This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: ksaxe Surnames: MacDonald, McDonald, McDaniel, McConnell, Donaldson, Donald, McDonnell, Daniel, Donnell Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.mcconnell/2489/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Another genetic genealogy company using the Sorenson Genomics lab One company that I failed to mention in my posts about DNA testing options earlier this year is DNA Heritage. DNA Heritage uses the Sorenson Genomics Laboratory which performs the testing for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation and DNA Ancestry and previously performed tests for Relative Genetics. The 43 marker test at DNA Heritage uses the same markers tested by the "37" marker test of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, the "46" marker test used by DNA Ancestry, and the "43" marker tests used by Relative Genetics. The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) counts multi-copy markers as one single marker, leading to a deceptively low marker count of 37 in their database displays. DNA Ancestry counts 3 multi-copy markers that most men don't even have toward their count of 46. The count of 43 used by Relative Genetics seems the most sensible to me. These 37/43/46 marker tests are all roughly comparable to the 37 marker tests used by Family Tree DNA! (FTDNA). The FTDNA test uses some very fast markers that make it more informative than the Sorenson Genomics lab tests in general, according to some genetic genealogists that have looked at the issue. However, there have been family projects that have found the fast moving markers a little confusing due to the same mutations happening in different lines. So the best marker set may vary from family to family, and there is no way to tell which marker set will be most useful for a particular family until both sets have been used on multiple family members. Many family projects will want to use markers from both sets. Fortunately, there is a lot of overlap in the marker sets. The 37/43/46 marker tests performed by Sorenson Genomics include all of the markers used by FTDNA in their 12 and 25 marker tests, 32 of the markers used in FTDNA's 37 marker test, and 34 of the markers used in FTDNA's 67 marker test. It is relatively easy for FTDNA customers to order individual tests for the Sorenson Genomics markers not in FTDNA's standard tests by using FTDNA's Advanced Orders page, which they can access from their personal page at FTDNA. DNA Heritage has a couple of unique features. One is that they have the lab test the full set of markers even when only partial results have been ordered. This allows them to offer "instant upgrades" if a customer decides to pay for more results later. Another unique feature of DNA Heritage is their option to customize marker sets for family projects. The group administrator can select a subset of the 43 markers to be used as the group's standard test. This might allow some family projects which start out with some knowledge of which markers are most useful to distinguish the branches of their family to realize some savings. It seems possible that some family groups within the Clan Donald DNA project may eventually identify some of the Sorenson Genomics markers as particularly informative for their families as more men are tested through DNA Ancestry, DNA Heritage, and SMGF. If these families find that markers tested by FTDNA only are not especially informative for distinguishing the branches of their family, then the family may benefit from the formation of a project at DNA Heritage using a customized marker set. Some family members could still test with FTDNA or other organizations if desired. The Clan Donald DNA Project is open to men with test results from all testing organizations; those not tested through FTDNA would need to e-mail Doug McDonald or Mark MacDonald to initiate the process of joining the project. I have been making posts to some of the appropriate surname boards for Clan Donald men to let men with McDonald variant surnames know about the option to join the project with results from DNA testing organizations other than FTDNA, and hope that this brings many new members to the project. Lab results from outside FTDNA will not be added to the FTDNA database and so will not appear on FTDNA match pages, so it will be best for project members to check for matches using the project tables and Ysearch regularly to see if they match some of these new project members who were tested outside FTDNA. Some of the more common name variants in the Clan Donald Project: MacDonald, McDonald, McDaniel, McConnell, Donaldson, Donald, McDonnell, Daniel, and Donnell Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.