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Happy Holidays from all of us!
In
This Issue
Editor's
Corner
In the News:
Family Tree DNA Announcements
Genetic Genealogy:
Projects
Genetic Genealogy:
Haplogroups
Y DNA: SNPs Made
Simple
Recruiting
Participants: Keep It Simple
Case Studies in
Genetic Genealogy
In the Next Issue
Editor's
Corner
Welcome
to this issue of Facts & Genes, the only publication
devoted to Genetic Genealogy.
Begun in 2002, Facts
& Genes provides valuable information about utilizing
Genetic Genealogy testing for your genealogy, and keeps you
informed about the latest advancements in the field.
This Holiday Season, Family Tree DNA
is providing Gift Certificates for Y DNA Tests and mtDNA
tests. These Gift Certificates are an excellent
opportunity for new people to get tested or to join family
projects, and the limit of two per Surname
Project has been removed. Time is running out to
take advantage of the savings available, since the Gift
Certificates expire on December 31st. For more information,
see the article: "In the News: Family Tree DNA
Announcements".
Happy Holidays from all of
us!
If you change your email address, be sure to change
your address for the newsletter. To change your Email address,
go to the link below.
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/fgregister.asp?act=update
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Send your comments, suggestions, tips, and
feedback to: editor@.... We hope you enjoy this
issue.
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If you missed any of the past issues,
they can be found online at FamilyTreeDNA.com. Click on the
link below for the past issues of Facts & Genes:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp?act=past
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return to table of
contents
In
the News: Family Tree DNA Announcements
Family
Tree DNA is pleased to announce milestones achieved, Holiday
Gift Certificates, a new product, and new features.
1.
The following milestones have been achieved:
Family
Tree DNA now has over 50,000 Y-DNA records and 15,000 mtDNA
records in our database. We also have over 2,600 Surname
Projects, which include over 28,000
surnames.
Having at least 4 times the combined data
of all other databases of this kind in the world, the size of
the database is an important feature to look at when choosing
the company to test with, as the larger the database you are
compared with, the richer the information you will be
obtaining, whether it's about matches or about your ancestral
origins.
2. Holiday Gift Certificates
from Family Tree DNA
In recognition and
appreciation of our Group Administrators and the Genetic
Genealogy community, we are offering Gift Certificates to be
used by individuals that want to get tested. Gift Certificates
are for $30 and are available for participants who order a new
test kit for a Y DNA test for 25 or 37 markers. A $15.00 Gift
Certificate is available to participants who order a new test
kit for an mtDNA test.
To claim your Gift Certificate
from Family Tree DNA, click on the links below:
For a
$30.00 Y DNA Gift Certificate:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/giftcertyDNA.html
For
a $15.00 mtDNA Gift Certificate:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/giftcertmtDNA.html
Then
order your test kit through the appropriate Surname Project.
If you don't know if a Surname Project exists for your
surname, click on the link below to search our database of
Surname Projects:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/surname.asp
Then
place your order as a member of the Surname
Project.
These Gift Certificates can be used to order a
Y DNA test for 25 or 37 markers, or an mtDNA test. Gift
Certificates are not valid for Y DNA 12 marker orders,
upgrades, or add-ons.
The Gift Certificates expire on
December 31, 2005. The test kits must be ordered and paid by
December 31, 2005.
Take advantage of this opportunity,
and claim a Gift Certificate. The Gift Certificates can be
used to order the test you have been thinking of taking, to
buy a gift for that needed participant, or to give a gift of
discovery this Holiday Season.
To redeem your Gift
Certificate:
* When paying by credit card, after you
place your order, contact Juliew@... and provide
the kit number, and a refund of the value of the Gift
Certificate will be posted to the credit card used in the
purchase.
* When paying by the invoice method, after
you place your order, contact Juliew@... and
provide the kit number. We must receive your payment by
December 31, 2005, or the Gift Certificate will
expire.
3. New Product: Deep Clade
Panel SNP Tests
Family Tree DNA is pleased
to announce a new product, Deep Clade Panel SNP tests. Our
tests are the most comprehensive panel available on the
market.
Our Deep Clade Panel tests are designed for
genealogists, and look at every twig on the Y DNA tree to
correctly identify your branches on the Y DNA tree. This
approach insures that your investment in this test is
maximized.
The first Deep Clade Panels available are
for Haplogroups E3b, G, I, J, Q, and R1a and R2 (India
sub-continent), and further tests will be announced in
2006.
For an explanation of these tests, and further
information, please see the two articles below in this
newsletter, titled:
Genetic Genealogy: Haplogroups
Y
DNA: SNPs Made Simple
4. Join
Options Increased
On your Personal Page you
can now use the Join button to join more than two DNA
Projects, as defined below. For more information about the DNA
Projects available, see the article below titled "Genetic
Genealogy: Projects."
Males can join:
* Up
to 2 Surname Projects that research individuals that have the
same surname or a variant. Joining a Surname Project could be
very helpful to verify relationships with individuals that
share a similar surname.
