New look for LivingDNA portal

LivingDNA (http://livingdna.com) has had a revamp. Here's the blurb from the email:

Get ready to explore your ancestry and health like never before!

Our brand-new online portal has been completely redesigned to give you a fresh, seamless experience while keeping all the features you know and love.

With an intuitive interface and improved navigation, discovering your family history and unlocking valuable health insights has never been easier. Whether you're tracing your roots or exploring personalised wellness information, everything is now more accessible, engaging, and user-friendly. 

I'm not a big fan of the platform, as I find it to be too weighted towards things I have no interest in (e.g. 'Neanderthal' and 'Viking' DNA, as well as 'Wellbeing' tests), and not enough easy to use functionality to determine how you relate to distant cousins - but if you have an account, you may wish to check out the new look.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

LivingDNA adds chromosome browser

From LivingDNA (https://livingdna.com):

We cannot contain our ex-segment!!!

You can now use the Living DNA Chromosome browser to establish further details on how you and your matches are related.

Within family matching you can now use the Shared DNA tab to discover which parts of the Chromosome you have in common with your matches and which parts you do not.

To view Chromosome browser click into your match and click the Shared DNA tab.

This information will help you establish how you are related to each of your matches. You can write down anything your discover in the notes section.

Haven't yet opted in to family matching?

Opt in to family matching now. You will receive your match list within 7 days and you can begin to explore the features available.

Comment: A chromosome browser is a very useful tool to help identify DNA matches, by looking for shared segments of DNA between an identified genetic cousin and the profile being matched with. On this front, it's one up to LivingDNA versus Ancestry, which is still languishing in some weird abyss over the issue.

But there is more than one abyss, and Living DNA still has no tree matching facility worth talking about, which would be far more useful. This remains the holding message on the issue:

The seed has been planted! Our new family tree feature is growing every day. We are working on a way to display your matches in a way that is simple to understand, and is based on your genetics.

In development

Come on folks, you were the future once, and this is the diametric opposite of the death of a thousand cuts...

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FindmyPast ends partnership with LivingDNA

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

We no longer offer DNA testing - but don't let that hold you back.

Our partnership with LivingDNA has come to an end, meaning you can no longer purchase a DNA test kit through the Findmypast site. Nevertheless, we are continually developing new ways to help you to connect with your roots. With billions of records at your fingertips and the help of our handy family tree builder, what will you discover?

Start your family tree for free today and uncover your family’s unique story.

(Source: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/page/ancestry-dna-testing)

Comment: I came across the story thanks to Andrew Martin on Twitter (@FamilyTreeUK), to whom thanks is given.

I don't think there will be a lot of disappointment about this announcement. When LivingDNA (https://livingdna.com) was first launched a few years back there was a lot of excitement, especially with its ethnicity breakdown, which could physically pinpoint specific regions in Britain where your DNA suggested potential origins. But although LivingDNA has a facility that allows you to contact potential relatives, it does not have an option to allow you to add a tree alongside your DNA results, making it extremely difficult to work out your genealogy connections amidst a sea of matches. I think a lot of us hoped that the partnership with FindmyPast would facilitate this, but it simply didn't. Recent announcements from LivingDNA seem to be concentrating on the medical side of things, whilst a note a few months ago offering me the option of upgrading to see if I had any 'Viking DNA' really did not impress.  

It would be great to see FindmyPast be able to offer a full DNA service in the months and years to come, as its rivals Ancestry and MyHeritage do, hopefully this will clear the decks for something a little more fruitful down the line - if, indeed, it remains interested in offering a DNA service at some stage.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Personalised ancestry books from LivingDNA

From LivingDNA (https://livingdna.com):

We now offer a new personalised ancestry book that takes advantage of recent improvements to our ancestry method, increasing the number of regional maps that are shown.

This means that you can now have a printed book of your personalised ancestry with improved sub-regional ancestry assignments, that includes The British Isles, Continental Europe, and Africa (depending on your ancestry).

Visit the 'store' section of your portal to order your book today.

For further details visit https://support.livingdna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012283212

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts July 6th - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My next book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

LivingDNA updates Family Networks cousin matching tool

From LivingDNA (www.livingdna.com):

Living DNA’s relative finding tool, Family Networks, has received a major update. We can now detect matches at greater distances, finding 4th cousins and more.

Where to find these updates…

Log into my.livingdna.com and click Family Matching on your dashboard. If you haven’t already, you must opt into this service to receive your matches. Users who are already opted in should see these updates immediately upon logging in.

