WHAT’S NEW?
There have been quite a few changes in the world of DNA since I last wrote! Here are a few that could really help with your DNA discoveries. Let me know if you’ve seen anything that has improved your DNA experience or something you would like to share. My email is dnahelp@family-tree.co.uk
ANCESTRY
There has been a steady roll out of the ‘new look’ layout on the matches page on Ancestry. I’m loving how easily I can now see my notes and they have added a way to add lots of matches to a group in one go. If you haven’t started clustering your matches this is a great tool.
MYHERITAGE
At Myheritage you can now compare your Genetic Groups to those of your DNA Matches. In 2020, Myheritage introduced Genetic Groups – 2,114 geographic regions created within their 42 ethnicities. Previously, I was able to view the Ethnicity Estimate of my DNA Matches and see which ethnicities we shared. Now I’ll also be able to see which Genetic Groups they belong to, and the ones we have in common. Unsurprisingly I belonged to the West Midlands genetic group. I’m now able to see which of my matches also belong and this could give me a clue on which part of my tree they may belong. (Above, right) is a screenshot of a DNA match who lives in the U.S. showing he has the West Midlands as a genetic group.
LIVING DNA
Many people were struggling to find messages in Living DNA. They were excellent at sending an email to say you had received a message but, especially if you had more than one profile on your account, it was difficult to find it. Not now! When you click on ‘relatives’ tab on the left hand side there is now a tab near the top of the screen which says ‘messaging centre’. You will find all the communications in one place for the chosen profile. You will need to change to each profile on the site to see all your communications. In the screenshot (left) I’m on my mom’s profile