Tag Archives: dna

Perceptions of Relationship

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In a project I’m working on I have been giving some thought to how we relate to others, but also how we perceive we relate to others. These are not necessarily the same. Certainly it’s possible to be closer socially with cousins that are more distantly related than other cousins, but that’s a choice. What I am thinking about is how we actually perceive we are related to others, and are we right? How would we judge that in any case?

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the traditional ‘cousin calculator’ chart, such the the one below (click to enlarge):

Traditional Cousin Calculator Chart

For those of you unfamiliar with how a cousin calculator works, you take two people and determine their common ancestor. You move in one direction (i.e. along the top) from the common ancestor until you reach the relationship of the first person to the common ancestor. You then move in the other direction (i.e. down along the side) until you reach the relationship of the second person to the common ancestor. The box where those two lines merge is the relationship between the two people. For example, if you are the great-grandchild and someone else is the grandchild of a common ancestor, you move along the top to the third column for great-grandchild, and down to the second row for the grandchild, and the box that is in the 3rd column and the second row is 1st Cousin, Once Removed.

If you take a close look, you’ll notice I’ve color-coded the chart how I think we normally perceive relationships. Essentially, our sibling and parents are one degree away, our nieces/nephews and 1st cousins are two degrees away, and so forth. A second cousin is generally perceived as one degree further away from us than a first cousin. A first cousin, once removed is, at least to me, in the same category as a second cousin, and that’s what this chart shows.

Now how can we actually determine how closely we’re related? One simple method is by how much DNA we share. If we add in the percentage of DNA present between any two relatives to the chart it looks a bit different (click to enlarge):

DNA Cousin Calculator Chart

Note in the above chart that I’ve changed the color coding to match the percentages of shared DNA. The colors no long take a box shape around the common ancestor, but instead move out in the straight line. What we can see by looking at the numbers is that actually the degree of relationship is moving twice as fast as we perceived before. From a first cousin to a second cousin, the amount of shared DNA is one quarter, not one half. We perceive the second cousin as being twice as distant a relative as a first cousin, but from the perspective of DNA, they are actually four times as distant!

I know one of my 5th cousins, and we share just 0.049% DNA. That’s a half of a tenth of a percent. Not very much. Anyways, this was just an attempt to create some kind of objective view of family relationships. Of course, nothing having to do with family is really objective, right?

$50 off 23andMe DNA Testing

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I haven’t yet discussed Autosomal DNA testing in depth on this site (so much to do, so little time) but for those who are interested in DNA testing for genealogy AND for health reasons, 23andMe is a good choice. I won’t go into all the things you should do to evaluate the companies that provide these services, but if you’ve determined on your own that you’re interested in 23andMe, now might be a good time to go for it. 23andMe reduced their starting cost to $99 some time back (with a commitment of one year of subscription service at $9/month). You can get a no-commitment sign-up for $399.

Believe it or not, there are actually genealogical hints that can be derived from the heath side of 23andMe’s offering. Carrier status of diseases, or specific shared traits, can help group people together or show that someone’s origin isn’t exactly what they thought. A member of our local genealogical society who is Ashkenazi, who had suspected possible Sephardi roots, found on 23andMe that he was a carrier for Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), which among Jewish people is almost exclusively in the Sephardi population (like the many other diseases which are unfortunately exclusive among Ashkenazi Jews). That doesn’t confirm a Sephardi link, but it is a good indicator that he may be on the right track.

Anyways, why do I bring all this up now? Simply because 23andMe is offering a $50 coupon this week (expires August 9), bringing the start-up cost to $49 (plus $9/mo or $118 in the first year for subscription). Even with the subscription cost, that’s very inexpensive compared to what these tests have cost in the past.

So here’s the coupon:

$50 Off
Coupon code: BG6HQY
Share with your friends!
(Valid for new customers only) 

In order to use the coupon, just add an order to the shopping cart on their site, and then add the above discount code to the order.

