Toggle sidebar

Ancestry DNA

  • BushMoot: Come along to the amazing Summer Moot 31st July - 5th August (extended Moot : 27th July - 8th August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
FerlasDave

FerlasDave

Full Member
Jun 18, 2008
2,088
896
Off the beaten track
Does anyone here have any experience of ancestry DNA?

I’ve been thinking of getting a kit just out of curiosity. My ancestors have lived in the same geographical religion for 300+ years, and I know that’s only a minute portion of human history I’d be interested to know how far beyond that it extends.

So, what’re your thoughts/opinions/experiences in ancestry DNA? Does it provide an interesting insight or is it fallible pseudoscience? Perhaps somewhere in between?
 
  • Like
Reactions: TeeDee
Hi Dave - I had mine done several years ago and the results were as expected based on my known family history. The detail has changed a little over the years as their data set gets larger and larger but, from what I can make out, it's based on sound science just improving over time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FerlasDave
FerlasDave said:
Does anyone here have any experience of ancestry DNA?

I’ve been thinking of getting a kit just out of curiosity. My ancestors have lived in the same geographical religion for 300+ years, and I know that’s only a minute portion of human history I’d be interested to know how far beyond that it extends.

So, what’re your thoughts/opinions/experiences in ancestry DNA? Does it provide an interesting insight or is it fallible pseudoscience? Perhaps somewhere in between?
Click to expand...

I've been signed up for a while , now on occasion I get a bump as someone new joins , submits their own DNA from wherever they are in the world and then I get an advisement I have a Nth cousin living in a random land or closer to home.

I think alot may depend on what one wants to get out of it - if family history has become blurred generations before its a useful tool for finding some genetical jigsaw pieces to put together.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FerlasDave
Not personally, but my mums side of the family... My Auntie, Uncle and Cousin did a family tree a few years ago and did the DNA thing along with it. We were mainly English, some Scottish and Some Norwegian with like 1% Irish in there.
 
HillBill said:
Not personally, but my mums side of the family... My Auntie, Uncle and Cousin did a family tree a few years ago and did the DNA thing along with it. We were mainly English, some Scottish and Some Norwegian with like 1% Irish in there.
Click to expand...

That’s interesting. But what do you mean by English and Scottish? Because that could mean Brythonic, Pictish, Roman or more. I’m sure “Norwegian” would probably have similar nuisance too.

Broch said:
Hi Dave - I had mine done several years ago and the results were as expected based on my known family history. The detail has changed a little over the years as their data set gets larger and larger but, from what I can make out, it's based on sound science just improving over time.
Click to expand...


One thing that I’m curious about, following on from Hillbill’s reply, do they offer suggested geographical regions or just modern day countries for origin?
 
FerlasDave said:
That’s interesting. But what do you mean by English and Scottish? Because that could mean Brythonic, Pictish, Roman or more. I’m sure “Norwegian” would probably have similar nuisance too.




One thing that I’m curious about, following on from Hillbill’s reply, do they offer suggested geographical regions or just modern day countries for origin?
Click to expand...
I mean some of our family have been living in and married to scots for several hundred years. Even now. My mums sister was (shes dead now) was married to man from the isle of Lewis.. who lived here, but then they all moved there. My cousin... the son of said pair will be best man at our wedding. Now, i consider myself to be a relatively large human at 6'3" and average of 17 to 18 stone.... Hes averaging 21 stone and 6'7...My brother is 6'2 (and ginger... poor lad) We are large specimens with a penchant for a fight. Only person out of the 3 mentioned, who's not been both military and prison.. is my ginger bro. Hes more advanced you see, because of his hair colour... Hes an engineer... He doesnt fight with weapons... he designs them, and his company sells them, or gives them to us to test. Yes Dan... Not that you'll see this... i remember... You still owe me 2 teeth!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JFW
FerlasDave said:
That’s interesting. But what do you mean by English and Scottish? Because that could mean Brythonic, Pictish, Roman or more. I’m sure “Norwegian” would probably have similar nuisance too.




One thing that I’m curious about, following on from Hillbill’s reply, do they offer suggested geographical regions or just modern day countries for origin?
Click to expand...
Its geographical.
 
Wifey had MyHeritage test some while ago, interesting results as she found some relatives (not very remote) she had never had contact with. When I had the test no such surprises but a an indication that we might have a common ancestor over 200 years ago in Savonia.

That is not very surprising because I once read that a statistician figured out that if immigrants are counted out all Finns are connected about at the end of 1600s because the upside down population pyramid tapers strongly.

Wifey had more interesting genetics but I am a dull Finn and 60% Yamnaya.
 
Toddy said:
My kids say I've not to do it.

I'd like to know, but they're right; it's their DNA too, so I'll hang fire.
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand the logic - you don't have to tell anyone, and the results are completely private unless you choose to go looking for distant relatives. I know people have conspiracy theories about what might be done with your data but I don't believe it; my results are just a grain of sand in a desert.
 
Toddy said:
That was my response; my sons both work in IT.
They say there is no privacy, and it's all traceable....and it's all for sale.
Click to expand...
That's what puts me off. Even if you have faith in the company you submit your DNA to, you have zero control over what becomes of it. And the way the world wags these days, there's really no telling what might be done with DNA information in the future. Brock argues we're just grains of sand, which is true. However, AI makes studying individual grains of sand a much more attainable goal than it was, and if there's money in it you'd better believe grains of sand will be studied.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CLEM, HorseGuy and Crac
Life is full of risks, it depends on how valuable the info is to you. I would argue that the risks and probabilities are so low as to make the results worthwhile. And there are ways you can distance your actual self from the results. My whole Ancestry account is under a pseudonym.

I spent a lifetime working in IT, database engineering, systems engineering, even some time in national security; I am satisfied that my data will not come up and bite me :)
 
Call me a paranoid cynic with trust issues but no way am I going hand over my DNA to anyone. That's just because companies and government agencies can't be trusted not to misuse or sell my information. They have a long track record of repeatedly being untrustworthy in precisely this manner.

That's before you get into the territory of tinfoil hat conspiracy theories about AI designed DNA targeted bio-weapons. Even if something like that seems far fetched today who knows what technology might exist in the future?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: CLEM
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Z
A Walk Back Home...
Replies
30
Views
12K
Bushcraft and survival skills
marcusleftthesite
marcusleftthesite

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE
Top Bottom