The Genetic Genealogist

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Archive for February, 2012


The Legal Genealogist Discusses Ancestry.com’s New Autosomal Testing

Published February 26th, 2012 in DNA Companies, DNA Databases, DNA in the News | 2 Comments »

Over at The Legal Genealogist (one of my favorite new blogs!), blogger Judy Russell, J.D., CG discusses Ancestry.com’s new autosomal DNA testing service in “Science and the “10th” cousin.”

As I noted in a recent blog post (see “WDYTYA Reveals More Information About Ancestry.com’s New Autosomal DNA Testing“), autosomal DNA testing was featured in the recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are with actor Blair Underwood.  After revealing Mr. Underwood’s biogeographical estimates (74% African American and 26% European), they revealed a genetic cousin found in the Ancestry.com’s database:

The service identified a distant cousin (somewhere around the 10th cousin range) who lived in Cameroon (an Eric Sonjowoh). Mr. Sonjowoh was already in the Ancestry.com database, which is why they were able to compare him to Mr. Underwood. According to Eric, someone approached him in 2005 and asked him for his DNA because African Americans were trying to trace their family back to Cameroon. I’m not sure what database the DNA was in, but it shows that Ancestry.com has pre-populated its database with at least some samples from other public and/or proprietary data sources.

Ms. Russell expresses concerns over the identification of the relationship between Mr. Underwood and Mr. Sonjowoh as “1oth Cousins:”

I have a bit of an issue with telling person A (Blair Underwood) that person B (Eric Sonjowoh) is a 10th cousin when there isn’t a prayer of a paper trail to support that statement — and the science isn’t good enough to say it either.

She notes – very correctly – that autosomal testing alone cannot identify a relationship as being 10th cousins rather than anything ranging from 5th, 12th, or 15th cousins, or even beyond.

As you can see from my summary above, I had assumed that the label “10th Cousins” was not intended to be an exact identification of the relationship (I wrote: “somewhere around the 10th cousin range”), but an approximation similar to those used by both 23andMe (for example, “3rd to Distant Cousin”) and Family Tree DNA (for example, “5th Cousin – Remote Cousin”).  Unfortunately, it’s difficult to determine from the portion of the user interface we saw in the program whether or not the “10th cousins” applies to a range or is intended to be a more definitive determination.

In any event, I agree with Ms. Russell’s conclusion.  It is vital that users of any autosomal DNA testing service understand both the capabilities and limitations of the science, and that testing providers work to educate their customers.  It will be interesting to see more of the Ancestry.com user interface when the product officially launches.

Here’s a few links to some other discussion of DNA testing and Ancestry.com’s service following Mr. Underwood’s episode of WDYTYA:

By the way, a congratulations to Ms. Russell on her recent certification as a Certified Genealogist!

WDYTYA Reveals More Information About Ancestry.com’s New Autosomal DNA Testing

Published February 24th, 2012 in DNA Companies, DNA Databases, DNA in the News | 8 Comments »

[Update (2/24/12): Some genealogy forums are reporting that callers to Ancestry.com are being told that the autosomal DNA test will publicly launch in approximately 1 month (late March or early April).]

Tonight’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featured African-American actor Blair Underwood. For those not familiar with Who Do You Think You Are, the 1-hour program examines the genealogy of a celebrity, typically focusing on one or two of their most interesting families.

DNA Testing

This episode was of particular interest to me because it featured Ancestry.com’s new autosomal DNA testing service, which I’ve written about before (see “Ancestry.com’s Autosomal DNA Product – An Update”). While there wasn’t too much new information about the DNA product in this episode, it was an interesting sneak peek at the service.

In the beginning of the episode, as Mr. Underwood visits with his family to get a start with his genealogy, he shows a DNA collection kit with two long swabs and a mail return envelope. Ancestry.com is using cheek swabs rather than a saliva sample to collect DNA.

Admixture Results

Later in the episode, Mr. Underwood reviews his DNA test results with Dr. Ken Chahine (LinkedIn profile), who is described as the “General Manager Ancestry DNA” in the episode. Dr. Chahine has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a J.D. (very similar to my own background). According to Dr. Chahine, the test Mr. Underwood used examined approximately 700,000 “links” (or SNPs) in the DNA chain.