Further information on the development is available at https://support.livingdna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013609959-Family-Matching-Overview


COMMENT: I've had a look, but whilst this is a development in the right direction, I find this cousin matching tool to be probably the most primitive I've encountered, at least on the DNA sites I have used so far. There is really not a lot of information available to determine the relationship behind matches - for many potential matches on my list, their names are simply given as two intials and a flag from where they live, and there is no family tree to look at for names - just an option to view a profile (in most cases blank) and in some cases a button to message the potential cousins, alongside a note of the amount of shared DNA (in cM), and a predicted relationship (eg 3rd-5th cousin).

Having fired off so many emails on other DNA sites to prospective matches, receiving only a limited number of responses, trying to make sense of these matches feels like it is going to be a LOT of work.

Hopefully this will evolve further.

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course starts June 8th - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. My next book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is out shortly, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

You can now add a profile pic to LivingDNA

From LivingDNA (www.livingdna.com):

Now you can add a profile image on Living DNA

You asked, we listened: You can now add a profile image to your profiles on Living DNA!

Your profile photo will display throughout the portal to help you visualize whose DNA results you’re viewing. It will also be shared with DNA matches if you’re opted into Family Networks.

Ready to add yours? Uploading a picture is quick and easy. Head to DNA Profiles, pick a profile, click the camera button, and you’re well on your way.

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

LivingDNA updates name match display on Family Networks

LivingDNA (https://livingdna.com) has updated how user names will be displayed on the pages of prospective matches.

From the site:

Your Family Networks Display Name

As part of our ongoing commitment to your security and privacy, we’ve recently made a change to how your name will display to your matches.

If you haven’t set a display name, your matches will just see your initials in their list.

If you’d like to share a name or nickname with your matches, you can update your display name in your profile. This is not a mandatory step, and if you’d only like your initials to display you don’t need to take any action.

Your matches will still be able to contact you through our messaging system, and you can disclose your name to them at this point if you would prefer.

For more information, visit https://support.livingdna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012485420-Your-Family-Networks-Display-Name

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

My LivingDNA updated ethnicity profile

I recently blogged on The GENES Blog that LivingDNA (www.livingdna.com) had updated its site with several new European regions - for that announcement visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/01/living-dna-updates-european-panel.html.

My own DNA ethnicity estimates have now been updated for the first time since mid 2017, and I have been somewhat pleasantly surprised by the new estimate which seems to bear a bit more trace of reality!

The following is the map showing my new deduced breakdown across Britain and Ireland:

Now in a week which has already seen something of an attempted assault on my identity through Brexit (attempted - I also have an Irish passport!), it seems that a second wave has now attempted to knock my identity for six with this redefined ethnicity profile - for I have now been deprived of my Scandinavian, Basque, Pashtun, North Caucusus and North Turkish identity, as stated in my previous estimate! There goes my three year old dream now of setting up a kebab shop in Irvine...

It turns out that I am now 100% from Britain and Ireland, but with something of a more accurate distribution than that previously noted. I now have a whacking great 53% mix from the Northern Ireland and Southwest Scotland region (I mean, yeah, the previous 18% was nonsense!), a somewhat non-defined 9% southern Irish (I suspect from around Dublin), and 9% Northwest Scotland and Aberdeenshire, with 4.6% and 4.5% indicated respectively - which is interesting as I already know about my Perthshire and Invernessshire lines, but with Aberdeenshire needing some explanation.

I am delighted to say that I am also 3% Yorkshire, because I have a lot of time for Yorkshire, and I think I know where that line is in my tree, through a fourth times great grandfather called Joseph Woodroffe. He met his Scottish wife in Stirling, and remains stubbornly as a brick wall, having died in the military, and with no attestation record available, save that he served in the Duke of York's Own, the 15th Regiment of Foot.

I'm bizarrely now also 3% Welsh, and with a 14% mix from Cumbria and Northumberland, which I suspect traces to my Graham lines, and other Borders Scots based lines through the Plantations in Ireland and in Scotland itself. There is also a 9% South Central England definition, which I have absolutely no idea about, save to say that it must be wayyyyy back, and possibly through Ulster Plantation settled stock also.

On the potentially useful bit, Family Networks, I am still Johnny no-mates with a further hearty rendition of "We haven't caught you any matches yet".

An interesting update, but Ancestry DNA is still the more productive tool for me on the DNA front for now - although the Yorkshire link has cheered me up no end!

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.