On January 13, 2009, Ancestry.com DNA announced a new release to the website and service with some exciting and significant new features and changes. One of which includes a new home for our BLOG. We will now reside under the umbrella of the Ancestry.com blog family.
We hope you will join us there. We thank you for your contributions to our blog. More on the release can be found here.
ATTENTION former Relative Genetics Y 26 customers: Ancestry.com DNA will upgrade over 1500 tests in its database from 26 Y chromosome markers to the full Ancestry.com DNA Y 46 marker set and refine match comparisons as a result. This means that if you had only an RG Y DNA 26 test, your new expanded profile could potentially be increased to a full Y DNA 46 profile!
The additional markers will refine the MRCA calculation. Furthermore, this complimentary upgrade will allow users to more easily compare potential matches on a side-by-side basis.
Please be aware that not all extended DNA profiles will be full data sets. Sorenson Genomics is not re-running any of the samples to get complete profiles. If you fall into this category, please visit Ancestry.com DNA where an additional test can be purchased.
If you or one of your group members received a Y DNA 26 marker test through Sorenson Genomics via Relative Genetics, you will want to check out the extended DNA profile by logging into Ancestry.com DNA and clicking on the Test Results link on the left hand side of the My DNA Console page. Be sure to check out your DNA matches as well.
We are delighted to host over 3000 Ancestry.com DNA Groups. What’s more, the activity among the groups is encouraging for genetic genealogists worldwide. Perhaps you have noticed that some of the groups are quite elaborate and visual in their representation. While this presentation is not necessary to collaborate, it does keep the group interesting and alive. Customizing your group’s appearance with images can be fun and it’s easy to do.
Images of Members
Photos of group members can be added and will appear next to the member name on the member list and contact list. To add a profile picture, simply:
Group Images
The group home page has a designated space for displaying images on a rotating basis. Use this space to display additional family photos, crests, geographic images, etc. applicable to the entire group. Captions can also be added during the upload process. This is a great method to introduce “new” dna cousins to the other members along the family lines. To upload images, follow these steps:
Additional customizations such as backgrounds can also be added to your group which we shall cover in an upcoming post.
Hardly a news report goes by these days without some discussion of the bleakness of the economy and the immediate outlook, even for the holidays. Bah Humbug!
Ancestry.com DNA wants to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. We're passing on some savings to each of our users. Now until December 31, 2008, all DNA tests are 40% off.
Maternal Lineage test is now $107.40
You do not need to be an Ancestry.com subscriber to take advantage of these savings. Finding genetic cousins and expanding your family tree may be a little easier this holiday season.
So, you've heard all the buzz about genalogical DNA testing, but are not quite sure if you are eligible or not.
The good news is that anyone, men and women, can get meaningful information to contribute to genealogical research and success.
A woman can ask her brother, father, grandfather, uncle or cousin (son of a paternal uncle) to contribute DNA for the paternal DNA test. These results will allow her to fully trace her paternal lineage.
DNA genealogy testing does not solve ALL genealogical questions. It can not reveal a specific ancestor's name and is popularly only applied to the direct maternal or paternal lineages. And while many people connect right away, for others the connections come as the database grows.
With any Ancestry.com DNA test, you receive:
An online explanation of the meaning of your personal test results.
Automatic entry into our secure database, for current and future matching with other participants. Some members find matches right away and all members are emailed when new matches enter the database.
Access to your personal interactive world map showing possible genetic cousins and your probable familial connection to them.
Our secure email service connects you to your possible new relatives.
A printable certificate with your results, ancient ancestral migration map, and ancestral Haplogroup name.
Visit dna.ancestry.com for more information.
Ancestry.com DNA Groups are so much more than surnames. Joining DNA Groups allows members to connect by last name, ethnic origin, time period, location or any other common factor. Everyone is welcome and anyone can start or join our DNA Groups. The members set the spirit of the group. Some groups are document-rich and research oriented, while others are celebratory, making emotional connections.
Groups automatically organizes group DNA results, giving you a head start on developing new and existing branches of your family tree. You can view your DNA test results and confirm or refute previously unclear family connections.