Mr. Underwood’s results suggested that the DNA examined was approximately 26% European and 74% African, which is a fairly common admixture for African Americans. Under the “European” tab of the user interface, he was described as 20% French/Swiss and 6% German. Under the “African” tab, the results showed 27% Bamoun, 22% Brong, 13% Yoruba, and 12% Igbo (a total of 74%).

Genetic Cousins

Next, Dr. Chahine asked, “Where would we find your closest DNA matches?” In other words, the Ancestry.com autosomal testing service will also include the ability to identify genetic cousins in the database.

The service identified a distant cousin (somewhere around the 10th cousin range) who lived in Cameroon (an Eric Sonjowoh). Mr. Sonjowoh was already in the Ancestry.com database, which is why they were able to compare him to Mr. Underwood. According to Eric, someone approached him in 2005 and asked him for his DNA because African Americans were trying to trace their family back to Cameroon. I’m not sure what database the DNA was in, but it shows that Ancestry.com has pre-populated its database with at least some samples from other public and/or proprietary data sources.

Interestingly, Dr. Chahine indicated that Mr. Underwood and Mr. Sonjowoh are related through Mr. Underwood’s paternal line. I’m guessing that they determined this by also testing one of Mr. Underwood’s parents (either directly testing his father, or by process of elimination by testing his mother).

At the end of the episode, Mr. Underwood and his father traveled to Cameroon to meet Mr. Sonjowoh and his family, which was a touching reunion. Although their relationship is extremely distant (perhaps as much as 300 to 400 years), it provided Mr. Underwood with a connection to his roots in Africa.

All the Latest in Genetic Genealogy and Personal Genomics

Published February 21st, 2012 in DNA in the News | 1 Comment »

From my Twitter account (blaine_5), here are my tweets from the past few weeks (Feb. 4 – Feb. 20th), most of which are about genetic genealogy and personal genomics:

 

23andMe is Hiring a Marketing Team

Published February 16th, 2012 in DNA Companies, DNA in the News | 1 Comment »

(I almost titled this post as “23andMe Bringing New Blood to Marketing,” but there’s nothing worse than a bad pun!).

Business Insider is reporting (“Sergey Brin’s Wife Is Hiring A Marketing Team For Her Gene Startup“) that 23andMe is looking to increase the marketing of their services.

In an interview with Business Insider, Anne Wojcicki reported that the company is creating a marketing team.  Indeed, I’ve seen at least one marketing position (VP of Marketing) offered by 23andMe in several locations over the past 2 weeks (see here and here, for example).  It looks like it would be a very interesting and fun position.

The article also notes that as of October 2011, the 23andMe database officially had 125,000 subscribers.

It’s not clear from the article what prompted Business Insider’s discussion with Ms. Wojcicki, or whether the marketing team was the only subject matter of the interview.  I’m guessing that they saw the job offerings I mentioned above and asked to speak with her about it.

I’m interested to see who 23andMe hires for their marketing efforts, and what new marketing campaigns come out of the team.  There is a great deal of potential for marketing 23andMe’s services, especially in light of the current affordability of DNA testing and the company’s existing involvement in social media platforms.

GeneticScreening.com

The article also discusses 23andMe’s recent acquisition of the domain name geneticscreening.com, which it previously reported on (“23andMe Snags GeneticScreening.com For A Mere $2200“) (via DomainShane).  The domain currently redirects to 23andMe’s site.  While DomainShane claims that the purchase was “maybe even the buy of the year,” I’m surprised by how much attention is paid to a simple domain name purchase.

 

MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA Partner to Offer DNA Testing

Published February 16th, 2012 in DNA Companies, DNA Databases, DNA for Newbies | No Comments »

 

 

 

 

As I’ve stated many, many times in the past, the future of genetic genealogy is combining test results with both family trees and paper records.

