Welcome to DNA Testing Update, my blog that keeps you up-to-date with what's new at DNA Testing Adviser. I’ll tell you about…
Most of my posts are deliberately brief. You can read my latest posts 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 at the bottom of the column 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.
I will be speaking at RootsTech next week on the subject of Understanding the Ethnic Ancestry in Your DNA Test. If you're going to be there, join me at 1:30 Wednesday in Ballroom B. Even if you can't make it, you can download my syllabus from my website.
Continue reading "See My Ethnicity Presentation at RootsTech"
MyHeritage is the most popular DNA test in Europe. If you have European ancestors, you should take advantage of this sale. Just $59. Order two or more kits and standard shipping is free. Sale price is good through Monday, 2/25/19. #DNA #MyHeritage
Continue reading "Flash Sale on MyHeritage DNA Test: Just $59"
Ancestry has announced 94 new and updated AncestryDNA communities for customers of African American and Afro-Caribbean descent. This will help those customers trace how their ancestors may have moved over time. #DNA #AncestryDNA
Continue reading "New Genetic Communities with AncestryDNA Test"
This free family history site now accepts DNA matches from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, Family Finder, and MyHeritage. Plus, they have analysis tools for working with all that data. I have not yet tried this myself. But you can read more about it in Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. #DNA #RootsFinder
Continue reading "RootsFinder Now Imports ALL Your DNA Matches"
The British version of the Who Do You Think You Are? television show dumped one of its chosen celebrities when the researchers could not find anything interesting in his family tree. It makes you wonder if that has happened with the U.S. show.
Continue reading "Genealogy Show Cuts Celebrity for Boring Past"
DNA testing can solve old mysteries and bring people together in various ways. This well-told story has a little bit of everything. Be sure to read the text and watch the video. #DNA
Most testers get thousands of genetic matches from autosomal DNA tests. A number of people have developed clustering tools to automate the grouping of matches. The idea is that each cluster potentially shares a common ancestor. This blog post provides a nice introduction to the concepts and links to several tools you may want to try. #DNA
Continue reading "All About Clustering Tools for DNA Matches"
A Minnesota TV station was there to capture the reunion between an adopted man and his baby sister. The reunion resulted from her receiving an AncestryDNA test kit for Christmas. The video is more complete than the text. So wait for the brief station promo to view it. #DNA #adoptee #AncestryDNA
Continue reading "AncestryDNA Test Connects Adopted Man with Sister"
Here's another sibling reunion brought about by DNA testing. This one involves family secrets and multiple children of a single sperm donor from decades ago. #DNA #NPE
Continue reading "Half Sisters Find Each Other Through DNA Tests"
On February 12 you can watch a free webinar called Using MyHeritage Tools to Improve Your Family Tree Data. MyHeritage is a powerful alternative to Ancestry and is especially good for tracing our trees outside the U.S. #genealogy #MyHeritage
As of now, any new uploads at GEDmatch go directly into their Genesis platform. Genesis is designed to handle the new chips that test more SNPs. Eventually, all of our data will be migrated to Genesis. Get the details in Kitty Cooper's blog. #DNA #GEDmatch
This NBC News article provides a nice summary of 23andMe's impact on medical research. So far, roughly 80 percent of the company's more than 5 million customers have agreed to let their test results be used in research. My family is included and I'm happy to help. #DNA #23andMe
Nearly ten years after my pioneering DNA success story was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, another family's DNA story is covered there. This one is full of surprises. #DNA #WSJ
Continue reading "Another DNA Story Featured in The Wall Street Journal"
I already have ten DNA speaking engagements scheduled for this year, including RootsTech. I just updated the Events page on my website. Take a look and join me if you can. #DNA #RichardHill
The ultimate Y chromosome DNA test is getting better. Family Tree DNA's Big Y test checks thousands of SNPs. Now it will include 700 STRs as well. Anyone who ordered earlier but hasn't received results yet will get the extra 200 STRs too. Use this link and click the SHOP NOW box under Y-DNA Paternal Ancestry to find Big Y 700. #DNA #BigY
There are lots of bad DNA tests being sold. I usually ignore such tests because I don't want to publicize them. But Shannon Christmas, the expert on DNA testing for people of African ancestry, has written a detailed critique of this bad test. I completely agree with him. #DNA #AfricanAncestry
Continue reading "Don't Waste Your Money on African Ancestry DNA Test"
