New Results are Alternative Facts

[MMaddi]

The main value in FTDNA for me is FamilyFinder autosomal matches -- WAAAY better than either 23&Me or AncestryDNA for that purpose. More people test with Ancestry, but Ancestry won't show where your matching chromosome segments are -- useless! Also, about 90% of the user trees on Ancestry are full of errors -- they all just copy each other's wrong information. Ancestry is also TOO conservative in calling something a match, so you miss many real matches. 23&Me provides good chromosome matching info., but many, many users choose to be anonymous or are obsessed with privacy and won't share their results. If you can get Ancestry matches to upload to GEDmatch, it's helpful, but I could not do the analysis I'm doing (mapping all my and my brothers' chromosomes) without FTDNA. The My Origins results are ridiculous (they give vastly different origins for me and my three brothers), but it is not wise to trust ANY admixture results -- others might be better, but they still are mostly guesswork. They are certainly no reason to have DNA testing done!

I agree with the points above, which I've bolded.

Ancestry is obstinate about refusing to provide a chromosome browser as a research tool to their customers. They seem to believe that it will confuse their customers or most of their customers aren't interested in getting segment information. Maybe that's because so many of their customers see the silly commercials - "I had to trade in my lederhosen for a kilt" - that only talk about ethnicity estimates and order the test on a lark. I don't go to cocktail parties, but I wonder how much banter is wasted at cocktail parties with people discussing their ethnicity estimate. They have many customers, both genetic genealogists and adoptees, who know how to use a chromosome browser and need that for their research, but Ancestry doesn't listen to them.

Yes, Ancestry is too conservative in their estimates of how closely related matches are. It seemed to occur after they started using their Timber algorithm last year. Here are some examples in my match list:

Estimated possible 3rd-4th cousin - paper-trail proven 2nd cousin (two of these who are 1st cousins to each other)

Estimated possible 4th-6th cousin - paper trail proven 3rd cousin

Estimated possible 4th-6th cousin - paper trail proven 2nd cousin, once removed

It's not like these are cases of 4th or more distant cousins. These are fairly close cousins and the other companies would get these right.

Regarding 23andMe, the overemphasis on privacy is annoying. However, it's gotten better since they gave people the option of open sharing if they opt into DNA Relatives. It seems that most people choose that option, which means you don't have jump through the hoop of sending a sharing invitation to get segment information. But I do have one estimated 2nd-3rd cousin who was anonymous for a long time and didn't respond to my messages or sharing invitation. Earlier this year, he changed his account to provide his name. It's a surname that's from the town in Sicily where my paternal grandparents were from. So I sent him another message noting that and asking him to accept the sharing invitation. No response at all - frustrating!

The three main companies all have their pros and cons. Getting back to the topic of this thread, I do have to say that of the three FTDNA has the least reliable ethnicity estimates.

[susan_dakin]

It's still good if you want additional testing. It's just that their "My Origins" is crap. I think that Ancestry might be better for basic genealogy matches but it requires a subscription. \

The main value in FTDNA for me is FamilyFinder autosomal matches -- WAAAY better than either 23&Me or AncestryDNA for that purpose. More people test with Ancestry, but Ancestry won't show where your matching chromosome segments are -- useless! Also, about 90% of the user trees on Ancestry are full of errors -- they all just copy each other's wrong information. Ancestry is also TOO conservative in calling something a match, so you miss many real matches. 23&Me provides good chromosome matching info., but many, many users choose to be anonymous or are obsessed with privacy and won't share their results. If you can get Ancestry matches to upload to GEDmatch, it's helpful, but I could not do the analysis I'm doing (mapping all my and my brothers' chromosomes) without FTDNA. The My Origins results are ridiculous (they give vastly different origins for me and my three brothers), but it is not wise to trust ANY admixture results -- others might be better, but they still are mostly guesswork. They are certainly no reason to have DNA testing done!

[Dhyana]

Wondering where is my mother!?

I too am puzzled about the recent MO update. My Father's family heritage on paper is English, Scott, Irish, German. My mother's heritage is 100% southern Italy. My new MO has me 64% British and 4% Southeast Europe, 8% Sephardic and 27% Middle Eastern. All is well Except where is my mother! The old MO had me aprox. 36% southern European so okay with the new parameters maybe a drop of 10% - I'd buy that but not 25% to 4%! This is simply a mistake. Thanks and good luck to all. (I love this site FTDNA - so much to learn. I do appreciate all the work done here. -Diana

[Tmason]

If it's any consolation, Ancestry also produces anomalous results.

I know of a case (because they are my relatives) where a son was said to be "more British" than his mother - who was showing 0% British Isles - even though his father was Turkish Cypriot.

