Anyone find something funny in their DNA test?

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January 7th, 2018 at 12:44:50 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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My brother ended up with 10% Scandinavian on a DNA test which seems to come from maternal side. Nominally 12.5% would be a full blooded great grandparent. Somewhat shocking since we were not aware of any Scandinavian ancestors.

Maternal great grandparents
(1) Arthur Bia. (April 4, 1886), in Paris France
(2) Essie Milliron (1886) in Pennsylvania but of French/German stock back to 1750
(3) Albert Elias (August 15 1878) in Syria near the Lebanese border.
(4) Sadie Salloum (November 26 1888), in Syria near the Lebanese border.

Paternal great grandparents
(1) Lorenzo Martin (1870's ?) Near Salamanca Spain
(2) Amparo Martin (1880s) Near Salamanca Spain
(3) Frank Terdick (1891) Hungary
(4) Susanna Terdik (1896) Hungary
January 7th, 2018 at 2:12:01 AM permalink
odiousgambit
Member since: Oct 28, 2012
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I wonder how reliable the tests are. I noticed the other day that it is still said there are no genetically identifiable races, and back in my student days some anthropologists tried to say that this means scientifically there is no such thing as Race. Dunno about that, but...

So these companies that have you send off for these analyses seem to fly in the face of these other claims; apparently they will give geographic regions instead of race?

Quote: this is one of the things that comes up in a google search "dna of races"
DNA can tell us all kinds of things. ... Genes can identify a person and find related people, but there's no genetic meaning of race or even ancestry — just because DNA can say you are related to a large number of people who live in a place doesn't mean you are genetically from that place.
I'm Still Standing, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah [it's an old guy chant for me]
January 7th, 2018 at 5:06:00 AM permalink
terapined
Member since: Aug 6, 2014
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Where do these tests take place
Can you mail a cotton swab of your mouth?
Is it cheap and easy?
I'd be interested in seeing what comes up in mine since my fathers family origins is Ireland and Mother is China
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own - Grateful Dead "Eyes of the World"
January 7th, 2018 at 5:45:27 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Quote: Pacomartin
My brother ended up with 10% Scandinavian on a DNA test


Do these test say how much Neanderthal inheritance one has? That might be worth knowing.
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January 7th, 2018 at 6:04:40 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Quote: Nareed
Do these test say how much Neanderthal inheritance one has? That might be worth knowing.


Yes, at least one of them identify a small percentage as Neanderthal. I don't think it is possible to be 10% Neanderthal.

The tests cost in the range of $70-$100 and you spit into a sample bag and mail it in. No urine, feces or blood.


Ancestry DNA $80

They do follow up by asking you to join their society to try and trace unusual ancestors.

FamilyTree DNA: best for genealogists, YDNA and mtDNA tests
Ancestry.com: best for cousin matching (autosomal only)
MyHeritage: best autosomal test on a budget, most geographic regions
23andMe: best for genetic health screening, not genealogy
Living DNA: best for roots in British Isles
National Geographic Geno 2.0: best to contribute to advancement of science


My mother suspects a Scandinavian snuck into the Syrian-Lebanese family in the mid 19th century. She had aunts with red hair and other distinctly non-Arabic features. Mother also talks about the Viking contact with the Arabs, but that was so long ago that it seems impossible that they would leave a significant percentage of DNA in someone born circa 1960.
January 7th, 2018 at 7:45:06 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
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Quote: Pacomartin
Yes, at least one of them identify a small percentage as Neanderthal. I don't think it is possible to be 10% Neanderthal.


Not anymore, as the Neanderthals have been extinct for so long. But it would be interesting to see which populations have the most and the least Neanderthal contributions.

Quote:
My mother suspects a Scandinavian snuck into the Syrian-Lebanese family in the mid 19th century. She had aunts with red hair and other distinctly non-Arabic features. Mother also talks about the Viking contact with the Arabs, but that was so long ago that it seems impossible that they would leave a significant percentage of DNA in someone born circa 1960.


Well, Scandinavian doesn't mean born in Scandinavia, just that their genes came from there. Lots of Britons are descended from heavily Scandinavian families from when the Vikings conquered the British Islands. A more recent English, Irish or Scottish contribution to your line seems eminently feasible, given how engaged in sailing and trade the Brits were in the Middle east for several centuries.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
January 7th, 2018 at 8:19:56 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
In 1516, the Ottoman Empire conquered Syria, and incorporating it into its empire. In 1920, a short-lived independent Kingdom of Syria was formed before the French mandate.

Lebanese history is similar to Syrian but approximately 10,000 Christians were killed by the Druzes during inter-communal violence in 1860. Shortly afterwards, the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate was established as a result of a European-Ottoman treaty called the Règlement Organique.

My family comes from Syria but the region very close to the Lebanese border.

My Scandinavian genetic ancestor would probably have been born about 1860. So possibly the father was a soldier. I would think that if he was British with a lot of Viking blood the test would have said British.

Nareed, are all your ancestors from the Europe or the Middle East?
January 7th, 2018 at 8:34:14 AM permalink
kenarman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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I can trace my paternal side back hundreds of year to a small are in England that is acknowledged as the source of our family name. I only recently learned that if you go back further and with the help of DNA that this area was originally settled by the Vikings. I haven't bothered with a DNA test but with that history I expect it would show some Viking DNA. Might be interesting to get the test done since that side of the family has been in Canada for over 200 years. Probably no such thing as Canadian or American DNA.
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January 7th, 2018 at 8:56:31 AM permalink
Wizard
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I took a DNA test several years ago. It was mainly to confirm or deny that I'm 1/128 American Indian, something rumored to be the case in the family tree. The test denied it. It came back 100% northern European, which I expected.
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January 7th, 2018 at 8:58:55 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
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Quote: Pacomartin
Nareed, are all your ancestors from the Europe or the Middle East?


Those I know about are all Eastern European, for whatever that is worth.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
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