If you do order a kit, post in the comments how the process goes in ordering, using the kit, and when you get your results.

If you’re already using 23andMe, you can’t use the coupon, but feel free to comment on your experiences so others can learn about it.

FamilyTree DNA Upgrade Sale (June 15-22)

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For those who have already purchased tests from FamilyTree DNA, they are offering a sale for the next week when ordering upgrades to those tests. For example, if you had a 12-marker Y-DNA test, you can receive a discount for ordering the upgrade to 25, 37, or 67 markers. No discount on the 111-marker test it seems, but I guess that’s to be expected since it is so new. The biggest discount is on the Family Finder test, which is $199 instead of the normal $289.

The upgrades that are discounted include:

Family Finder Was $289 Now $199
Y-DNA 12 to 25 Was $49 Now $35
Y-DNA 12 to 37 Was $99 Now $69
Y-DNA 12 to 67 Was $189 Now $148
Y-DNA 25 to 37 Was $49 Now $35
Y-DNA 25 to 67 Was $148 Now $114
Y-DNA 37 to 67 Was $99 Now $79
mt to FMS Was $269 Now $229
mtPlus to FMS Was $239 Now $199

The sale runs from June 15 through June 22. To get these prices, you must log in to FamilyTree DNA using your kit number and password, and then click on the ‘Special Offers’ link on the left-hand navigation bar.

If you’re new to genetic genealogy and want to get a discount for a new test, I suggest ‘Liking’ FamilyTree DNA on Facebook. They offered one-day discounts when they reached 5,000 and 10,000 followers, and have promised to do the same when they reach 15,000 followers. As I write this they’re currently at 12,208 people who like their page, so it will probably be sometime in the next month or two that they will reach 15,000. If you use Facebook, then Like FamilyTree DNA and watch the Like count so you will know when they announce their sale (which will be on their Facebook page).

Speaking on Genetic Genealogy next week in Modi’in

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For those in Israel, you are invited to come to a lecture I am giving in Modi’in next week (in English) on June 20 at 7:15pm on the use of DNA for genealogy. This will be at the June meeting of the Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) in Modi’in, and will take place at 51 Yigal Yadin St., in the meeting room at on the first floor (across from the elevators) in what is one of the Dimri Towers buildings. For those who don’t know Modi’in, it is right across the street from the train station (and not far from the mall) in the center of town.

I will be giving an introductory (and practical) lecture on the use of DNA for genealogy (similar to the lecture I gave in Ra’anana last month), followed by Richard Gussow, who will be furthering the theme by discussing the topic:

“The WIRTH Group – or how a “pureblood” Ashkenazi discovered his Sephardic roots – and more!”

It promises to be a very interesting discussion and I welcome everyone to come, listen and ask questions.

As with all meetings in Modi’in of the Israel Genealogical Society, the first meeting is free for interested people, so even if you’re not a member of IGS you can attend this lecture for free. Of course, if you’re interested in joining IGS, we’ll have membership forms available (and you can take advantage of the current membership discount for the rest of the year – 100nis instead of the normal 180nis).

If you think you’re going to be coming, please send me an e-mail to let me know.

Speaking: The ABCs of DNA in Ra’anana, Israel on May 11

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For those of you in Israel, I will be speaking on May 11th at the Ra’anana (English-speaking) branch of the Israel Genealogical Society (IGS) on the topic:

The ABCs of DNA: An introduction to using DNA tests and their benefits for genealogical research

This will be a basic overview of how DNA testing can be used to supplement your existing genealogical research. I will start with a short overview of the science involved, then discuss the three main types of tests available, Y-DNA, mtDNA and Autosomal DNA tests. If you’re interested in finding out how these tests work, and how you can apply the results to your genealogy research, this will be a good way to learn more about the topic.

The lecture begins at 7:15pm at Beit Fisher, 5 Klausner Street in Ra’anana. Admission is free to IGS members, 20nis for non-members.

For the full schedule of Israel Genealogical Society events in May, see the IGS calendar.