Family Tree DNA Confirms Two NFL Players are Half-Siblings

Family Tree DNA, the first and larget DNA testing company for genelaogy has just announced that their Family Finder provided "conclusive proof that two NFL players are half-siblings."

The press release continues: 

"Until a few months ago, Xavier Omon, from the San Francisco 49ers and Ogemdi Nwagbuo from the San Diego Chargers did not have a clue that they were related.  Early August, at the request of ESPN, Family Tree DNA performed the Family Finder test on both, and the result was unequivocal:  definaely half-siblings.  More of the story can be found at the ESPN website under the "Brthoer's Tale" story.

"The Family Finder test allows connecting with family members across all ancestral lines.  While the Y-DNA atches men with a specific paternal line and the mtDNA finds potential relatives only along the maternal line, Family Finder can look for close relationships along all ancestral lines.  Anyone, regardless of their gender, may confidently match to male and female cousins from any of their family lines in the past five generations. The science is based on linked blocks of DNA across the 22 autosomal chromosomes that are matched between two people.  Based on this concept, Family Tree DNA bioinformatics team has worked extensively to develop the calculations that would yield the closeness of the relationship.

The possiblities to find matches abound:  grandparents, aunts, and uncles; half-siblings; first, second, third and fourth cousins; and, more tenetatively, fifths cousins."

Order your test from Family Tree DNA, today!

Family Tree DNA Now Offering Webinars!

The following announcement was posted in Family Tree DNA's newsletter Facts & Genes, Vol. 9, Issue 3, Summer 2011.

Family Tree DNA has partnered with Relative Roots to offer quality, convenient and affordable Genetic Genealogy education to Family Tree DNA customers! We're now offering webinars (web-based seminars) as an option for our customers to learn more about our tests and your own results.

How it Works

Attend our live or on-demand webinars (web-based seminars) from the comfort of your own home! You'll view the presentation using your own computer and listen to the presenter using your computer speakers or telephone. Attendees of our live webinars are able to ask questions just as if you were attending a presentation in-person. Registrants of our on-demand webinars can access a recording of our live webinars at a time that is convenient for you. Each webinar session lasts 60-90 minutes.

Topics

We're launching our webinars with four topics:

Beginner:

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy at Family Tree DNA

Intermediate:

Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 1: Y-DNA

Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 2: mtDNA
Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 3: Family Finder

Stay tuned for more topics to be added to the schedule in the coming months!

Cost

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy - FREE!All others - $10 each, or 3 for $25

Webinar Discount

For a limited time, register for all three Genetic Genealogy Demystified webinars for only $20! Simply add all 3 webinars to the shopping cart to get the 3/$25 special, then also enter coupon code RRW5GGD3FGA for an additional $5 discount. Offer expires September 15, 2011.

Family Tree DNA Discount

Webinar attendees will receive a limited-time discount on select new tests and upgrades to help offset the cost of attending the webinar. A coupon code will be provided at the end of each live webinar and will also be available to those who view the on-demand recordings.

Webinar Schedule

Our core webinars are currently repeated every month. Following is the webinar schedule for August:

August 25 - Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 2: mtDNA

August 30 - Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 3: Family Finder

September Schedule:

September 6 - Introduction to Genetic Genealogy at Family Tree DNA

September 15 - Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 1: Y-DNA

September 20 - Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 2: mtDNA

September 27 - Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results, Part 3: Family Finder

Register Today!

For registration, more details about each of the webinars and schedule updates, please visit: http://www.relativeroots.net/webinars/ftdna/

About Relative Roots

Relative Roots is a Florida-based genealogy consulting and education company, owned and operated by Elise Friedman. Elise became a Family Tree DNA customer in 2005 while working on her own genealogy brick walls. She quickly became a proponent of genetic genealogy as a tool for genealogists, and today she's a volunteer administrator for several surname, geographical and haplogroup projects at Family Tree DNA. Over the years, she has given presentations on genetic genealogy at a variety of genealogy society meetings and genealogy conferences. Then earlier this year, Elise took her presentations online and began offering genetic genealogy webinars through her company, Relative Roots. Family Tree DNA is very pleased to now have Elise as our education partner so we can offer this new educational opportunity to our customers.

Testimony:  I personally know Elise Friedman.  She is very knowledgeable and offers a quality product.  No doubt participating in her Webinars will be most helpful for the public's understanding of Genetic Genealogy.   --- Emily Aulicino

Family Tree DNA Allows Transfers from SMGF, GeneTree and Ancestry.com

Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) has completed the process to allow customers from Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), GeneTree and Ancestry.com to transfer their test results to FTDNA.   This option began when DNA Heritage (DNAH) ceased operations on April 19, 2011 and transferred their results to Family Tree DNA; however, FTDNA decided to expand the format of accepting DNAH’s result to include anyone who tested at SMGF, GeneTree and Ancestry.com, thus given thousands of people the opportunity to join the largest DNA database for genealogy.

The transfer options are:
1.  Transfer Y-DNA33 or Y-DNA46 marker test for $19 and join a Project
2.  Transfer Y-DNA33 marker test and purchase an FTDNA Y-DNA 25 marker test for $58 to join a Project, receive a Haplogroup prediction and receive matches in the FTDNA database.

3.  Transfer Y-DNA 46 marker test and purchase an FTDNA37 marker test for $58 to join a Project, receive a Haplogroup prediction and receive matches in the FTDNA database.

You may take part in the Family Tree DNA Y-DNA Transfer program by following these steps.

1. Go to the Y-DNA Transfer page, http://www.familytreedna.com/landing/ydna-transfer.aspx.
2. Select the transfer package that is right for you, and click on the Order Now button beside it.
3. Click the Next button and complete the Contact Information form.
4. Click the Next button and complete the Shipping and Billing form.
5. Review and complete your order.

For non-DNA H transfers, testers will need to both enter their lab values and submit a screen shot of their results.

See the FAQ for more inforamtion.

In summary

Testers from the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), GeneTree and Ancestry.com may transfer their Y-DNA results to Family Tree DNA.

For a small fee testers can receive the full benefits offered to all Family Tree DNA customers which included, in part:
 * Sample storage
 * Testing upgrades
 * Haplogroup predictions
 * Project membership
 * Availability to the largest database solely for genealogists
 * Comparison to the entire database every time test results are received
 * Notification of matches via email
 * Personal webpages
 * No monthly fees

Emily
aulicino, 4 Aug 2011