23andMe and other dna ancestry stuff

[D. Shelton]

btw, now they own your DNA

[Silurian]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

The "origins" thing is just based on their database, so you need to realize it depends entirely on how accurate the folks that have reported their own origins are whether it is valid, and, of course, it can (will) change over time as their database expands.

I mean, they do not have DNA from someone who lived in Italy (or wherever) 1000 years ago. What they have is a lot of people who have submitted DNA and said their oldest known ancestor came from X. Then, you have some statistical level of matching with those folks, ergo, your ancestry originates the same place.

My origins were originally 50% Scandinavian, yet I have zero family from there. Of course, a lot of my family is from the Great Britain/Ireland area, and the Vikings did have their way there for a few centuries, so not entirely implausible. But, over the years, that percentage has shrunk. (The 5% Asia Minor thing persists, though, and I'll be danged if I know where that came from!)

The thing that has frustrated me is that, besides my confirmed sister, I have not really gotten any close matches that I can connect with any kind of "paper" trail, so it's all still speculation, and a couple of my lines peter out just in the late 1700s, early 1800s here in the States.

Still, it's interesting, but I'm not spending any more money on it .

The Asia Minor thing may refer to the fact that many Europeans have ancestry that originated in Turkey. It's understood that agriculture was introduced to Western Europe by waves of immigration from the region starting around 8000 BC.

It's not surprising that many people have ancestry from Scandinavia, these were fairly homogeneous populations that changed little over time, and of course had a significant influence on other areas through immigration and invasion. In the UK genetic markers have also indicated a strong Scandinavian connection through the Beaker People.

Of course, in other parts of Europe populations moved around a lot. In the Roman Empire people could end up far from their area of origin. In the UK DNA analysis has found that Roman infantry came from as far away as Syria and North Africa. I'm not sure that 5% Asia Minor really tells you much, especially if you consider that modern humans have about 2% Neanderthal DNA.

Trying to pin down where we originally came from must be very difficult. In the US it's understandable that people will want to identify the "old country", but in fact many of these countries aren't very old at all in historical terms, but are fairly modern political entities that may tell us very little about ourselves from a "genetic" perspective.

The only thing we can be fairly certain of is that our ancestors(African- Americans, etc, excluded) left Africa about 60000 years ago.

[Daniel Grenier]

I had my wife's done for her as a birthday gift a few years back. She knew her grand mother was from England but not much beyond that. Her results showed 80% English roots with some Germanic far back. It also showed some 20% Irish which was a surprised to her. Anyway, along the way, she and her sister did some digging and they found a Great Grandmother who was born in Ireland. Makes the experience, at least in her case, pretty believable and accurate.

[Mr. Jelly]

Two things

Understand that if there is any question about unknown children you may not want to take this test. They will be notified.

It helps a persons understanding if they have a little knowledge of humans migration history and patterns.

[Pura Vida]

My wife and I have taken tests from both Ancestry and 23&me. It's been an eye-opening, and in some cases, jaw-dropping experience. It's answered questions about our family past, connected us with family we didn't previously know, and it's created quite a few mysteries, as well. For those who say that the DNA is inaccurate, or the country of origin doesn't match what you think, remember that people migrate and move over time, so someone from one country may have ancestry from another country (just as you and I do).

And the DNA is remarkably accurate... I didn't recognize most of the names on my list, but once I began researching my family tree, I've been able to tie 12-15 of the closest relatives into my tree. 4th cousins and more distant relatives are very difficult to make a connection. Through Ancestry, I was able to trace back one family pathway 15 generations, who were born in London in 1501 (less than 10 years after Columbus was about to sail off the edge of the world!). Absolutely fascinating to research and make discoveries!

[fenderball]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

My wife and I have taken tests from both Ancestry and 23&me. It's been an eye-opening, and in some cases, jaw-dropping experience. It's answered questions about our family past, connected us with family we didn't previously know, and it's created quite a few mysteries, as well. For those who say that the DNA is inaccurate, or the country of origin doesn't match what you think, remember that people migrate and move over time, so someone from one country may have ancestry from another country (just as you and I do).

And the DNA is remarkably accurate... I didn't recognize most of the names on my list, but once I began researching my family tree, I've been able to tie 12-15 of the closest relatives into my tree. 4th cousins and more distant relatives are very difficult to make a connection. Through Ancestry, I was able to trace back one family pathway 15 generations, who were born in London in 1501 (less than 10 years after Columbus was about to sail off the edge of the world!). Absolutely fascinating to research and make discoveries!

did you each do both???
i've often wondered if someone did both, were the results the same???

[Pura Vida]

Yes, I did both. My heritage results are similar, although how both sites group regions is slightly different. And obviously, the DNA relatives are from two separate databases. I think 23&me is better for health-related info (they have a health kit option, which checks your DNA for anomalies, such as the BRCA gene for cancer, greater likelihood of Parkinsons, etc.). Meanwhile, Ancestry's subscription service is amazing to build and maintain a family tree of living and deceased family members. My tree has over 1000 members, and combined with the DNA results of living relatives, I was able to find and connect with my biological father last month (just in time for Father's Day).

[harpspitfire]

my wife bugged me for this crap, so i got her $60 ancestry for Xmas, she filled in maternal names of Mcdonald and Murphy, she got back 80% scot/ireland etc, WOW! thats amazing huh? i still get offers for discounts to buy more kits and possible matches from everyone on the planet

[nitram]

A Toronto genealogical firm was given a sample to see if there was any Aboriginal bloodlines and said that there was a 20% chance that there was Abanaki and Mohawk. Trouble was; the sample was from a girlfriend's chihuahua.The guy thought something was amiss and sent it in as a test. Caveat emptor.

[Side Man]

Originally Posted by Fogducker

A relative did a search and found my bunch over in Scandinavia were into magic and chicken thievery so I didn't want to open that "can of worms" Fog

So, musicians have been in your family tree for some time now, eh?

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by harpspitfire

my wife bugged me for this crap, so i got her $60 ancestry for Xmas, she filled in maternal names of Mcdonald and Murphy, she got back 80% scot/ireland etc, WOW! thats amazing huh? i still get offers for discounts to buy more kits and possible matches from everyone on the planet

That's not at all how it works. The DNA and family tree functionality are not directly related. You can enter in any name you want (or no ancestral names), and it won't change the DNA results. Likewise, the DNA results find others who are related, but it doesn't place them into any family tree. That's up to you to build it (and living relatives are much harder to find and place vs. deceased relatives).

[Tico]

Originally Posted by D. Shelton

btw, now they own your DNA

Exactly!

... and I'll bet they're making lots of money selling it to life and health insurance companies so they know who to ostracize, employers too.

No thanks.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by D. Shelton

btw, now they own your DNA

Actually, they may now own the analysis of a sample of your DNA. Fortunately you continue to control the container that transports and potentially shares your DNA again should you choose to do so.

[Mr. Jelly]

I have an Italian name and found out I'm only 7% Italian. I'm okay with that.

[Gunny]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

I did it also, I have family trees that trace my Scottish heritage back to 1765, no wavering, Scot to Scot all the way until my Grandparents on my mother's side.

On my father's side, our family has been traced back to 1750, all German.

My DNA came up with no Scottish nor any German at all. Call me skeptical to say the least.

My 80 year old Dad was so excited about his test until he got the results. His Mother came over from Bologna, Father's side from Wales. He was told he had 0% Italian and is mostly Scottish.