Genetic Genealogy Research, LLC

03/28/2021

This month I posted a new video to AADL TV, the YouTube channel of the Ann Arbor District Library. This video is a tutorial on how to use MyHeritage Library Edition for genealogy research. This is a genealogical resource that you can access from home using your library card, and is offered by many libraries across the nation. You can view the video here:

Genealogy at Home: MyHeritage Library Edition on AADL.TV When Saturday March 13, 2021: 5:00pm to 5:30pm Where AADL.TV Description Discover tools you can use from home to develop your family tree! Mary Henderson, professional genealogist, will provide an overview of genealogy resources that are avail...

03/03/2021

There are some tiny little silver linings to the cloud of the pandemic. One of which, for genealogists, is access from home to Ancestry Library Edition. Normally only available on-site at the library, ProQuest and Ancestry are offering home-access to this genealogy database. Ancestry Library Edition home access is available nationwide through most libraries. I have a video on AADL TV - produced by the Ann Arbor District Library - that explains how to use this genealogy resource. You can access it on the AADL TV YouTube channel through this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhNZTM7Z5vc&t=168s

If you find this video helpful, please click on the thumbs-up below the video.

Discover tools you can use from home to develop your family tree! Mary Henderson, professional genealogist, will provide an overview of genealogy resources t...

01/24/2021

I am pleased to announce that I am currently working as a genealogist researcher with Legacy Tree Genealogists. While Genetic Genealogy Research, LLC will no longer be accepting genealogy cases, I will still be providing presentations on both genetic genealogy and traditional, document-based genealogy through Genetic Genealogy Research, LLC.

10/16/2020

Mirror trees for genetic genealogy - I'll be giving a virtual presentation starting at 6:30 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 on creating and using mirror trees for genetic genealogy. In addition to explaining how to use mirror trees to solve genetic genealogy puzzles, I'll also be providing tips and tricks for quickly creating family trees in Ancestry, as well as an in-depth look at how to interpret Common Ancestor and ThruLines hints in Ancestry.

This event is being hosted by the Lyon Township Public Library, in South Lyon, Michigan. This event is free, but pre-registration is required through this link: https://lyon-lib.libcal.com/event/5608029

Mirror trees are a useful genetic genealogy technique for determining common ancestors that you might share with your Ancestry DNA matches. Mirror trees can be especially helpful for cases of adoption, misattr...

07/25/2020

Trying to get someone to do DNA testing? Here are some suggestions.

In follow-up to my May 6, 2020 post on asking people to do DNA testing, if someone is reluctant to test, providing that person with strategies to keep their DNA results private can sometimes make the difference.

06/03/2020

It can be difficult for adoptees to establish contact with their DNA matches for a variety of reasons, including an adoptee's lack of a family tree to share with DNA matches, and the fear of DNA matches that they might o...

05/06/2020

All names and other information in this post have been changed to protect privacy.

04/23/2020

I will be presenting a genealogy webinar at 1:30 PM EDT on Sunday, April 26, 2020 as part of the monthly meeting of the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County (Michigan). This webinar, and the meeting, is open to the ...

04/10/2020

While we are self-isolating due to the Coronavirus, it's a great time to work on genealogy. Several online resources have generously provided enhanced at-home access to their online databases to allow genealogists and f...

03/24/2020

Ancestry Library Edition - from home!
If you're looking for ways to entertain yourself while self-isolating, it's a good time to work on genealogy. My tip for the day is that some library systems are now offering access from home to Ancestry Library Edition. Normally Ancestry Library Edition can only be accessed at the library, but now you can use it at home. Enjoy!

03/02/2020

Below is a link to a very short article about the use of gene therapy to treat X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, which is a genetic abnormality that primarily affects males.

The interesting reason that it affects males much more than females is because it is a genetic abnormality on the X chromosome. For the 23rd pair of chromosomes, men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome - the Y chromosome making them male. Because males only have one X chromosome, a recessive mutation is expressed.

A recessive X-linked mutation will generally not be expressed in a female; she is instead considered to be a "carrier" - meaning she might pass the mutation down to her children.

This not cut-and-dried, however. I'm attaching another link to an article that presents evidence that female "carriers" of the X-linked retinitis pigmentosa gene mutation may also have visual abnormalities. (Plus the second article makes mention of what leads to a cat being a calico cat, and what's not to like about that?)

Color blindness is another X-linked recessive mutation, which is why males are much more likely to be color blind than females.

There is still so much that we don't know about genetics, which is why I find genetics and genetic genealogy so intriguing.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00533-3

https://www.fightingblindness.org/research/a-surprising-number-of-carrier-females-are-affected-by-x-linked-retinitis-pigmentosa-4601

Trial shows the safety of a treatment for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.

02/29/2020

This article caught my attention because of a New Year's Eve conversation I had with friends about the abundance of rats in NYC. This is a really interesting look at genetic adaption. It's humorous, too. I love the description of the diet preferences of rats based on where they reside.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00501-x

Changes to genes involved in behaviour, diet and mobility might have helped urban rats.