe.  It took exactly six weeks to receive these results, which is the longest I've ever had to wait with this company.  

     Cousin Anne and I are related at least twice on my dad's side of his family, through each of his parents.  Anne and I are 1st cousins, 2x removed and 2nd cousins, 1x removed.  We might also be related about six generations back, also on my dad's side of the family.  

     I was extremely curious to see how much DNA we had in common and which matches we would have in common. I also hoped to find more matches on my paternal grandfather's side of the family, which she is genetically closer to.  It turns out that Cousin Anne and I share about 4.3% of our DNA in 322 cM.  I uploaded the data to Gedmatch so that I could compare it with my dad's ftDNA data.  It turns out that they share twice as much data, at 644 cM.  

     Here's what our data looks like, with my the blue being my dad and the pink being myself:

Changes I'd Like To See at 23andMe

     23andMe' new Ancestry Ambassadors Group, made up of customers, has posted in the community asking "what improvements we would all like to see for Ancestry in 2012." The query was for everyone's top two requests. I thought I'd post my additional thoughts here, where I have more room to expound. My concerns are more about improving the system already in place, rather than introducing brand new features. These are in no particular order, but simply stream of thought.

• The Ability to Hide Non-responsive Relative Finder Matches.  I have 1,005 matches, which is capped. When I get new matches they have to be closer than my furthest match to show up in my results. This then kicks out my more distant matches.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of my matches are "anonymous" and do not reply to invitations. I would love to be able to hide these matches. If you have an ancestry.com family tree, think about how the hints feature works. You can "ignore" a hint, but it doesn't go away entirely. It actually gets moved to another tab, which you can always access later to bring back that hint. So for example, if I have a RF match at 23andMe who has not responded to my sharing invitation, I can "hide" it. If I want to try again later I can view my hidden matches and resend the invite. If they eventually respond I can bring them back to my main page of matches.
• No Anonymous Relative Finder Matches. I don't know why anyone would want to participate in Relative Finder and yet keep themselves private. How are new cousins going to find you when they can't see your ancestral information? There's nothing to differentiate between an anonymous match is only there for health or is actually interested in genealogy.  If you want to participate in Relative Finder you should be required to fully participate. Why would someone else want to share with someone who can't share anything at all to begin with?
• Gedcom import / Family Tree App.  This is a feature that's badly needed. 23andMe does have a place to record surnames and another place to record locations where your ancestors lived, but there is a disconnect between the two. You know that your match has Millers, and that they have ancestors from Edgefield County, SC. But I don't know if their Millers are from Edgefield. If this information was in the format of a family tree there would be a clear connection between surnames and locations. They already have a start on this, with the Family Health History tool. This is a tool designed to help trace health risks through your family tree. A version of this could be integrated into profiles, minus the medical data. This tool does need work though: when I "auto sort" my tree I end up with grandparents on different vertical levels and other strange arrangements. 
• Eliminate 1,000 Match Limit. I have no idea how many Relative Finder matches I have at 23andMe. I have 1,005 matches, my mom has 999, my great-aunt has 998 and my uncle has 994. These numbers do not change. When I get new matches, more distant matches are kicked out unless I am sharing genomes with them. Who am I loosing? They might be a distant relative, but they might also be someone with whom I have an easy to find most recent common ancestor.  I have found matches at GedMatch who should show up in my 23andMe matches but who don't, likely because all my spaces are used. This ties into the "hide non-responsive RF matches." If we can hide a non-resposive match, that would open up a space for a new match.
• Last Login Date. This is a feature that could be integrated into the Relative Finder view that would tell us if a user has logged in during the last months, six months, year, etc. I can only send five sharing invites a day - why waste one on someone who hasn't logged in in six months? They are more than likely not going to respond.
• Lab Status Updates. It would be great to see some sort of feature that would allow users to see that status of tests in the lab. This could be user specific to each customer's own test - which step is our test in? It could also be more broad, showing the date the the latest completed test was received at the lab. Or even just the estimated "turn-around time" that the lab is currently experiencing. This is important because  the lab often runs at different speeds. I've had results come back in two weeks, while my current test is about to hit six weeks.
• Enhanced "Family Inheritance: Advanced" Viewer. This is a feature that is still in the "labs" section at 23andMe, which I would guess means it still "beta." It allows you to pick one of your matches and compare them with your three of your own accounts. It would be great if this were switched: if you could compare yourself to three or more of your matches. If you don't have multiple family members on your account, this feature is useless.
• Projects. Let users create projects or groups in which they can compare their DNA on a larger scale. Allow projects for y-DNA (surname), mtDNA and autosomal DNA. This is a no brainer and I don't understand why this isn't already in place.
• Y-DNA and mtDNA Matches. This goes along with the Projects idea - it's a no brainer. Right now you can find RF matches that share your Y-DNA and mtDNA, but you don't see a marker by marker comparison. Without that, sharing a haplogroup doesn't really mean much.
• More Population References in Ancestry Painting. Want to know your ethnicity? 23andMe will tell you how much European, Asian and African you are. Ok, but where in Europe? German or French? Where in Asia and Africa? This is currently a neat tool, but it could be so much more helpful.

