HOT TOPICS
Last revised 7 July 2010

There is now a DNA test that everyone – males and females – can use in their genealogical research.   This test looks at close relationships along all ancestral lines and is not restricted to only the paternal (Y-DNA) or maternal (mtDNA) lines.

Anyone, regardless of their gender, will be able to match to male and female cousins from any of their family lines in the past five generations.  Linked blocks of DNA across the 22 autosomal chromosomes are matched between two people. As with our Y-DNA projects, the database for this test will need to grow.  In the beginning you may not have any/many matches.    Hopefully many of our Y-DNA participant pioneers will be able to invest in this test and enhance the database.  FTDNA's test is called Family Finder. 

This test uses SNPs (not STRs) on all chromosomes and mtDNA.  I’ve been experimenting with Family Finder (FTDNA) and Relative Finder (23andme) with mixed results.  FTDNA added Family Finder in 2010.    23andme began as a company testing for health related matters.  They began beta testing their “Relative Finder” feature in November 2009 and then added “Genetic Testing for Health, Disease & Ancestry” as one of their products. 

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Ancestry.com - DNA Ancestry – adding your data (on going subject)

I said I would wait about one year and see how this develops before I decided whether or not to include my father’s Y-DNA.  I started experimenting there with mixed results.  I hoped to upload some of our group modals.  I started doing this but ran into program bugs and have stopped for a while. I’ll report more on this when they fix the bugs.     Reminder: I will not submit information to them for anyone in my projects.  That is an individual decision.