Presenting…
Endogamy is something which affects everyone's DNA test results — some more than others — but it's everywhere, even if you don't notice it!
The most common approaches to dealing with this problem have been to:
- Ignore the problem
- Disregard small matches
- Count segments and segment size
- Employ a population-genetics based approach (like TIMBER) to down-weight IBS/IBC segments likely to have originated from genetic "pile-ups"
But what if there were another solution: employ bioinformatics to normalize your DNA test results with individualized "Endogamic Profiles" — customized rosters of segments to be down-weighted — specifically matched to each individual's ancestral lines. This way, everyone gets a shot at making sense of their matches, whether you're 100% subcontinent Indian, or 50% Ashkenazi / 50% Acadian!
Want to know more? Watch our DNA Day presentation to the Genealogical Forum of Oregon (scroll down).
Researcher and columnist Paul Chiddicks reviewed this talk in his weekly Chiddicks Observer newsletter, edition #65, and nicely summarized not only the content of this talk, but of Genealogical Bioinformatics overall:
Can Discovering New Ancestors solve your genealogy mysteries? Read what our clients say — or download our Intake Form!