Inexplicable DNA Test Results (1 Viewer)

[ucla1967]

Mine with 23andme was pretty accurate (French). Same for my daughter (we adopted her from Russia in Magadan, Siberia - btw you can only see the mother's side with girls since they are XX while boys are XY). I offered one kit to my father's in law who was born in Sweden from Swedish parents and again it was purely Nordic so no inaccuracy here. I also read somewhere that they used DNA from 500 years old bones (taken from cemeteries) to benchmark the whole thing (at least for Europe). This because 500 years ago people where not migrating too much from the place they were born in so they can pinpoint better the DNA group origins...

As I mentioned earlier, I will try a 23andme DNA test just to see how they compare especially with regard to my missing German ancestry.

 

[ucla1967]

They recently tracked down the Golden State Killer using one of the public DNA databases. Apparently someone in his extended family provided a sample and they were able to link it to his DNA and trace the family line to the most likely suspect in terms of age and geographic location. Pretty clever. A lot of nervous criminals out there now in old cold cases.

Yes, I was following this story closely even before they caught him and I was very impressed with how the they were able to find him after all these years. Maybe they can finally identify the Zodiac Killer using the same technique.

 

[ivanmoe]

I've read through the thread, and I'd encourage those who've been tested not to be overly concerned about their report...at least in terms of their genealogical backgrounds. However, some people get these test for health purposes. I find the idea that they may be making medical-related decisions based on a test that sounds a little flaky to be somewhat disconcerting. Perhaps "the industry" needs to be "regulated" because of that.

-Moe

 

[Combat]

Yes, I was following this story closely even before they caught him and I was very impressed with how the they were able to find him after all these years. Maybe they can finally identify the Zodiac Killer using the same technique.

Yes, I keep waiting to hear if they have tried the same technique on the Zodiac. I'm not exactly certain whether or not they have his DNA though. He wrote various letters and presumably licked the stamps/envelope but hard to say if they have a confirmed DNA sample. I vaguely recall that they thought they did. It would be great to resolve that case. There is a pretty good recent book on what DNA can and can't tell us (it's readable with a good deal of humor):

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes by Adam Rutherford

 

[ucla1967]

Yes, I keep waiting to hear if they have tried the same technique on the Zodiac. I'm not exactly certain whether or not they have his DNA though. He wrote various letters and presumably licked the stamps/envelope but hard to say if they have a confirmed DNA sample. I vaguely recall that they thought they did. It would be great to resolve that case. There is a pretty good recent book on what DNA can and can't tell us (it's readable with a good deal of humor):

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes by Adam Rutherford

My recollection is that they did indeed check for his DNA from the back of the postage stamps and envelopes, but it was in the early days of DNA testing and they didn't get any matches; however, they did eliminated some of their prime suspects. With the much better DNA testing of today and the use of it as in the the Golden State Killer case, maybe we can eventually catch him.

 

[ucla1967]

I've read through the thread, and I'd encourage those who've been tested not to be overly concerned about their report...at least in terms of their genealogical backgrounds. However, some people get these test for health purposes. I find the idea that they may be making medical-related decisions based on a test that sounds a little flaky to be somewhat disconcerting. Perhaps "the industry" needs to be "regulated" because of that.

-Moe

I am not overly concerned, just disappointed that it was so inaccurate in my case. I remember that 23andme got in trouble with the FDA a few years ago because of their medical diagnosis reporting and had to change what they reported.

 

[ucla1967]

About a month after I submitted my Ancestry DNA test, my sister also submitted hers to Ancestry. The ethnicity estimates were both showing very low percentages for our Europe West, German DNA which should have been about 50%, so at least the results were consistent in that regard. So, here is the comparison of our results: Europe South 51% & 61%, Great Britain 19% & 6%, Europe East 14% & 12%, Europe West (where our German DNA would be found) 5% & 4%. The confidence levels also differed regarding the Europe West results with mine being high and my sister's being low.

 

[bradleyl30]

About a month after I submitted my Ancestry DNA test, my sister also submitted hers to Ancestry. The ethnicity estimates were both showing very low percentages for our Europe West, German DNA which should have been about 50%, so at least the results were consistent in that regard. So, here is the comparison of our results: Europe South 51% & 61%, Great Britain 19% & 6%, Europe East 14% & 12%, Europe West (where our German DNA would be found) 5% & 4%. The confidence levels also differed regarding the Europe West results with mine being high and my sister's being low.

What is Europe East’s definition?

Also, might show how male DNA matching is more accurate than female since female DNA only has half the info

 

[ucla1967]

Ancestry defines Europe East as Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, etc. With some notable exceptions (Austria, Romania, and Hungary) most of these countries are Slavic in origin and language.

 

[bradleyl30]

Ancestry defines Europe East as Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, etc. With some notable exceptions (Austria, Romania, and Hungary) most of these countries are Slavic in origin and language.

Not always. Significant periods of the last 1000 years Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic and parts of Russia had significant German populations.

 

[ivanmoe]

Not always. Significant periods of the last 1000 years Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic and parts of Russia had significant German populations.

That's why Hitler considered them part of "Greater Germany." Putin is peddling the same sort of thing, today, in his "defense" of Russian minorities to the West. I believe that I read somewhere that Kiev was founded by the Vikings. All of this leads me to the conclusion that European populations are a lot more mixed than racial purists would have us believe.

-Moe

 

[ucla1967]

Not always. Significant periods of the last 1000 years Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic and parts of Russia had significant German populations.

Actually, I was aware that there were German populations found in some of these Slavic countries.