GREAT news for participants in the Azores & Madeira DNA Projects: Three days ago, new DNA results were posted for three males, (two in the Azores project and one in the Madeira project) and while all three are haplogroup R1b, they did not have any significant matches in Family Tree DNA's database. R1b is the most common haplogroup (deep ancestral origin) which is predominantly found in Western Europe. It's often confusing, and probably discouraging to Portuguese participants when their results come in and they have a match list full of British names. As I contemplated that they were likely a Portuguese variety of R1b, it occurred to me to compare the results to a scientific study that was published last summer, "Micro-Phylogeographic and Demographic History of Portuguese Male Lineages" by Sandra Beleza et al, to see if they matched any study participants on mainland Portugal. David Wilson has extracted the supplemental study data and posted it on an easy to navigate spreadsheet at: http://home.earthlink.net/~wilsondna/Portuguese_Haplotypes.xls The paper has a "District Key" which corresponds to the codes in row 'U'. Click on the "map" tab for the district map and key. Cheri and I have spent several hours comparing your DNA signatures (haplotypes) to the matches in the Beleza study and I've posted the data on the pertaining island pages. Some are exact matches while others are a marker or two off, but that's to be expected considering 600+ years separate you from your genetic mainland Portugal cousins. The Beleza study did not any contain data on haplogroups C or Q. Here is what is so FANTASTIC and significant about this data: Not only do many of the Azores and Madeira participants match subjects in the Beleza study, the study also provides the name of the CITY where their match on mainland Portugal lives! Think about all the countries that were former European colonies. Thousands, if not millions, of descendants are brick-walled on their colony with no connection to the colonist or the mother country other than being a national of that country. In some cases, this may really narrow down the region where your Portuguese ancestors originated. And you also have the knowledge that you have distant cousins living in these mainland cities! The only drawback being that since they are participants in a scientific study, there's no way to contact them. Both the Azores & Madeira pages have been updated with the matches. http://www.ourfamilyorigins.com/azores/dna.htm (Click on the island links under the header) http://www.ourfamilyorigins.com/madeira/dna.htm (Click "Y-DNA") Happy Easter! Felizes Pascoas! Katherine Hope Borges Azores & Madeira DNA Project Co-Admininstrator