I Attended My First Ever Google Hangout on Air

WikiTree was hosting a Hangout-on-Air Peter J Roberts.  Since I haven't yet checked out a Google Hangout-on-Air, and I love the topic (genetic genealogy) I figured I would attend.

I can't really say I learned anything new but I have been around the genetic genealogy block a time or two.  



For others who missed it, and aren't willing to watch it even though I so thoughtfully embedded it above here are a few highlights:

Everyone can benefit from autosomal testing.  Test your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your cousins, everyone you can.

Share your ancestral data and DNA data to get good results. He uses the example of why buy eyeglasses and then not wear them. 

A few of my own thoughts (and the answers to questions I would have given)

I also have no idea why people are buying DNA kits which have pretty much no other use other than genealogy and then not sharing their data and drawing conclusions from the results.  

Q. How many people/what % of people need to be tested for genetic genealogy to really work?

A. We are already there.  The issue now, I find, is now more how to deal with so much data. Still, I think the answer really is "it depends".  The % of people needed to get good results depends on what you consider good results, and which type of test you are asking about.  

For Y-DNA testing, ideally, I would love to see at least 2 testers from each branch at a 111 markers tested. For mtDNA not very many people need to be tested. If you have a family of say mother, father and 5 children, I would say ideally, you would test all 7  autosomal DNA, and the father and either the mother or any of the 5 children for mtDNA, and the father or one male child for the Y-DNA.  If there is another family, say the brother of the father and his wife and 5 children, ideally, I would test all 7 autosomal DNA, no need really to do the Y at all, since the autosomal will confirm he is full brother to the first man and therefore will have the same results, no need to do the mtDNA on the man since, again, the autosomal will confirm full siblings, and his mtDNA would be the same, but that mother or one of her children would want a mtDNA test. And so on.