Social networking is just the beginning of the storytelling you find on DNA Groups. Any member can contribute interesting info: pictures, videos, discussions, documents and more.
With over 3000 DNA Groups, chances are good that you will find one relevant to your family or ancestry. Can't find a group that's right for you? Let's say your family has a connection to Jamestown... or the Choctaw... or maternal haplogroup A, but no groups appear in your search. No worries! You can create a new Group and act as Administrator.
Search our DNA Groups Directory and become a member of DNA Groups.
Ancestry.com DNA and 23andMe have teamed up to give you a more expansive look at your genes by providing enriched content for the Ancient Ancestry information delivered in your Ancestry.com DNA results.
This partnership provides Ancestry.com DNA members with a 23andMe demo account, including free personalized ancestry information. This account will allow you to read additional information about your maternal and paternal haplogroups, including detailed maps, scholarly history and the descriptive evolutionary haplogroup tree for both the maternal and paternal ancestral lines. You will also receive an insider's look into the other 23andMe genome services such as health and traits, global similarity, and family inheritance.
Now, you can learn even more about your genome and get additional information about your ancient ancestral haplogroup with Ancestry.com's DNA partner, 23andMe.
Group Administrators have asked for help in evaluating new member requests. In the recent release of Ancestry.com's DNA service is the inclusion of a requestor's most recent common ancestor (MRCA) added to the group join request. The system will automatically evaluate for a genetic match to the rest of the group. This feature provides an analysis of the requesting user's Y DNA and reports to the Administrator the closest MRCA value with members of the group. This will allow an admin to evaluate the DNA suitability of the prospective member prior to admission to the group.
The MRCA value provides a generational range where two participants may have shared a common ancestor. This new feature provides an objective measure which the admins can use to determine if a person is a good fit (and approve his membership request) or if he should instead be dismissed.
Enjoy this new feature and please let us know what you think.
Who doesn't want a greater opportunity for finding genetic cousins? Ancestry DNA recently released a seamless search of the expansive Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation's (SMGF) database. Simply log into your Ancestry DNA account and click on DNA Matches. A table of comparative matches within the growing Ancestry database is presented. Just below the table is a link to find more matches by searching SMGF. Simply click on the search button and presto--your dna values are automatically entered into SMGF's search page. There's no transcribing or re entering. It's that easy.
The Sorenson mtDNA database contains data from more then 51,000 people throughout the world and each record includes a pedigree chart. The Sorenson Y-database contains data from more then 23,000 men throughout the world and each record includes a pedigree chart.
We are excited to provide this additional feature to our users. Be sure to visit Ancestry DNA often as new features are released regularly.
Ancestry DNA released new enhancements to its search and comparison functionality on Wednesday July 23, 2008. These new features bring greater insight into a potential comparison immediately upon a search of individuals; and opens the people search to all visitors of Ancestry.com DNA. Finding new relatives is as easy as 1-2-3...search, compare, and collaborate.
Search for People
Directly from the Home Page any visitor can perform a search of the Ancestry DNA 
database both by group and now also by individual. Simply type in the surname of an individual you are interested in to begin your journey to finding potential relatives.
DNA Comparison
The people search results screen has been updated to provide an MRCA distance for paternal tests and an indication of the number of maternal differences, if 
applicable. This means that you can now visually scroll down the page and see which of all those Smiths is the closest relation to you. In other words, a user will now be able to automatically see how close a match his DNA results are with anyone in the entire database--saving a lot of research time and guess work.
Together, these 2 "time-savers" allow any visitor searching Ancestry.com's DNA database to immediately tell who is or is not a close match; and once a promising candidate is identified, you can immediately begin to dig deeper within the
participant's profile. The updated participant profile includes a new comparison feature (in addition to the name, test type, haplogroup, and listing of all the groups the user is a member of) so that you can compare your own DNA results to the newly found person. This is the same results comparison functionality as is currently provided for close matches in the My Results page.
This glimpse into the participant's activity and DNA lays a foundation for more detailed collaboration and targeted group discussions. We welcome all users and visitors to take advantage of these new features and encourage all to start or join a group with your newly found relatives. Let us know what you think of these new features and which additional ones you'd like to see implemented.