     Ok, so that's what I've come up with. There are a lot more ideas, especially concerning expanded DNA testing and results. You can share your input by answering this survey: here.

Updates from 23andMe, Of Interest to Genealogists

     A recent blog post on the 23andMe blog, The Spittoon, will be of interest to genealogists who subscribe to their service. Here's an excerpt:

Today we’re announcing the creation of the 23andMe Ancestry Ambassadors group, composed of ancestry enthusiasts in the 23andMe Community. 23andMe customer CeCe Moore and Product Manager Mike Macpherson, PhD will lead the new group...   This group will help guide and influence product development, but will not replace other key sources of feedback we consider when developing a product.  Building a great product requires us to take into account customer interaction on the site, findings from user research, support request emails, Community posts, social media and traditional media responses. The 23andMe Ancestry Ambassadors add another high-quality source of feedback.   This is a small group, as it must be in order to be fulfill its purpose. It has been a challenge to select this group from among our Community members, because many of you contribute so frequently and thoughtfully. One of the first tasks of the new Ambassadors group will be to explore ways to recognize a larger number of active Community members for their contributions, and to take advantage of this pool of ancestry knowledge.

     This is a good sign for customers of 23andMe who are primarily interested in Genealogy. Previously, there has been an overwhelming bias towards the Health related aspects of the company. When there was an uproar last month regarding policy and price changes, it seemed to wake 23andMe up to just how many of their customers where interested only/mainly in genealogy. Having spoken personally to customer support and and product mangers at the company, I was surprised to realize that many of the managers seem to have no genealogy experience at all. They seem to have recognized that they haven't connected with their customers and are reaching out to find out what they can do to make their product better. I see this as a step in the right direction, though I hope the Ancestry Ambassadors are being compensated in some way.

23andMe Resolution

     I've been writing a lot about DNA lately - hopefully I'm not boring people, but there's some great news today out of 23andMe.  If you have been reading my latest blog posts, you'll know that 23andMe made some policy changes that upset their customers. In short: they took away and limited features to non-subscribing customers that had been previously promised to them. In response, the genealogy community at 23andMe reacted with emails, tweets, facebook posts and even a petition.

     And guess what? It worked!

     Today Anne Wojcicki (CEO of 23andMe) wrote on their blog, apologizing and outlining their new and improved policies. The newly announced changes are exactly what the community was asking for.  I am very proud of what genealogists accomplished when they stood up for themselves and worked together to protect the investments they made with 23andMe. I'm also happy to see that 23andMe is a company that can admit when they make mistakes and acknowledge the value of their customers.

Petitioning 23andMe

     It's been at least 12 days since 23andMe changed their Frequently Asked Questions without notice, taking away previously promised data access to non-subscribing customers.  Despite almost two weeks of complaints and questions from customers on message boards, Twitter, Facebook and via email, 23andMe has yet to respond or even notify the rest of their customers of the changes.