Today, MyHeritage and Family Tree DNA announced a partnership that will bring that future one step closer to reality.  MyHeritage will offer a full line of tests (13 in total) through FTDNA, including these basic introductory tests (with discounts – not shown below – for MyHeritage subscribers):

  • Y-DNA12 (12 Y-STR markers) – $99
  • mtDNA (HVR1 region) – $99
  • Family Finder (autosomal test) – $298

The FAQ page for the tests is here (and I note that although they currently do not allow import of test results from other providers, they plan to in the future).  I wonder if existing FTDNA test-takers can import their results?

Given MyHeritage’s worldwide reach and enormous membership (62 million members around the world!), it will be interesting to see whether this new partnership expands genetic genealogy testing in other parts of the world, which have been slow to try this technology.

Today’s Press Release:

MyHeritage brings DNA testing to the global community

World’s largest family network offers DNA testing to a new global audience – enabling millions of families to discover their ethnic roots and previously unknown relatives

PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel – February 16, 2012: MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, announced today the integration of DNA testing into its core family history offering. The move adds genetic genealogy to the company’s suite of tools for researching family history, used by millions of families around the world.

With more than 62 million registered users and 21 million family trees, MyHeritage has become the trusted home on the web for families wishing to explore their family history, share memories and stay connected. With the new biological layer added to the MyHeritage experience, users can now enjoy a service combining science, intuitive web features and social networking for discovering and sharing their family legacy.

“DNA testing provides a fascinating new way to discover one’s origins and find previously unknown relatives”, said MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet. “Offering the highest quality DNA tests to our tens of millions of users around the world in 38 languages, and providing DNA matches with hundreds of thousands of people who have already had their DNA tested, significantly advances our mission of bringing family history to the masses. By combining DNA with our innovative Smart Matching™ technology, families will be closer than ever before to constructing a more complete picture of their history”.

DNA is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. By purchasing a simple cheek-swab DNA test, users can now use information contained in their DNA to find present-day relatives who share a common ancestor up to many hundreds of years ago. A DNA test can also reveal ethnic origins such as Native American, African or Jewish descent on paternal or maternal lines, as well as uncover ancestral information for those who were adopted.  While DNA tests can break through brick walls in family history research by revealing biological relations, MyHeritage’s flagship Smart Matching™ technology then steps in to help piece together the paper trail by uncovering how the family trees of related people actually connect. In addition, people with the same paternal surname can get together via MyHeritage to see if they’re related by DNA.

MyHeritage is introducing today a wide range of DNA tests to meet different research objectives and budgets, with special discounted prices for MyHeritage subscribers starting from as low as $84. Users can identify the deep ancestral origins of their direct paternal line (Y-DNA), of their direct maternal line (mtDNA), find relatives across all lines via autosomal DNA (Family Finder), receive a percentage breakdown of their ethnic roots and confirm or disprove whether someone is a close relative. View the full list of the DNA kits on MyHeritage and a list of Frequently Asked Questions about DNA tests on MyHeritage.

For the analysis of users’ DNA tests and the DNA matching, MyHeritage is working with long-time partner and global leader in genealogy DNA, Family Tree DNA. Pioneers of genetic genealogy and with a state-of-the-art laboratory, Family Tree DNA has established the world’s largest DNA database for genealogy and is well known for its work with National Geographic on the Genographic Project. All information is kept strictly confidential and is never shared.

Bennett Greenspan, President and CEO of Family Tree DNA said “We’re proud to work with MyHeritage to bring DNA testing to a much wider, global audience. The phenomenal size and reach of the global MyHeritage family network will create new horizons in collecting DNA data, helping many more people discover their ancestral origins”.

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the most popular family network on the web. Millions of families around the world enjoy having a private and free place for their families to keep in touch and to showcase their roots. MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ technology empowers users with an exciting and innovative way to find relatives and explore their family history. Following the November 2011 acquisition of FamilyLink in Provo, Utah, MyHeritage offers billions of historical records through its website WorldVitalRecords.com. With all family information stored in a secure site, MyHeritage is the ideal place to share family photos and preserve special family memories. The site is available in 38 languages. So far more than 62 million people have signed up to MyHeritage. The company is backed by Accel Partners and Index Ventures, the investors of Facebook and Skype. For more information visit www.myheritage.com

Press Contact

Daniel Horowitz                                   Schelly Talalay Dardashti                   Mark Olsen

Chief Genealogist                               US Genealogy Advisor                       Affiliate Manager

MyHeritage.com                                 MyHeritage.com                                 MyHeritage.com

Daniel@MyHeritage.com                   (505) 994.1554                                    (801) 687.0599

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Y-DNA Haplogroup Belonged to E1b1b1c1* (E-M34)

Published February 14th, 2012 in Ancient DNA, DNA Studies, Famous DNA | 3 Comments »

Researchers have recently discovered that Napoleon Bonaparte’s Y-DNA belongs to haplogroup E1b1b1c1* (M34+).