* One Y-DNA Geographical
Project to verify a possible point of origin for the paternal
line.
* One Y-DNA Haplogroup Project, according to the
resulting Y-DNA Haplogroup.
Females and Males can
join:
* One mtDNA Lineage Project that research
individuals that have or suspect having the same maternal
line.
* One mtDNA Geographical Project to verify a
possible point of origin for the maternal line.
* One
mtDNA Haplogroup Project, according to the resulting mtDNA
Haplogroup.
-----
If you are thinking of
starting a Surname Project, now is the time to get started.
Our educational resources, combined with our email and
telephone consultation, help you each step of the way. Being
confused or overwhelmed will quickly pass, and be replaced
with the excitement of new discoveries.
Anyone with
experience with family history research can start a Surname
Project. We supply the tools and guidance so your Surname
Project is successful.
There are just two steps to take
to become a Group Administrator of a Surname
Project:
1. Find out if a Surname Project exists for
your surname. Click on the link below to search our database
of Surname Projects:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/surname.asp
2.
If a Surname Project has not been established for your
surname, then use the email contact below to establish a
Surname Project, or to discuss establishing a Surname
Project:
bcg@... for Bennett Greenspan
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contents
Genetic
Genealogy: Projects
The
following types of DNA Projects are available at Family Tree
DNA.
Surname Projects
These projects are for Y DNA,
which is only found in males. A Y DNA test result would tell
you about your father, his father, and back in time, following
the direct male line.
A Surname Project is established
for a surname and variants. These projects provide valuable
information to assist you with your genealogy research, and
will determine which family trees are related. If you are
female, you need to find a male, such as a brother or father,
to participate.
Often Surname Projects include mtDNA
testing, where a male or female tests to discover information
about their direct female ancestor.
mtDNA Lineage
Project
These projects research individuals that have or
suspect having the same maternal line.
Geographical Projects
These projects are
established to search for a common origin. These projects can
be for Y DNA, mtDNA, or both.
Haplogroup
Projects
These projects have been established for a
haplogroup, either Y DNA or mtDNA, to verify patterns and to
develop further knowledge about the haplogroup and associated
migrations.
return to table of
contents
Genetic
Genealogy: Haplogroups
When
you take a Y DNA test for 12, 25, or 37 markers, your test
result is called a haplotype. Different, although similar,
haplotypes descend from a common yet potentially distant
ancestor and both of you descend from a common
haplogroup.
Haplogroups represent the branches of the
tree of Homo Sapiens. Every male in the world can be located
on one of the branches of the tree. The branch of the tree is
identified by a SNP test, which is pronounced as "snip."
The branches of the tree of Homo Sapiens are labeled A
through R.
If you have taken a Y DNA test, there is a
tab on your Personal Page called "Haplogroup." When you click
on this tab, the proprietary system at Family Tree DNA will
predict your haplogroup, based on your 12 marker haplotype.
This prediction algorithm compares your 12 marker Y DNA result
with our database of Y DNA 12 marker results and in over 90%
of the cases makes a prediction.
On your Haplogroup
page your 12 marker matches with the haplogroup database are
shown, along with your prediction. At the bottom of the page
is a description of your haplogroup.
If exact and close
matches on the Haplogroup page all show the same haplogroup,
then your prediction is solid, and testing is not required to
confirm your haplogroup. If more than one haplogroup is shown
for these matches, then your haplogroup prediction is
conflicting, and a test Y-backbone test is needed to confirm
your haplogroup.
Your haplogroup prediction can be
confirmed by a SNP test. An individual SNP test looks at a
specific location on the Y chromosome to determine if a
mutation occurred. A haplogroup is defined by a mutation that
occurred some thousands of years ago. These mutations are
called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, or SNPs.
The
major branches of the Y-DNA tree of Homo Sapiens are labeled A
through R. These major branches have additional branches,
where a haplogroup is broken down into sub-haplogroups. For
example, perhaps you belong to haplogroup J. Haplogroup J is
broken down into J1, J2, and J*. The system for identifying
the branches of the Y DNA tree alternates letters and numbers.
An asterisk is used to denote those who do not fit a defined
branch. If you belong to haplogroup J, and are not J1 or J2,
then you belong to J*.
Some haplogroups have more
branches and twigs than other haplogroups. The level of break
down of a haplogroup is based on the SNPs found and published
upon by (usually) some team of molecular biologists and
population geneticists.
Anthropologists follow SNPs to
determine ancient migratory patterns and deep ancestral
dating, such as when Europe was settled.
You can see a
graphic representation of a current Y DNA tree at the
following link:
Y-chromosome Phylogenetic
Tree
http://www.ftDNA.com/haplotree.html
Your
haplogroup is defined by a mutation that occurred thousands of
years ago, and was passed down to subsequent generations.
Additional mutations also define the branches on the tree, the
sub-Haplogroups. SNPs are tested to identify your sub-branches
too.
