NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was received from our friends at MyHeritage.com.
MyHeritage brings DNA testing to the global community
World’s largest family network offers DNA
testing to a new global audience - enabling millions of families to discover
their ethnic roots and previously unknown relatives
PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV,
Israel – February 16, 2012: MyHeritage, the most
popular family network on the web, announced today the integration of DNA testing
into its core family history offering. The move adds genetic genealogy to the company’s
suite of tools for researching family history, used by millions of families
around the world.
With more than 62 million registered
users and 21 million family trees, MyHeritage has become the trusted home on
the web for families wishing to explore their family history, share memories
and stay connected. With the new biological layer added to the MyHeritage
experience, users can now enjoy a service combining science, intuitive web
features and social networking for discovering and sharing their family legacy.
“DNA testing provides a fascinating new
way to discover one’s origins and find previously unknown relatives”, said
MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet. “Offering the highest quality DNA
tests to our tens of millions of users around the world in 38 languages, and
providing DNA matches with hundreds of thousands of people who have already had
their DNA tested, significantly advances our mission of bringing family history
to the masses. By combining DNA with our innovative Smart Matching™ technology,
families will be closer than ever before to constructing a more complete
picture of their history”.
DNA is the hereditary material in humans and
almost all other organisms. By purchasing a simple cheek-swab DNA test, users
can now use information contained in their DNA to find present-day relatives
who share a common ancestor up to many hundreds of years ago. A DNA test can also
reveal ethnic origins such as Native American, African or Jewish descent on
paternal or maternal lines, as well as uncover ancestral information for those
who were adopted. While DNA tests can
break through brick walls in family history research by revealing biological
relations, MyHeritage’s flagship Smart Matching™ technology then steps in to
help piece together the paper trail by uncovering how the family trees of
related people actually connect. In addition, people with the same paternal
surname can get together via MyHeritage to see if they’re related by DNA.
MyHeritage is introducing today a wide range
of DNA tests to meet different research objectives and budgets, with special
discounted prices for MyHeritage subscribers starting from as low as $84. Users
can identify the deep ancestral origins of their direct paternal line (Y-DNA), of
their direct maternal line (mtDNA), find relatives across all lines via
autosomal DNA (Family Finder), receive a percentage breakdown of their ethnic
roots and confirm or disprove whether someone is a close relative. View the
full list of the DNA kits on MyHeritage and a list
of Frequently Asked Questions about DNA
tests on MyHeritage.
For the analysis of users’ DNA tests and the DNA
matching, MyHeritage is working with long-time partner and global leader in
genealogy DNA, Family Tree DNA. Pioneers of genetic genealogy and with a
state-of-the-art laboratory, Family Tree DNA has established the world’s
largest DNA database for genealogy and is well known for its work with National
Geographic on the Genographic Project. All information is kept strictly
confidential and is never shared.
Bennett
Greenspan, President and CEO of Family Tree DNA said “We’re proud
to work with MyHeritage to bring DNA testing to a much wider, global audience.
The phenomenal size and reach of the global MyHeritage family network will
create new horizons in collecting DNA data, helping many more people discover
their ancestral origins”.
About MyHeritage
MyHeritage
is the most popular family network on the web. Millions of families around the
world enjoy having a private and free place for their families to keep in touch
and to showcase their roots. MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ technology empowers
users with an exciting and innovative way to find relatives and explore their
family history. Following the November 2011 acquisition of FamilyLink in Provo,
Utah, MyHeritage offers billions of historical records through its website
WorldVitalRecords.com. With all family information stored in a secure site,
MyHeritage is the ideal place to share family photos and preserve special
family memories. The site is available in 38 languages. So far more than 62
million people have signed up to MyHeritage. The company is backed by Accel
Partners and Index Ventures, the investors of Facebook and Skype. For more
information visit www.myheritage.com
What an amazing opportunity for the millions of people who have already constructed their family trees as part of the MyHeritage database of genealogical records. If millions of people take advantage of this golden opportunity to be part of a global DNA database, there should be many incidents of perfect matches at the 67-marker Y-DNA test level, as well as perfect matches in the Full Gene Sequence of the mtDNA level test. It would be a good choice for those interested in learning all they can about their heritage to take these advanced and sophisticated DNA tests. When it comes to DNA databases, the more participants, the better. When DNA test results are entered in a very large database (hopefully MILLIONS!) of DNA test results, both Y-DNA and mtDNA test results, bingo, there should be high matches, even perfect matches, and those matches can lead to filling in the gaps in the family tree.
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