Dominique Vivant Denon was the director-general of French museums under Napoleon.  Denon made a reliquary (a container for relics) that included the beard of Henry IV, a tooth from Voltair, and a lock of Bonaparte’s hair. 1  The “Vivant-Denon reliquary” is currently deposited in the Bertrand Museum of Châteauroux, and contains in the “right lateral compartment” a lock of Napoleon’s hair (two of which were used for mtDNA analysis. 2  Also in the reliquary is three beard hairs belonging to Napoleon.

Interestingly, when the beard hairs were examined using scanning electron microscopy, it was discovered that they were covered by remnants of shaving soap and some microscopic iron debris from the razor used to cut the beard.

DNA was extracted from the base of two of the three hairs, and was then analyzed.  First, the DNA underwent an amologenin test to confirm that it was Y-DNA.  Next, the DNA was tested for the DYS19, XCAIIa, and YCAIIb Y-STRs, and for ten Y-SNPs in the following order: M125, M174, M35, M33, M123, M81 and M78, followed by M34, M84 and M290.

The Results

The testing showed the following Y-STR results: DYS19 = 13, XCAIIa = 19, and YCAIIb = 22 (which show a probability in Whit Athey’s predictor program of 76.5% E1b1b). 3  Further, the Y-SNP results suggested the haplogroup E1b1b1c1*.

Great-Great-Great Uncle Napoleon

The results were further compared to the Y-DNA profile of Prince Charles Napoleon Bonaparte, born in 1950, who is the 4th generation descendant of Napoleon’s younger brother Jérôme Bonaparte (1784-1860) (a family tree can be found in the article).  Not surprisingly, Charles’s DNA matched that of the DNA extracted from the beard, suggesting both that the beard hairs did belong to Napoleon and that the scientist’s results are likely accurate.

The article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License and is available through the journal’s website (here).

For more information:

Footnotes:

  1. B. Foulon, ed., Dominique-Vivant Denon: L’oeil de Napoléon, exh. cat., Paris: Musée du Louvre (Paris, 2000), 480. ↩
  2. Lucotte, et al. (2011) Haplogroup of the Y Chromosome of Napoleon the First. J. Mol. Biol. Research, 1:12-19. ↩
  3. Athey, W. (2006). Haplogroup prediction from Y-STR values using a Bayesian allele frequency approach. J. Genet. Geneal. 2:34-39. ↩

Ancestry.com’s Autosomal DNA Product – An Update

Published February 4th, 2012 in Genealogy | 4 Comments »

This morning’s Keynote at Rootstech 2012, was from Ancestry.com and was entitled “Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry.”  Although I was unable to attend Rootstech in person this year, I was able to view the keynote online.

During the panel discussion, we heard from Ken Chahine (LinkedIn profile), the Senior Vice President and General Manager, DNA at Ancestry.com.  From his profile at Ancestry.com:

Ken Chahine has served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Ancestry DNA, LLC since 2011. Prior to joining us he held several positions, including as Chief Executive Officer of Avigen, a biotechnology company, in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, and at Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals (currently Pfizer). Mr. Chahine also teaches a course focused on new venture development, intellectual property, and licensing at the University of Utah’s College of Law. He earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Florida State University.

During the keynote Dr. Chahine discussed the “revolution in the science of genomics” that many people really don’t appreciate yet.  He noted that this revolution is driving all sorts of new products and development.