No way 0% British + Turkish Cypriot can produce offspring with a high percentage British (it wasn't just a trace).

The mother is British, by the modern understanding of the word, yet she was shown as Scandinavian, Irish etc. - NOT British.

So she could not give her son a "British" component she does not have!

[MoberlyDrake]

It's stupid not to use all the data they have. Quite a few people here test multiple family members. I know Ancestry makes use of their database, at least, they almost have to have done so with the new "Genetic Communities" and I believe 23andMe combines user input with population cluster testing.

I don't think my cousins ever look at their results, but I suppose it is rather embarrassing to have to explain to your cousins that FTDNA has no idea what they're doing, so just ignore the ethnicity estimates. Maybe I should warn them however.

[vinnie]

They obviously didn't use families in their own database as a control group to make sure results were working out right.

Remembering other problems with FTDNA's analyses, and in fear of exactly what has happened with MO v2, I did offer my collection of family members for beta testing, but apparently to no avail; now I'm stuck with results that still make my stomach turn. Thankfully, I took screen shots of MO v1 for all of the most important accounts, but the most difficult part of all this for me is having to try to explain, and apologize for the new results to family and friends.

[MoberlyDrake]

I think MyOrigins 2 is the worst! People should just ignore it.

Any test that comes up with these results just is not worth paying any attention to:

Mother - Sephardic <2%
Father - Sephardic 0%
Daughter - Sephardic 14%

<2 + 0 never equaled 14 when I was in school! They obviously didn't use families in their own database as a control group to make sure results were working out right.

And, yes, they are really parents and child according to amounts of DNA shared.

[Tmason]

I thought my ethnic makeup as predicted by the new model was an improvement, as my Scandinavian element (previously around 20%, I think), disappeared completely, and my European heritage was shown as ONLY British Isles, which agrees completely with what we know. The conventional research has never shown any ancestor to be at all Scandinavian. I'm sure, like most white British people, I do have some Scandinavian DNA - from The Vikings - but it was a nonsense to suggest my recent, rather than ancient, ancestry was 20% Scandinavian - I didn't have a single ancestor fitting that.

So all good.

Until I got my full-blood brother tested, and he's got the 20% Scandinavian in his, even though it disappeared from mine!

This is misleading - we're NOT Scandinavian - any more than any random British person would be. No Scandinavian surnames, no family rumours - nothing.

And whilst I appreciate that chance might - indeed does - deal full-blood siblings different DNA hands, I don't accept it would be enough for one of them to be 20% Scandinavian, and the other not at all.

Meanwhile, I am showing 67% British Isles, but he 0%, which is even worse!

[dunno]

Has anyone compared their MyOrigins with GEDmatch admixtures?

[DaveInGreece]

He means transfer to a place like Gedmatch where it has its own ethnicity estimation tools.

Yes. You can also upload to DNA.Land, but Gedmatch has a much wider range of ancestry estimators.

[MtnJim]

My New Results

have added <2% South Central Africa, I'm guessing that goes back, oh, I don't know, about 150,000 years?

[The_Contemplator]

I don't think that you can transfer FTDNA data to other companies at all, but you can transfer data from other companies TO FTDNA.

He means transfer to a place like Gedmatch where it has its own ethnicity estimation tools.

[Boudicca1]

Know your family history (not just a direct line, but across the spectrum), that'll clarify the results, too.

I do know most of mine but it doesn't explain why I get population results that neither of my parents get! That's got nothing to do with a family tree that's just odd!

[bourgja]

Since ethnicity is not why I tested, I'm not too bothered. In the last couple of days (i.e. after the fiasco with this useless "upgrade" of MyOrigins) a friend who is interested in ethnicity asked me to recommend a test company, and I still recommended FTDNA. I just made it clear that this company is currently bottom of the heap for ethnicity but he'll be able to transfer his data to other companies, free, to get believable ethnicity results. Maybe FTDNA will pay attention to customers and adjust their algorithms before my friend gets his results.

I don't think that you can transfer FTDNA data to other companies at all, but you can transfer data from other companies TO FTDNA.

[BBA64]

Pretty accurate for me

It may be that I'm lucky, but the My Origins prediction is pretty much on target. I have a trace amount from my rare mtDNA haplogroup, the British Isles (Ireland) is right on, the Volhynia east european is there, as is some Scandinavian. But, I don't know far back the predictions are supposed to go.

The ethnic German in Volhynia is really German if you go back before that immigration east. It all depends on the timeframe and the totality of your matches (not just that a paternal line is been centered in the same place for a couple or few centuries - they could have had wives from other parts of the world).

Know your family history (not just a direct line, but across the spectrum), that'll clarify the results, too.

Anyway, my two cents.