     As a whole, we want them to reverse the changes. Personally, I want some customer service from a company that I've spent hundreds of dollars with.

     To put more pressure on 23andMe, genealogist Larry Vick (who has been featured on 23andMe's blog, The Spittoon) has started a petition. It's short and to the point:

"23andMe Don't Take Away Our Relative Finder Matches  --  I am asking 23andMe to stick to its previous commitment to let customers who discontinue its Personal Genome Service (PGS) to retain their existing Relative Finder matches as long as the customers fulfilled their PGS commitment."

     I have signed, as have 225 others. Please take a moment and sign it too.

Caution Regarding 23andMe

     Over the past few days there have been important changes in the Frequently Asked Questions and Terms of Service at 23andMe. I can't tell you when the changes were made because there was no announcement.  They didn't bother to tell their paying customers that there were changes in the services we've been paying for - or should I say what we aren't paying for?

     When I purchased my five DNA kits from 23andMe it was with understanding that I would be paying $9 a month for a year for updates to my Relative Finder and Health Reports. If I choose not to continue my subscription after 12 months, I would maintain the reports I had already received, but would not receive further updates.  For many months now there has been discussion on the 23andMe message boards on whether folks plan to renew or not.

     The other day, someone noticed that the FAQs had changed and a new thread was started to discuss these changes. Apparently it has been decided that anyone opting not to renew/continue their subscription, would no longer be able to access their Relative Finder and Health Reports - at all.  We're being cut off from all of the reports that we've been paying for the past year.  They will no longer be accessible. Not just new results - the old ones as well.

     Based on conversations on the message boards, 23andMe has angered a lot of their customers with the changes. I'm not very happy myself. When I purchased this test it was with the understanding that I was getting and keeping a certain level of test results after fulfilling my obligations.  I never planned to continue to pay after my 12 months. Unless I change my mind (I won't), all I will have is my raw data.  I don't feel that it is ethical of 23andMe to change their policies on pre-existing customers this way.

     23andMe has created a feedback form for customers to respond directly regarding these recent changes. This is one of very few ways to contact 23andMe. If you send them an email, it will take about two weeks to hear back. There is no one you can call - there is no customer service phone number. This has already been a source of irritation for me with this company.

     Unless they act on our feedback and reverse these new policies, I will not be purchasing any more DNA tests from 23andMe. I won't be recommending their services, though I will leave it up to individuals to decide for themselves if they feel the service is worth the money.

     And finally: soon, Family Tree DNA will allow 23andMe customers to import their data for $50. I'll be taking them up on this offer.

Make Your 23andMe Profile Public

     If you join 23andMe in order to connect with cousins, it's important to make sure that they can find you. Because of the way 23andMe is set up, each account's default settings are for full privacy. Many users aren't fully aware of this and may not realize how this will limit their genealogy research. If your account is set to full privacy, your account appears as just one of many private accounts users see when viewing their Relative Finder matches. Unfortunately, this is a sight familiar to 23andMe:

     This is just a small selection of my Relative Finder matches. As you can see, only one of them has allowed me to view their surnames. In order to get any information about these accounts, I have to send an invitation to each one to view their profile see what surnames and locations they have listed. And I can only send five invitations a day. It's tedious and time consuming. It would be much easier and faster if these accounts were public. Even if they don't know their genealogy, I'd be able to see their profile to know that.

     Take a look at how my profile appears to my RF matches:

     On top of what appears here, matches can click on my name to view my entire profile. Or they can stay on this screen and expand my data to see 37 more surnames and 16 more locations. If they see a match, they can request to share DNA. If they don't see an obvious match, they can decide for themselves if they want to move on to someone else. And they don't have to use one of their five invites just to see my list of surnames.