If you cannot attend RootsTech in Salt Lake City, you may want to buy Virtual Pass. That will give to access to 18 online recorded sessions from the conference. You can watch playbacks from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone device whenever and however you’d like. My presentation will NOT be video recorded. But the audio will be recorded. I'm not sure how that will become available for listening. #RootsTech
Continue reading "How to Get a Virtual Pass to RootsTech 2019"
I was one of the first men to do the Big Y test. Until now, there was no good way to view all the data. Now, Family Tree DNA has created a new Block Tree that pulls together an amazing amount of information into a clear, interactive structure. If you've done Big Y, log into your account and explore. If not, consider testing yourself or a key man in your paternal line. #DNA #FTDNA
Continue reading "Family Tree DNA Launches Big Y Block Tree"
I have done seven different DNA tests on myself and on my wife. For both of us, the most detailed results that are also consistent with our family trees came from the 23andMe test. They recently upgraded to more than a thousand regions. If you tested earlier, check your results again. #DNA #ethnicity #23andMe
Continue reading "My First Choice DNA Test for Ethic Ancestry"
This article from the TIME magazine website is a great story about DNA testing. Plus, the author takes us thoughtfully into the issues surrounding donor conception in an age when donors can no longer be anonymous. #DNA
Continue reading "DNA Tests Uncover 54-Year Old Family Secret"
The case is a good example of secrets from decades ago that are now being uncovered accidentally by genetic genealogy DNA tests. #DNA
Continue reading "DNA Uncovers Bad Behavior from Decades Ago"
If you are a genealogist or an adoptee looking for matches to genetic relatives, I recommend the AncestryDNA test. It has the largest database by far and the raw data from that test can be used for free uploads to Family Finder, MyHeritage, and GEDmatch. Their optional subscription boosts the power of your DNA through billions of genealogical records and millions of family trees. Click this link to learn more. #DNA #AncestryDNA
Continue reading "Which DNA Test Offers the Most for Your Money?"
Today I was interviewed online about my Finding Family book. Coincidentally, the host had also discovered some previously unknown family members. We had a great discussion about false birth records, DNA testing, and the process of searching for and reuniting with lost family. You can listen to the interview at this link. #FindingFamily #DNA #Beyond50
MyHeritage has published a clear explanation of which features are included with a free DNA upload and which require a one-time fee per uploaded kit. Those of us who uploaded before the change are grandfathered in as free for life. If you have the optional subscription, you can take advantage of the extra DNA features for as many uploaded kits as you’d like at no additional cost. #DNA #MyHeritage
Continue reading "Complete Details on Free DNA Uploads at MyHeritage"
Many adoptees fantasize about their birthparents being someone famous. If you read my "Finding Family" book, you know I did. Now here's a case where that really turned out to be the case. And DNA testing lead to that discovery. #DNA
Continue reading "She Really is a Living Legacy to the Leader of the Band"
In 1931 a baby was found abandoned in the Arizona desert in a hatbox. In 1988 that grown woman contacted a newspaper reporter for help in learning the identity of her biological parents. For 30 years the reporter has doggedly tried to solve this mystery and DNA testing has played a huge role. The complete story ran as a 10-part serial narrative, but all 10 parts have been aggregated here. It's long but fascinating with lots of photos.
Continue reading "DNA Solves the Hatbox Baby Mystery of 1931"
Are you an adoptee that FIRST tested your DNA in 2018? If so, would you consider helping with this survey? The goal is to determine the success rates for adoptees using DNA and to compare that success from year to year. Results will be shared when ready.
This is the third year of the survey, and the trends could be very interesting. There was a HUGE increase in success from 2016 to 2017. Please share the link with friends or other groups you are in.
A lot of uninformed or nefarious people have written scare pieces about DNA testing. Hooray for blogger Leah Larkin who took the time to set the record straight. #DNA
Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., returns to the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) for Season 5, starting this evening, Tuesday, January 8th.The first subjects are actor Andy Samberg and author George R.R. Martin. #genealogy
If you have are in the DNA database at MyHeritage and have posted your tree there, you can use their powerful Filter features to do many things. One useful thing is to view only those DNA matches that have a SmartMatch with you, i.e. a common ancestor in your trees. Blogger Roberta Estes shows some great examples.#DNA #MyHeritage
Continue reading "Combine DNA and Tree Matches at MyHeritage"
GENEALOGY TIP: Building an accurate family tree is time consuming. You can outsource the job to an expert at Legacy Tree Genealogists.
My blog will appear in RSS readers. If you're not sure why you need one, read this article in Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.