Taking a DNA test - which company and why? Professor Turi King
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- turiking.co.uk/
Let's start the beginning. To get a DNA test done you need to buy one with one of the DNA testing companies, and depending on which company you go with, and which test you get done, that's going to cost you between about £70 and £150. The DNA test and to view basic results shouldn't cost you anything further, though please do bear in mind you may need to take out a subscription to access features, that you need to carry out your research.
So why test? Well generally people want to test for one of three reasons, the first is to find out where in the world they're getting matches to understand something about their ancestry, or to build out their family tree, or to find a particular individual, such as a biological parent.
Now it's important to say I am not sponsored by any company, but in terms of choosing a company to take a DNA test with, it's simple maths. The larger their database, the more likely it is that you're going to get the information that you're looking for, and for that reason I tend to suggest that people get tested with Ancestry. At the time of recording, Ancestry's database is getting on to be twice the size of its nearest rival, 23andMe, so it makes sense to test with them, but let's unpick this a bit.
If you're getting your DNA tested to see where you're getting matches in the world, to understand something about your ancestry, it makes sense to go for a company with a big database, with as many populations represented as possible. And that's because what they're doing is they're taking your DNA and they're comparing them against what's known as reference populations, to see where you're getting matches.
Now many of these reference populations are made up of other customers, who have known ancestry in a particular part of the world, but also because for some parts of the world DNA testing just isn't that popular, companies have been making use of publicly available data sets, as well as partnering with academic collaborators, who are carrying out their own genetic studies, in order to boost their coverage of underrepresented populations.
Now each company has its own database, which is why you'll get slightly different results, though they shouldn't be massively different, with each company. It's also why your results will change slightly as companies update their databases.
As I've said, the two companies with the biggest databases are Ancestry and 23andMe, so if you only want to find out about where in the world you're getting matches, then I recommend that you just go for the cheapest, you're going to get similar results with each of them and you don't need a subscription if all you want to do is find out your basic ancestry.
If you're looking for a particular person, or wanting to widen out your family tree, then your biggest hurdle is who has taken a DNA test and which company they've taken their DNA test with. Now it doesn't have to be the person you're looking for to have taken a DNA test, but you do need people who are relatively closely related to them to have taken one.
Now one thing to remember is that while you may not get helpful DNA matches right away, it may be that in a year, two years, somebody takes a DNA test and that proves to be a useful match, and you'll get periodic notifications of this.
As Ancestry has the biggest database, I recommend testing with them first and if you don't get good matches with them, and you can afford it, test with 23andMe as well. This is because the only way to access the databases of Ancestry and 23andMe is to pay to take a DNA test with them. Both of these companies allow you to download your raw data, which can then be uploaded, free of charge, to MyHeritage, LivingDNA, Family Tree DNA and the standalone database GEDmatch. this allows you to look for matches in their databases as well. However, depending on the results, you may need to take out a subscription to access features that you need to research your question.
Now if you're looking for a particular person you need to start to build your family tree based on whatever information you already have. Ancestry and MyHeritage are really good for this because they allow you to build your family tree on their website, though you may need to take out a subscription to access records. 23andMe don't have the tree building capabilities at the moment.
So, there you go, there's a quick introduction to the DNA testing companies that you might need to answer your question, good luck.
Representation: www.josarsby.c...
There are also health reasons to take them -- that was my second reason after finding a particular individual. That's how I found my mutation for genetic high cholesterol that's not responsive to diet.
Lucky you
Extremely helpful Turi...thank you! 🙂
This was a very helpful video that explained the different DNA companies out there. Especially helpful for me is knowing the companies I can upload my dna data too and what websites are good for building up family trees.!!!
I am of Dutch birth. I tested with FTDNA first. Some distant matches. Uploaded to MyHeritage. Many more matches, including some close family. Lastly I tested with Ancestry, and only got fourth cousins and further. If you are going to test with Ancestry, you might consider uploading your results to My Heritage, there may be a fee, but it could be worth it.
My daughter bought me the Ancestry test, so I started my family tree. It has Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville as my 16 x great grandparents! I must have went wrong somewhere with my tree, but I cannot find where, no matter how many times I recheck
This is very interesting. I have been studying my family tree for over 35 years and it is far easier since so much was available online. I consider myself to be English as for many generations my family have lived here and I can trace back my documented roots to the C15th on a few lines. I have done some DNA tests as described here and they are roughly similar, showing I am indeed a typical Englishman with Irish, Welsh, Scottish, French, German and general Northern European ancestry. The only odd result that turned up was from 23 and Me which suggested I have no English DNA at all. Very curious. As for building a family tree online, I particularly like Ancestry as it is simple to use and has some very useful tools. Just take care not to copy everything from people who say they have already researched some branches of your family as not everyone is as careful as you. Thanks very much for the video, Peter S
I have a subscription with ancestry for years. Is this a waste of money? I was very disappointed with my results. I was 97% Irish, 2% Faroe Islands and 1% Welsh. There was a curious line which said something like 'these are the results based on your geographic location'. I thought why did I spit in a tube based on that line... I could have made that analysis based on my own knowledge of my family tree. Anyway it was rumoured we had Spanish ancestry... which to my disappointment didn't show. I'm fair with green eyes.... some of my siblings are olive skinned with Brown eyes. Also our surname is Long which isn't a gaelic Irish surname so I am keen to trace the origins of this surname. To date I can go back as far as roughly 1820. I think that unless I can find connections on plantation records that as far as civil/parish records go back. Its time to call a professional in.
Just to add I always though that Long was an English surname but recently I discovered that it could be of German origin. The German Palatines settled nearby on a plantation and Long was on the list of German surnames. Some families moved to the Leslie Estate nearby in Tarbert, county Kerry in Ireland. I am going to visit the terribly tiny German Palatine Museum in Rathkeale, county Limerick in Ireland and see if I can find any record of the surname Long. There are decendents to this day farming in the area of the original German Palatine farmers from the late 1700's. There are church records, burials and plantation records. Maybe the Long surname is German after all.
More doesn't mean better. Ancestry & 23andme - better for USA, MyHeritage & FTDNA - better for Europeans.
You didn’t cover the storage of your DNA as part of this. For people who are concerned with the possibility of their DNA be used in the future, this is a big deal. When it first became popular 23 & Me were the only ones who didn’t store your DNA after testing. I’m not sure this is still the case.
why can they not tell the difference between New Zealand Maori and the Pacific Island nations - is this going to be possible long term
They are all Polynesian and New Zealand is just one of the islands that they migrated to. Same genetic stock.
My Heritage labels Maori through assigned genetic groups.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍
Imagine testing a finding Ted Bundy or Charle Manson in your family tree😇😊