FTDNA Background
and History
The following paragraphs
provide some additional background for your use in discussing a DNA test with a
potential participant for the Knowles Surname Project or a project you wish to initiate.
Just a few years ago, in May 2000, Family Tree DNA began offering a
Y-DNA test and an mtDNA test. Family Tree DNA was the first commercial testing
service to offer Genetic Genealogy tests to the public. The initial Y-DNA test
was for 12-Markers, and the mtDNA test was only for the HVR1 region.
Prior to offering these tests to the public, extensive research and testing
was performed by Dr. Michael Hammer and his team at the University of Arizona.
Once these Genetic Genealogy tests met
the stringent criteria developed jointly between Dr. Hammer, University of
Arizona, and Family Tree DNA, the lab and Family Tree DNA were ready to offer
these tests to the public.
At the same time, Oxford Ancestors, under the direction of Professor Brian
Sykes, announced mtDNA testing, and stated that Y-DNA testing would soon be
available. Gene Tree, Inc., a company that was performing paternity testing, was
planning to enter the genetic genealogy market as well.
The first Surname Project established in the world, outside of an academic
institution, was the Mumma Surname Project, which selected Family Tree DNA as
the service provider. One of the criteria for selecting Family Tree DNA as the
service provider, as stated by the Group Administrator, Doug Mumma, is that
Family Tree DNA offered the most markers. At that time, Family Tree DNA offered
12 Markers, and Oxford Ancestors planned on offering 10 Markers for their Y-DNA
test. Today, Family Tree DNA offers 12, 25 and 37 Marker tests, and Oxford Ancestors still
offers only 10 Markers.
Over time, and slowly in
the beginning, Surname Projects were started. At the end of 2001, a year
and a half after first offering genetic genealogy tests to the public, there
were about 100 Surname Projects. Today (February 2005), there were over
1,500 Surname Projects at Family Tree DNA. By March 2007, nearly 4,000
Surname Projects involving 61,135 unique surnames were in the FTDNA database.
The first Surname Projects at Family Tree DNA to have enough participants and
results so that advantages of DNA testing could be seen, appear in the list
below. These projects are in chronological order through December 31, 2001:
Mumma, Steadham, Duerinck, Glennon, Bolling, Dyas, Kerchner, Craycraft,
Guggisberg, Johnson, Walker, Dooley, McTernan, Skeen, Baker, Pennington,
Randolph, Graves, Roper, Rose, Franklin, Kincaid, Rice, Brown, Meates.
Many changes, innovations, and discoveries have occurred in
genetic genealogy
during the past few short years. The past 3 years represent the beginning of the
market for genetic genealogy testing services. This time period at the beginning
of a market is known as Stage 1, or the Introduction Stage, in a business life
cycle model. During the Introduction Stage, a new market is developing, and
those that purchase the product or service are the first to try a new
product/service. These people who purchase the products/services and the
businesses who offer the products/services are the pioneers, who blaze the
trail.
In the opinion of the management of Family Tree DNA, the Introduction Stage
has ended, and we are now entering the next stage in the development of the genetic
genealogy market. In the Introduction Stage, the customers are typically
those with a technical background, and who are comfortable exploring
"new" products and services.
In the next stage of market development, the products/services begin to be
accepted by a broader segment of the market. This next phase of market
development is typically called Technological Growth and Diversity, or Stage 2.
In this next phase, more people will hear about genetic genealogy tests, and get
an understanding of what the tests can provide for their family history
research. In this stage, there will be a significant increase in Surname Projects,
as well as participants in the Surname Projects. In addition, in this stage we
can expect to see rapid product improvement, a higher variety of products, and a
higher rate of new product introduction. Family Tree DNA expects that this next
market stage will last about 3 years.
The following market stage, after the next 3 years, is where the market
experiences very rapid growth, and the Product/Service becomes a household word,
and an intricate component of Family History Research. Many exciting innovations
and research discoveries will occur between now and then. FTDNA is looking forward
to the journey of discovery over the next 3 years, as we make these discoveries
together, with you, the participants in the Knowles Surname Project.
Adjustment to scoring of Markers DYS 464a 464b 464c
464d
The FTDNA testing
laboratory at the University of Arizona has been actively identifying Y-DNA markers
and publishing the standardized nomenclature systems for these markers.
[A
nomenclature system is how to count the repeats for the marker, and therefore
this determines the result you see for a marker.] To benefit their customers,
FTDNA supports the standardization of marker nomenclature systems between different
genealogical testing services. In support of standardization, Family Tree DNA
utilizes the nomenclature published in the scientific literature.
Testing of Y-DNA markers 464a 464b 464c 464d
(these markers are in panel #2) was available from Family Tree DNA
before the standardization for scoring these markers was published in the
scientific literature. When the scientists at the University of Arizona were
reviewing all the tests of these markers for finalization of the nomenclature
for publication in the scientific literature, they determined that the initial
system was one repeat too long. Therefore, the results for these markers was
decreased by 1.
Since Family Tree DNA is the only genealogical testing service offering
markers DYS 464a 464b 464c and 464d, no problems have been caused by how the marker was
originally scored. Since these markers, which were discovered by the Hammer lab,
may become available from other testing services, FTDNA has changed their results to
ensure that no scoring confusion is brought to the genetic genealogy community.
All the results in the FTDNA database were corrected, simultaneously in May 2003.
The
correction does not effect matching, since the whole database was adjusted down
by 1 for Markers 464a 464b 464c 464d.
Family
Tree DNA
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