     So, what do you need to do to make your profile public?  It's very simple. On the top menu bar, next to your name, click on "Account" and then "My Profile."  On the left side of the screen, you input information such as your name, location, ancestral names, etc. On the right side of the screen are your privacy controls. Make sure that your name is set to "all 23andMe members." According to the site's FAQs, "You must have your name published in order for other users to search for you by name and invite you to share genomes." The other information is optional, but why wouldn't you want to share you ancestral information? Isn't that the point of doing the DNA test? Once your profile is filled out and public, members can find you in a surname or location search, which can be very helpful with uncommon surnames.

     To make 23andMe work for your genealogy research, fill out your profile completely and make it public. It'll be worth it.

Great-Aunt Ree's DNA

     My Great-Aunt Ree Albea Wingard's DNA test results started coming in tonight. I purchased a test for her from 23andMe back in August and it took 28 days for her results to come back (plus three weeks lost in the mail). So what have I learned?

     First, and most obviously, I learned that she is indeed my Great-Aunt. I wasn't expecting otherwise, but it's nice to prove our relationship scientifically.  And then by deduction, my grandfather is my grandfather - any DNA match between my great-aunt and myself is a reflection of DNA I inherited from my mom, who inherited it from her dad. And really, that's partly why I tested my Great-Aunt: she is standing in for my deceased paternal grandfather.

     Here's a visual of the DNA I share with my Great-Aunt Ree (right), as well as the DNA she shares with my mom (left).

     You can see that my mom shares more of her DNA with Aunt Ree than I do. On top of that, there's a large portion of Aunt Ree's DNA that my mom and I do not share. This is where testing her DNA comes in handy. In those portions of her DNA I will find cousins that I would not otherwise find. Also, her DNA is yet another generation further back in time, another generation closer to a common ancestor  we share with a DNA match.

     For example, look at one of my matches. This is a match with Mr Rush, my 3rd cousin twice removed. Our most recent common ancestors are John P Quattlebaum and Permelia Langley, my 4x Great Grandparents. Mr Rush is then Aunt Ree's third cousin. Here's the visual, with Aunt Ree and Mr Rush on the left and my comparison with Mr Rush on the right:

    You can see that Aunt Ree and Mr Rush share DNA segments on two additional chromosomes. My mom didn't share these segments. Now imagine that Mr Rush and I didn't share that segment on Chromosome 10. I'd be able to identify him through his match with Aunt Ree on Chromosomes 1 and 3.

     I'm still waiting for Aunt Ree's relative finder (cousins test) results. Until then, I can compare her to my existing matches. If they match her, then I know I have narrowed our match down to my paternal grandfather's side of the family. If you have tested with 23andMe keep a lookout for my aunt in your matches!

In the Mail

My Uncle Charlie's 23andMe DNA kit went into the mail today!

My DNA testing history is as follows:

ftDNA		23andMe
Myself		Myself
Dad		Mom
Uncle Roy		Great-Aunt Ree
Uncle Lloyd		Uncle Charlie

     Why do I test with two different companies? They have their differences, but they offer very similar services. What one company doesn't do, the other does. Their results can be directly compared through the 3rd party site, Gedmatch.com. I usually pick a company based on prices during a sale.

$50 off at 23andMe

I received a coupon from 23andMe this morning for $50 off a DNA Test, which I have been encouraged to share. Here are the details:

"Thanks to you we've made some pretty amazing DNA discoveries - from fun findings on curly hair and detached earlobes you can share at parties, to groundbreaking health-related discoveries about DNA and Parkinson's disease. 

We'd like to thank you for your participation in research. Every survey question you answer allows us to push for new discoveries. The more people who participate, the more cool stuff we can find, and the more we can share with you and the rest of the world! 

To show our appreciation and to encourage others to join in this research revolution we are giving you a $50 coupon that you can share with as many people as you like. This coupon expires in 7 days (August 9, 2011) so make sure you get the word out fast. 

Thanks a million! You rock!
The 23andMe Team 

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."

Autosomal DNA Testing: Will You Find A Match?