Dr. Chahine stated that genealogists have been doing a good job so far of using DNA for family history, but so far it’s been pretty modest, typically turning to DNA when there is a problem.  With the revolution, however, “DNA is going turn into content.”  We can now look at millions and millions of markers throughout the genome regardless of male or female.  There are about 100 errors per generation, which are “breadcrumbs” or clues left by our ancestors about where they were in the past.  We will be able to get to the point where we can analyze and use that DNA content to tell us things like:

“what town did they live in in the past, and when did they live there, and things like that that are really going to revolutionize, I think, the way we think about DNA.”

In response to a question from the panel leader about the computational and analytical challenges to autosomal DNA products, Dr. Chahine noted that he has been building a team of computational biologists knowledgeable about DNA that have been creating and refining algorithms to analyze the date and present it in meaningful ways to users.

The panelists were also asked what would be one of the biggest changes to genealogy over the next 10 years.  Dr. Chahine offered the following:

“We’re also going to integrate DNA into records in a way that people may not think is immediately obvious, but the DNA is also going to help pick out who the right John Doe that you’re looking for in the future, and we’re working on things like that.”

Hearing from Dr. Chahine was extremely interesting, educational, and entertaining.

Why Autosomal DNA Testing?

It is clear that Ancestry.com is spending considerable amounts of time and money into their new autosomal DNA offerings.  Why would Ancestry.com spend so much time and money getting into the autosomal DNA business?  There are at least several important reasons, not the least of which is access to an enormous genealogy-minded consumer database (~1.7 million current subscribers to Ancestry.com, I believe).

However, perhaps the single most important reason for Ancestry.com to get into the autosomal DNA business is their almost-unrivaled ability to combine the results of DNA testing with an enormous database of traditional records.  Combining the results of autosomal DNA with family trees and paper records is, of course, the future of genetic genealogy.  Ancestry.com users have already been combining paper records with their family trees.  I, for example, have digitally connected numerous census and other records to individuals within my uploaded family tree.  In 2012 we will be able to add autosomal DNA as yet another layer to our family trees. For example, if John Doe and I both have family trees uploaded to Ancestry.com, and our testing reveals that we have shared DNA, we can connect that shared DNA to our shared ancestors.

In the not-so-distant future, once we have this massive combination of trees, records, and DNA, we might even be able to ask very advanced questions that we can currently only dream of:

  • What DNA/genes found today traveled to North America on the Mayflower?
  • Given my known family tree and my autosomal test results, from what ancestral individual in the Ancestry.com database might I have inherited this portion of DNA?
  • Based on the shared DNA of his ancestors, please recreate the genome my great-great-great-great-great grandfather John Doe.

It is important to understand that while the amount of both information and computing power necessary for these types of questions is enormous, it will likely be within the ability of the field over the next 5-20 years.

Are there any [currently outrageous] questions you can only dream of asking today but think might be answerable in the future using DNA?

A Preview?

In anticipation of the NBC series Who Do You Think You are, Ancestry.com released several video promos.  One of these promos (HERE) includes video at 1:02 of one of the celebrities reviewing what appears to be an ethnicity analysis (entitled “Genetic Ethnicity”) of his autosomal DNA, as well as the identification of a distant cousin (thanks to Cece Moore for pointing to the video (who in turn thanks Shannon!)).  The interface states that “Ancestry.com’s DNA analysis looks at your recent ethnicity, going back about 10 generations.”

According to the interface shown in the video, which is likely to be an early version, the test breaks down biogeographical ancestry not only into broad continental categories such as “European” and “African,” but also into regions within those categories.  For example, the results shown in the video are 74% African and 20% European.  Under the “African” tab, the results show 27% Bamoun, 22% Brong, 13% Yoruba, and 12% Igbo (a total of 74%!).

The interface also shows the locations of these groups superimposed on a map of Africa, as well as nodes which appear to represent connections (possibly genetic cousins) in those populations.  Clicking on a node, for example, brings up what appears to be a genetic cousin and shows the predicted relationship (here, a 10th cousin), various biographical information (including date of birth), a link to view the individual’s tree, and a contact link.

For More Information

Cece Moore at Your Genetic Genealogist also has a great series of posts about Ancestry.com’s new Autosomal DNA product:

Be sure to following The Genetic Genealogist, and I’ll be sure to share the latest information about Ancestry.com’s Autosomal DNA product with you.