Just as I was musing over my DNA matches and wishing I could find a way to connect with more Polish cousins—especially those who could explain my Olejniczak roots—here comes another AncestryDNA update. Though many of the changes involve ethnicity estimates—an always evolving segment of the science—the changes come with a fresher look.
At the top of my reading list yesterday was John Reid's announcement in his blog, Anglo-Celtic Connections, of Ancestry's latest changes. I followed the links to get more of the story. The Ancestry corporate blog provided the big overview, complete with a description of the "new user experience" on this "largest ever update." Apparently, Ancestry incorporated more individuals into each of the reference panels they use, which resulted in the addition of twenty four new ancestral regions from around the world.
Those additional regions include eight in Africa, five in Europe, three in west Asia, and eight more in south and Southeast Asia. Besides that, a companion release details what Ancestry calls "subregions," including fifty four specific to Europe with this current update.
With all the changes and additions—not to mention alterations in the terms we've become used to at Ancestry—the company has included a one-page summary of what is involved with this latest update. And for those of us who are more curious than the average customer, Ancestry has provided links to white papers to explain the science behind their "ancestral regions" and the changes in terminology—such as relabeling Genetic Communities as Ancestral Journeys—and more features of this revision.
Will this help me better address how to figure out the connections to my Polish ancestors? Hardly. After spending a good chunk of the day reviewing the new material and changes in my personal account and those of family members for whose DNA tests I serve as administrator, that aspect of my Polish ancestry looks to be unchanged. No big "aha!" moments for those ancestors in my father's roots—just a big call to keep seeking out sources for Polish records for the regions which they once called home.
For some, I imagine the expanded regions and journeys topics will help guide their future research. And we want a company dedicated to periodically upgrading their DNA services. What I'm hoping for now is that more people who still live in those regions will begin testing their DNA so that they show up as matches for the rest of us who are curious about our connections in those far-flung places.
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