     Since I first heard about genealogical DNA testing (around 2004?), I'd wanted to try it. I was hopeful that DNA would help prove connections between distant families. I was first able to afford a test in 2007 and have since purchased a number of different DNA tests. Last spring I purchased an autosomal DNA test from Family Tree DNA called Family Finder and last month I purchased a similar test from 23andMe called Relative Finder. I've blogged about aspects of these tests a number of times, including some of the matches I made. Here's a consolidated rundown on my results:

	Family Finder	Relative Finder
Membership	Mar 2010	May 2011
"Close" Cousins	106	158
"Distant" Cousins	83	791
Requests Sent	116	15
Replies Received	109 (93%)	4 (26%)
Ancestor Found	5	1

     My results are a bit skewed by the limited amount of time that I've been with Relative Finder. I've only tried to connect with my closest matches, but I have few responses from them. On the other hand I have received a very high response rate from my Family Finder matches. The key here is that many folks test with 23andMe for the health report - they aren't interested in genealogy. Those who test with Family Tree DNA are almost all genealogists.

     However despite a high response rate, I haven't actually uncovered our common ancestor very often. I've gotten lucky with a few where we have a surname in common and can follow it back on already researched lines. Other times I've found a common surname in a common area and with more research, made a match. Two of my oldest matches were made by connecting to a match's well documented family tree.

     For the most part, however, I haven't made a match.  Some folks I match with have trees that don't seem to match mine at all.  In these cases I have to assume that it's on one of our brick wall lines or the match is very far back.  In the end though, most of the matches I've made are pretty far back.  Here are my known common ancestors:

Ancestor	Birth	Relationship
Bedie (maiden name?) Evans	abt 1833	4x Great Grandmother
Moses Cash	abt 1785	5x Great Grandfather
Samuel Armstrong	abt 1742	5x Great Grandfather
George Harris	bef 1770	6x Great Grandfather
William Yancey	abt 1730	7x Great Grandfather
John Boatright	abt 1680	7x Great Grandfather
Thomas Powell	abt 1600	11x Great Grandfather

     Pretty far back! I'd say that if you really want to make matches from these autosomal DNA tests, you need to be able to trace a majority of your family lines back to the 1700s. It all comes down to chance - are your distant cousins involved in genealogy and DNA testing and do you both have the paperwork to make a connection?

     Of course that's not to say that if you can't trace back that far that you shouldn't take the tests. These are my results and my experiences, others may be different. Good Luck!

Relative Finder vs Family Finder

     I logged back into 23andMe today to see if my Relative Finder (RF) and Ancestry Painting results had come in. I think I must have logged in just as they were loading! I saw that I had 71 RF matches. I checked my mom's and she had 81. I switched back to mine and had 230... the numbers just kept going up! Since I only have 5 sharing invites a day, I thought I'd wait until they were done loading to make connections.

     While I wait, I'm exploring how Relative Finder works. I took a similar test with Family Tree DNA about a year ago, called Family Finder (FF). The programs are both very similar and very different. Here are screen shots of each test:




23andMe / Relative Finder:


Family Tree DNA / Family Finder:


     Very similar right? But also very different.

• With RF you don't see the names of you matches. With FF you do (I've grayed the names out for privacy reasons). I'm guessing that this is because FF has you sign a release form regarding sharing when you buy the kit and RF does not. [Update: You can filter RF matches and see the names of those matches who are "public"]
• With RF you can see how many surnames the match has listed on their profile, but you don't see the actual names. Also, you see the type of ancestry they categorize themselves as (Northern European, etc). With FF you see all the surnames the match has listed, as well as the geographic area they come from. Also, if they have uploaded a family tree, FF allows you to view it.
• Each test gives different types of genetic match data. RF tells you a percentage of shared DNA and the number of segments that match. FF gives more scientific information that's a bit harder to understand.
• RF uses an internal communication system that limits each member to 5 sharing invitations a day. With FF, you have access to the email address of each match and can contact as many as you want. Based on my experience with FF, the 5 invitations a day is fine with me. You can easily overwhelm yourself by contacting more people than that.
• Both companies give you an estimated relationship, and then a broad relationship range.

