DNA Testing UpdateWelcome 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…
You can read my latest journal entries below; but you can also have DNA Testing Update delivered directly to your computer. How do I subscribe to DNA Testing Update? You don't even need an email address. It's easy to set up an RSS feed using the buttons on the left. If you're not familiar with RSS, click on the question mark above the RSS graphic to learn everything you need to know. 23andMe Launches Ancestry FinderDNA testing company, 23andMe, has a new customer feature called Ancestry Finder. Since it's tied to their Relative Finder, it is only available to buyers of their Ancestry or Complete Editions. If you took one of those tests, you can find Ancestry Finder under Ancestry Labs on your menu. There are some Advanced Controls that allow you to loosen the match criteria to see more results. This feature cleverly summarizes the national origins reported by people you match in Relative Finder. That information is collected through the "Where Are You From?" ancestry survey. That survey asks you about the country of birth for your two parents and four grandparents. Current results will remain meager until more people complete the survey. If you tested with 23andMe, please complete the "Where Are You From?" ancestry survey. It is important to understand that the Ancestry Finder report is NOT measuring ethnicity directly from your DNA. It is based on a survey of where your matches SAY their ancestors are from. In that sense, it is similar to the Ancestral Origins and Maps reports for Y-DNA and mtDNA matches at Family Tree DNA. All of these reports are capable of revealing interesting ethnic patterns for many people. Don't "Protect" Us from Our Own Genetic InformationThe FDA held a public meeting this week on Direct-to-Consumer genetic testing. The bureaucrats in Washington are itching to protect us from information in our own genes. Plus, the American Medical Association wants physicians to be gatekeepers for such tests so they can collect their fees in the process. Katherine Borgess, Director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, spoke to the group and made some excellent points against over regulation. You can read her remarks in an article by Megan Smolenyak in the Huffington Post. Y-DNA Upgrade Sale at Familly Tree DNAFTDNA is currently offering special prices for Y-DNA upgrades. If you have done a Y-DNA test with them before, you can now increase the number of markers for less than the usual price. The table below compares the regular surname group rates with the sale prices. The promotion will end July 19, 2010. Kits need to be ordered and paid for by midnight on that date. Click on the link below to go to the FTDNA web site. Then log in to your personal page and click on the special offers link in the left hand navigation bar.
My SBI StoryHow I Built This DNA Web Site and Made Money Doing It Permalink -- click for full blog post "My SBI Story" Should the FDA Regulate Genetic Tests?Politicians in Washington have jumped on the recent sample mixup at 23andMe to call for FDA regulation of DTC (direct-to-consumer) genetic testing. That one-time error was caught within 24 hours and promptly corrected. If the FDA regulates DNA tests with health implications, you will have to find a doctor that will order the tests and probably pay for another appointment to see the results. Worse yet, those regulations can easily expand to include genetic genealogy tests. To learn more about this issue and express you opinion in an important poll see the following page. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Should the FDA Regulate Genetic Tests?" Minimize DNA Testing Cost for Genetic GenealogyComparing Value Received with DNA Testing Cost Permalink -- click for full blog post "Minimize DNA Testing Cost for Genetic Genealogy" Sample Mixup at 23andMeIn the past 24 hours (starting 6/2)there have been numerous discussions in genetic genealogy discussion groups about nonsensical results from the latest batch of DNA tests at 23andMe. This included close family members not being related, incorrect haplogroup assignments, and health results inconsistent with family history. Company Admits Mistake Once they became aware of these discussions, the company quickly admitted there was a problem and promised to redo the tests. No explanation for the errors has been offered as yet. An Important Lesson Even with safeguards in place, mistakes can happen in any field. See the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis. If you ever get totally unexpected results from a DNA test, do not panic. Contact your testing company immediately and give them a chance to double check your results. In addition, I encourage you to participate in DNA message boards and check my What's New page to see if any problems are being reported. There are hundreds of people who discuss genetic genealogy topics daily online. In effect, we play an unofficial but important watchdog role over the DNA testing industry. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Sample Mixup at 23andMe" Guide to Ethnic Ancestry DNA Testing: How to Prove Your EthnicityLearn how DNA testing can reveal your ethnic ancestry and geographic origins, including native American, African American, and Jewish ancestry.
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