The SNP test will confirm or deny the predicted
haplogroup. If it occurs that the predicted Haplogroup is not
confirmed, we will continue to test your sample until a SNP
confirmation is found for your sample.
It is important
to remember that only one SNP test is necessary for a group of
persons in a Surname Project who match. For those who take a
SNP test to confirm their haplogroup, the results of your test
also apply to the others in your Surname Project who are a
match or close match. Therefore, only one SNP test needs to be
taken by a member of a group whose results match or are a
close match. There are situations when a SNP test is not
necessary: when the results of a haplogroup search predict a
single haplogroup.
For more information about
haplogroups, see the following articles:
Understanding
Your Genetic History:
Haplogroups
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp?act=show&nk=2.2
Understanding
Your Results:
Haplogroups
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp?act=show&nk=2.3
Understanding
Your Results: Y DNA
Haplogroup
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp?act=show&nk=2.10
For
an understanding of your deep ancestry and the SNPs that have
occurred as humans have populated the earth, consider the book
or video "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey" by Spencer
Wells, listed on our resource page:
Video and Books we
recommend
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/books.html
return to table of
contents
Y
DNA: SNPs Made Simple
There
are two types of SNP tests:
- Backbone
- Deep
Haplogroup
The Backbone SNP tests looks at all branches
of the tree from A to R to determine which haplogroup, or
major branch of the tree, a male belongs to. For more
information on haplogroups, see the article above, titled:
"Genetic Genealogy: Haplogroups."
Once your general
haplogroup is known, you can then use Deep Haplogroup test to
identify the other SNP mutations that have occurred in your
specific line?placing you on your twig of the Y DNA tree. This
can resolve your deeper (deep!) ancestry to within a tighter
time frame better than 20,000-40,000 years commonly associated
with the major branches of the tree.
The SNPs we offer
have been culled from the scientific literature. These SNPs
have been verified to have occurred at some frequency in the
male population. Perhaps most importantly tests have been
performed to verify that these SNPs do not occur in other
populations, therefore identifying a unique branch on the Y
DNA tree!
This is an evolving science and new
discoveries are being made regularly. Therefore we will
provide you both the name of the SNP tested and the present
corresponding nomencaltute i.e. test: M172 + (positive)
current corresponding Y tree: J2. We?ll also tell you which
SNPs you were not, or ? (negative), for all branches in the
panel of tests run on your specific sample.
The process
of verifying the SNP involved testing a large population of
males and determining a corresponding time frame which
identifies the age of the different sub-groups of the
branch.
Family Tree DNA, which introduced the concept
of haplogroups to the genetic genealogy community in 2003,
provides the most comprehensive Deep Haplogroup Panel
available in the world today. The Deep Haplogroup test is
available for Haplogroups E3b, G, I, J, Q, and R1a and R2
(India sub-continent), and further tests will be announced in
2006.
The value of a Deep Haplogroup test is to
identify your twig on the Y DNA tree and then to use this
information along with the reams of scientific literature to
determine the geographic locations, and potentially the
migration path for your lineage. As research progresses, more
geographical specificity associated with SNPs will emerge.
To view all of the Deep Haplogroup branches tested by
Family Tree DNA please
see:
http://www.familytreedna.com/deepclade.html
To
order a Deep Haplogroup test log in to your personal page and
click the Haplogroup tab to see if you may order the
test!
return to table of
contents
Recruiting
Participants: Keep It Simple
To
effectively recruit participants, be sure to keep your
presentation simple. Technical terms are not required, and
will often intimidate a potential participant.
A
simple, non-technical explanation of the test will go a long
way to overcome fears and concerns, and result in a higher
recruiting rate.
A potential participant does not need
a biology education or a discourse on haplogroups to make a
decision to participate. If extensive technical information is
provided, this will often result in overwhelming the potential
participant, and provides them with reasons to delay making a
decision, or provides an opportunity for them to formulate
objections.
Whether recruiting with an email, letter,
conversation, or web site, a simple presentation will result
in more participants.
return to table of
contents
Case
Studies in Genetic Genealogy
In
each issue of the Newsletter, we present a situation which you
may encounter as you utilize Genetic Genealogy testing for
your family history research, followed by our recommendation.
Case Study
==========
I have a brother or a
father who could participate. Would one be better than the
other?
Recommendation
==============
The best
approach is to select your father. Your brother would
represent another generation, and this is another opportunity
for a mutation to occur.
Mutations are random events,
and it cannot be predicted when a mutation would occur. All
mutations occur between a father and son. Although mutations
are infrequent, and most likely your brother does not have a
mutation, it is possible that he does. Therefore, testing your
father would increase the probability of an exact match with
related individuals.
return to table of
contents
In
the Next Issue
We
hope you have enjoyed this issue of Facts & Genes. Please
feel free to contact the editor with your comments, feedback,
questions to be addressed, as well as suggestions for future
articles. If you are a Group Administrator and can help others
with tips or suggestions, please contact:
editor@...
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