You know, a few folks have taken me to task for sharing my husband's DNA testing results in an online video and some postings, such as this comparison by Ann Turner. But in my perspective the genetic genie is out of the bottle (well, maybe not all the way out, but definitely in the process of uncorking itself), so I suspect the day will soon come that sharing my husband's results (and yes, for those who asked, I had his OK!) will be regarded as very ho-hum.
Why did I do it? Because testing is still quite expensive, but the more we all know about this, the more we'll all learn. So I share results because I have the luxury of doing so, and we all benefit from the minds of the brilliant few who actually trouble to do anything with all that data.
Even so, I guess turnabout is fair play. So now it's my turn to share some of my own results. Many are familiar with DNAPrint Genomics, a company that offers a test known by a variety of names -- BioGeographical, admixture, AncestrybyDNA, etc. If you test as at least 50% European, you can take a closer look at that European portion of your heritage. Such a test -- the 1.0 version -- has been available for several years. But the results of the 2.0 version just now became available (as in, a couple of hours ago), so here, without further ado, are mine:
My overall genetic heritage is estimated -- by the standard AncestrybyDNA test -- to be approximately 86% European. If you check out the bar chart, you'll see that this European portion of my ancestry is said to break down to roughly:
22.3% Southeastern European
13.9% Northeastern European
44.1% Continental European
13.0% Iberian
5.6% Basque
If you can squint enough to follow the color coding back to the map, you'll be able to see the geographic correspondence for each of these.
Does it ring true? I'm half-Irish and half-Carpatho-Rusyn (think Slavic), so yes, I expected to be something of a mutt. The most surprising aspect? The Iberian and Basque coming to almost 20%. I think if I try hard enough, I might be able to rationalize a jaunt to the region for some roots-tourism!
Comments (2)
Megan,
Interesting. Surprised, are you?
Some questions:
1) Sounds like you have an Iberian marauder in your Irish side. It sort of says that it is in your great-grandparents generation, doesn't it? Does it mean that one or more of your great-grandparents descended from Iberian people - I wonder when? It could be back before Columbus, couldn't it?
2) Do you have ancestry in each of the countries with a dot, or does it just ID the regions? Obviously, Basque is very specific, while Continental European is not.
3) How much does this test cost? I know I could clikc on the web site, but thought you might want to tell everybody via your blog!
Thanks -- Randy
Posted by Randy Seaver | April 14, 2008 4:06 AM
Posted on April 14, 2008 04:06
Hey Randy,
This test uses autosomal DNA -- meaning we enter the world of probability and statistics -- so you can't conclude too much directly. For instance, the Iberian portion could be the result of recent influx or an accumulation from many ancestors, each of whom had some Iberian in their respective genetic pool. Also, the report mentions wiggle room of roughly 7%, so the Basque, for instance, is suspect. It could be 5.6% as stated -- or it could be 0%. Or, say, 10%. But all the other figures are double digits, so a little more solid.
re: your second question, the colored dots in the countries are the testing company's, not my ancestry. Having said that, I do have ancestry in Ireland and right around the area where the blue, green and red dots converge in Europe, so a respectable overlap.
And finally, it's expensive. $650 if you're testing with the company for the first time, or $550 for an upgrade, if you've tested with them before. But for that, they're testing 1,349 European Ancestry Informative Markers.
Hope that helps a bit! Take care, Megan
Posted by Megan | April 14, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on April 14, 2008 14:39