Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Family Tree DNA's Latest Updates


Family Tree DNA made many genetic genealogists very happy with their updates last week. I wasn't expecting to see anything new from them for at least two weeks, but they are already releasing another update today. I am extremely encouraged by the wonderful progress that Family Tree DNA is making toward giving its customers exactly what they have been asking for. With these wonderful improvements, they are demonstrating that they really are listening to what we want and need. Thanks again, FTDNA!

These changes are scheduled to go live today.

Rebekah Canada tells us:

Weekly Information Technology/Engineering Update (10 Dec 2013)

Matches Maps Locations Clear Button

Some users have requested the ability to clear their stored map coordinates for their most distant known maternal or paternal ancestors. We have added a Remove Location button to Step 3 of the Update Most Distant Ancestor’s Location wizard.





Family Tree DNA myFTDNA BETA Family Finder – Matrix

Today, we are happy to release our new BETA Family Finder – Matrix page. The Matrix tool can tell you if two or more of your matches match each other. This is most useful when you discover matches with wholly or partly overlapping DNA segments on the Family Finder - Chromosome Browser page. 

Due to privacy concerns, the suggested relationship of your two matches (if related) is not revealed. However, we can tell you whether they are related according to our Family Finder program. To use it, you select up to 10 names from the Match list on the left side of the page and add them to the Selected Matches list on the right side of the page. A grid will populate below the lists. It will indicate whether there is a match (a blue check mark) or there is not a match (an empty white tile).
 
You access the BETA Family Finder – Matrix page through the Family Finder menu in your myFTDNA account.


The page starts out with two list areas: Matches and Selected Matches. You add Matches to the Selected Matches list by clicking on a name and then on the Add button.


Here is a screenshot of the BETA Family Finder – Matches page with a few matches added to the Selected Matches list. 


7 comments:

  1. What is the difference in the algorithm behind this compared to ICW?

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  2. What is the difference between the algorithm for this and the one for ICW?

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  3. This matrix can be very misleading for anyone from a bottleneck population (French Canadians, Ashkenazi Jews, Puerto Ricans, Finns, and I believe colonial Americans). In fact, if your family has been on this side of the Atlantic for a couple hundred generations, your relatives will likely all be related to each other somehow. The size of the matrix may limit your ability to see that easily.

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    1. K S Rose comment is interesting regarding problems. I put in 4 known relatives. 3 who share the same 3rd grandparents + another who matches the same surname on YDNA + FF- I did not see any check marks. & our common ancestor overseas is Finnish. This was from my kit. Oh, we also have overlapping on a segment of chrom 2. So this matrix did not help me.

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    2. K S Rose comment is interesting regarding problems. I put in 4 known relatives. 3 who share the same 3rd grandparents + another who matches the same surname on YDNA + FF- I did not see any check marks. & our common ancestor overseas is Finnish. This was from my kit. Oh, we also have overlapping on a segment of chrom 2. So this matrix did not help me.

      Delete
  4. I'm missing something. "This is most useful when you discover matches with wholly or partly overlapping DNA segments on the Family Finder - Chromosome Browser page". If, say, two matches have overlapping DNA where they match you, that is they both match you at the same segment, how can they not match each other there? The answer is sure to reveal my novice status ;-)

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  5. Martha,
    Remember that there are two strands on each chromosome. One could match your mothers ancestors and the other match your fathers ancestors. This would mean they might both match you but not match each other. The match could also be a "computer" match where things simply lined up in a way that ended up a segment match, but this becomes less likely the longer the segment.

    - Brett

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