     Deciding who to contact is a bit more difficult with Relative Finder. With Family Finder I looked at surnames and relationship ranges and emailed the match. With Relative Finder I would still look at relationship range, but then it gets harder. I would probably first contact someone who has surnames listed, as opposed to those who haven't listed any. Also, I'll compare my results with my mom's and try and contact people who match both of us. 

     But should I use all five invites every day? What should I say? Can they see my profile and my surnames when I send an invite? What happens when someone accepts my invite? I'll have to explore the FAQs and wait for some responses to find out!

     And if anyone has any tips, please comment!

23andMe Results In!

     It only took 19 days for my 23andMe DNA test results to start coming in. So far, I have Health and Maternal Ancestry results and am waiting for my Relative Finder and Ancestry Painting results to populate. Here's a breakdown of my results so far:

Maternal Ancestry:
     This test confirmed Family Tree DNA Haplogroup results: U5a1b1. According to 23andMe, U5 is one of the oldest European haplogroups. Here's a map of where this haplogroup shows up:

My Health:
     Drug Response: Based on my genes, I might react to drugs differently. According to my results, I'm slower to metabolize caffeine, more sensitive to Warfarin (blood thinner), and... other boring stuff that doesn't seem too important right now.

     Carrier Status: Some diseases and medical conditions are determined based on genetics. If you have a certain gene, you have the condition. Looking at my results, I'm not a carrier of any "variant" that they test for.

     Disease Risk: This is the scary report that predicts what diseases I'm at risk for, based on genetics. It's important to note that these results are not the same as going to the doctor and taking a test. These are all probabilities.
     There are some good results: Based on my genes, I have a decreased risk of breast cancer, Crohn's Disease, Celiac Disease, Heart Attack and Melanoma.
     I have an typical risk of obesity, lung cancer, parkinson's, and kidney disease.
     At the scary end, I do have an elevated risk of a few diseases: Alcohol Dependence, Type 2 Diabetes (27.7% vs 20.7%), Alzheimer's (14.1% vs. 7.1%), Rheumatoid Arthritis (11.6% vs 4.2%) and Restless Leg Syndrome (5.2% vs 4.2%).
  
     Traits: Based on my genes, 23andMe accurately predicted that I have blue eyes and a bad sense of smell. I'm not lactose intolerant. Apparently if I smoked, I'd be more likely to smoke heavily. I'm predisposed to eat more sweats. I have a higher than average pain sensitivity and I have typical odds of living at age 100.

     These test results are pretty neat, but they're not really why I took the test. I'm looking forward to the Relative Finder test results, which are just like Family Tree DNA's Family Finder test. I'm also looking forward to the Ancestry Painting results, which is the same as Family Tree DNA's Population Finder. I'm looking forward to mom's Ancestry Painting as well - will we see any of the rumored Native American heritage?

Taking The Test: 23andMe DNA

     Today I received the DNA test I ordered from 23andMe on Monday during their DNA Day sale. I purchased two DNA tests: one for my mom and one for myself.

    I knew that this testing process was going to be a little different from the FTDNA test that I previously took. For this test, you actually spit into a small funnel attached to a tube to collect a DNA sample. It was a somewhat strange experience and took me a few minutes to complete. Next you close the lid, which releases a liquid into the collected saliva. Then you shake it up and put it back in the box. I was happy to see that the return shipping box was pre-paid. I'll be going by the post office tomorrow to drop off the test. I'm looking forward to receiving these results and hope to find some new cousins.

     Also today, Family Tree DNA announced their DNA Day sale when they hit 10,000 likes on Facebook. I found this sale to be very disappointing (see their Facebook Page for details).  They are offering discounted prices on many of their tests, but the discount is less than I thought. The sale that they had for hitting 5,000 "likes" on facebook offered lower prices than this sale (it was 40% off certain tests). I'm very glad that I purchased the 23andMe test. Also, I'm a little concerned that the sale announcement seems to be listed only on Facebook. They might have an email planned for tomorrow, but right now you have to be involved in social networks to know about this sale. I hope they aren't going to start ignoring more traditional communication methods.