I didn’t immediately understand how this worked. To download the program, you have to go to its inventor’s Dienekes Pontikos’ Anthropology Blog – more precisely here.
Calculations are based on data from a study by Alkes Price, of Harvard U. and colleages, published in 2008 in PLoS Genetics under the title: Discerning the ancestry of European Americans in genetic association studies.
In that study, the authors define Northwestern Europeans as people who originally came from Sweden, the UK or Poland, Southeastern Europeans as coming from Greece, Italy or (stretching the Compass Rose a bit) Spain, and Ashkenazi Jew as coming from the general region of modern-day Germany.
When you read the software’s README.txt file, you learn that you need to fetch another software, which is the one which will actually do the statistics and calculate the estimated contributions of each of those three ancestral populations to your genome. That’s the part that took me some time to figure out… But I eventually did; it’s all there, you just need to read it carefully.
Then you download your raw data file from one of the above mentioned company sites (both offer that functionality), and apply the software to the data exactly as specified in the instructions.
In my case, it came up with this pie chart:
And this caption:
> EuroDNACalc("23andme")
[1] "NORTHWEST EURO: Maximum Likelihood Estimate=17% Interval=[0, 34]"
[1] "SOUTHEAST EURO: Maximum Likelihood Estimate=0% Interval=[0, 36]"
[1] "ASHKENAZI JEWISH: Maximum Likelihood Estimate=83% Interval=[61, 100]"
I have no idea of the scientific validity of such a result – and I don’t even think it’s much use either, but there it is.
Posts
Dear Ana: I will adhere to the English language of your blog,
ReplyDeletethough I an Spanish speaking Argentinian from Buenos Aires.
I would like to discuss some questions about Jewish genetics.
Before hand, I recomend you search www.cemla. org for info on
immigrants to Argentina, 1925. The database is not complete, but
almost.
On the genetics issue, I would like to add my grain of salt.
I have been working on my own famly tree for many years, before
the Iron Curtain had fallen, before the Internet became an impressive tool,
and before www.jewishgen.org was born.The first news of DNA genetics sent
me joyous in the air; finally everything had been solved.Was it?
For one thing, what I have read in the web, even suposedly learned articles,
are often contradictory.This you have noticed yourself.I have no command at
all of genetics, BUT as a keen science reader, I expected I would make
something out of those articles. But not.
On hte other hand, I have serious doubts that , for the moment, info attaining
35.000 years is of any use. I have been unable to decipher the general path
of Jewish migration from the beginnig of the Common Era to Xth century. We Jews
claim our descent from ancient Israel. The Jewish diaspora is documented before the
Roman conquest and after it. But we don´t have a clear view (at least I don´t) of how
ancient Hebrews became Xth century Germans.If there is such a gap,
why worry about 35.000 years before it?
I have not seen a lot of interest in the academic world referring to genetics of other
populations (namely Italians, Engish). Maybe as a Jewish genealogist I am biased.
We have two contradictory theories about Jews in Europe. One says men Jews migrated
alone and constituted patrilineal families with women from the new country. Other
says there are four founding Jewish mothers in European Jewry. Can we ascertain
matrilineal descent was the law always and everywhere?
Lets suppose genetic genealogy proved that not all Jews are descended from
ancient Hebrews. WOuld we accept it? Would we like someone to discuss our rights
on the land of Israel, just because we are not direct descendants from the biblical Jews?
I remember a visit to Greece, when I questioned a Salonican born intelectual if he believed
modern Greeks were actually descendants from ancient Greeks of Athens and Sparta.
And he answered, yes, but only those from Salonica. (Incidentally, a very Jewish city).
One final thing: are the commercial enterprises offering DNA testing really identifying
the raw data that will be of use when genetics advance further? Is this test going to
be of use in the near future? I have experienced myself taking medical tests twenty years
ago for diagnosis that make my MD laugh today.
I look forward for your comments. Alberto Guido Chester agchester@yahoo.com
Dear Ana: I will adhere to the English language of your blog,
ReplyDeletethough I an Spanish speaking Argentinian from Buenos Aires.
I would like to discuss some questions about Jewish genetics.
Before hand, I recomend you search www.cemla. org for info on
immigrants to Argentina, 1925. The database is not complete, but
almost.
On the genetics issue, I would like to add my grain of salt.
I have been working on my own famly tree for many years, before
the Iron Curtain had fallen, before the Internet became an impressive tool,
and before www.jewishgen.org was born.The first news of DNA genetics sent
me joyous in the air; finally everything had been solved.Was it?
For one thing, what I have read in the web, even suposedly learned articles,
are often contradictory.This you have noticed yourself.I have no command at
all of genetics, BUT as a keen science reader, I expected I would make
something out of those articles. But not.
On hte other hand, I have serious doubts that , for the moment, info attaining
35.000 years is of any use. I have been unable to decipher the general path
of Jewish migration from the beginnig of the Common Era to Xth century. We Jews
claim our descent from ancient Israel. The Jewish diaspora is documented before the
Roman conquest and after it. But we don´t have a clear view (at least I don´t) of how
ancient Hebrews became Xth century Germans.If there is such a gap,
why worry about 35.000 years before it?
I have not seen a lot of interest in the academic world referring to genetics of other
populations (namely Italians, Engish). Maybe as a Jewish genealogist I am biased.
We have two contradictory theories about Jews in Europe. One says men Jews migrated
alone and constituted patrilineal families with women from the new country. Other
says there are four founding Jewish mothers in European Jewry. Can we ascertain
matrilineal descent was the law always and everywhere?
Lets suppose genetic genealogy proved that not all Jews are descended from
ancient Hebrews. WOuld we accept it? Would we like someone to discuss our rights
on the land of Israel, just because we are not direct descendants from the biblical Jews?
I remember a visit to Greece, when I questioned a Salonican born intelectual if he believed
modern Greeks were actually descendants from ancient Greeks of Athens and Sparta.
And he answered, yes, but only those from Salonica. (Incidentally, a very Jewish city).
One final thing: are the commercial enterprises offering DNA testing really identifying
the raw data that will be of use when genetics advance further? Is this test going to
be of use in the near future? I have experienced myself taking medical tests twenty years
ago for diagnosis that make my MD laugh today.
I look forward for your comments. Alberto Guido Chester agchester@yahoo.com