DNA Testing Update
Welcome to DNA Testing Update, my occasional web journal that keeps you up-to-date with what's new at DNA Testing Adviser. I’ll tell you about…
- New or updated articles on the website
- Significant news from the genealogy and adoption search communities
- DNA testing tips for paternity, genealogy, and adoption search
- Previous articles that might be worth another look
You can read my latest journal entries below; but you can also have DNA Testing Update delivered directly to your computer.
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May 20, 2012
Mixed Roots Foundation DNA Kit Raffle
At the 5/21 Adoptee Comedy Show, the Mixed Roots Foundation will have a drawing for 23andMe and FTDNA kits. You don't have to be there to win.
A portion of raffle ticket proceeds will go toward the "Filling in the GAGP Fund" which will help offset costs for DNA testing for adoptees and their families. It is $2 for one ticket and $5 for three tickets. Details are here:
Click for more info
May 17, 2012
Adoptee Comedy Show May 21
The Adoptee Comedy Show will occur on May 21 in San Francisco. Sponsored by the Mixed Roots Foundation, it will raise funds to help offset costs of DNA testing for adoptees and their families.
The event will be live streamed over the Internet. Start time is 8:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Click for more info
May 12, 2012
How Population Finder Discovers Ethnic Ancestry from Your DNA
An independent review of Population Finder, the ethnic ancestry report in the Family Finder DNA test from Family Tree DNA.
Permalink -- click for full blog post "How Population Finder Discovers Ethnic Ancestry from Your DNA"
May 9, 2012
23andMe to Raise Price, Drop Subscription
23andMe has been selling its combined health/genealogy DNA test for $99 up front plus $9/month subscription fee for a Personal Genome Service. With the 12-month minimum subscription, the total minimum cost was $207 plus shipping.
This plan was widely unpopular and has drawn criticism across the Internet. Now 23andMe has decided to drop the subscription program and raise the price to $299. This will take effect sometime this Thursday, May 10.
Those currently on the subscription program will not be charged additional fees once their 12-month subscription requirement has been met.
Until Thursday you can still buy under the old terms for a total price of $207 with more than half of that to be paid later. If you have been thinking about placing an order, now is the time to do it. See the following link.
Click for more info
May 8, 2012
Documentary Film on Adoption Search
I recently learned about Priscilla Sharp, an adoptee and a search angel helping reunite adoptees and birth families. Here's a link to Beloved Strangers, a planned documentary film about some of the cases she has solved.
Click for more info
May 4, 2012
The Adoption Search Guide: How DNA Can Find Your Biological Parents
Learn how DNA Testing has changed adoption search. Find your biological parents through genetic genealogy. Get tips from one who did it.
Permalink -- click for full blog post "The Adoption Search Guide: How DNA Can Find Your Biological Parents"
May 3, 2012
New AncestryDNA Officially Launched
I mentioned earlier that I have been a Beta tester for a new autosomal DNA test from Ancestry.com. While the test is still rolling out by invitation only, the test has now been officially announced.
The following link leads to a description of the new test including price information.
Ancestry.com DNA testing
May 2, 2012
Mixed Roots Foundation
I have accepted an invitation to be an Advisory Board Member at the Mixed Roots Foundation.
This non-profit organization serves the adoption community and I will be helping them educate adoptees about the use of DNA testing to discover biological heritage.
Click for more info
Apr 27, 2012
Reverse Genealogy: Finding the Living
Earlier this week I watched a webinar called Reverse Genealogy: Finding the Living. This is something that adoptees and those helping them must do to get from deceased common ancestors to living relatives who might have knowledge of birth parents.
Megan Smolenyak discussed a lot of useful tools and tips. You can watch a recording of the webinar free until May 7. Click the link below and then look for a link at the right side of the page to view prior webinars. Click that link and then the Watch Now button for this webinar.
You can also buy a CD of the webinar that reportedly includes four pages of handouts.
Click for more info
Apr 19, 2012
DNA Day Sale at Family Tree DNA
In honor of DNA Day (April 20) Family Tree DNA has announced a very brief sale on nearly the entire line of genetic genealogy tests.
The sale starts now and ends at 11:59PM on Saturday April 21st. You don't need a coupon.
Click for more info
Apr 4, 2012
My First Look at New Ancestry DNA Test
I am one of the early testers of the new SNP-based autosomal DNA test from Ancestry.com. This will be a third option in the same category as Family Finder from Family Tree DNA and Relative Finder from 23andMe.
Last week I participated in a company phone conference with other bloggers and yesterday I received my results.
The AncestryDNA test focuses on genealogy and ethnicity and ignores health testing. This positions it more like Family Finder.
However, you must go though an internal system to contact your matches. Plus, all the matching features require an ongoing subscription to a new service called Ancestry Connections. This makes it function more like Relative Finder.
The most interesting feature is the option to link your DNA account to your tree on Ancestry.com. If your match also links a public tree to her account, you can browse her tree. It also lists surnames and geographic locations that the two of you have in common.
In some cases it may even suggest the possible common ancestor.
Due to the limited size of the database, the only matches I show now are a few distant cousins (5th to 8th).
Their projection of my genetic ethnicity is a reasonable match to what I know about the origins of my ancestors.
The company expects the roll-out in availability and added features to span the rest of 2012. No pricing has been announced--either for the initial price or the required subscription.
I will report on this in more detail after I know a lot more and have some closer matches to work with.
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