New Clues from our AncestryDNA Ethnicity

When some of us were sleeping on the night of Wednesday 13th/Thursday 14th April 2022 - Ancestry rolled out an update to our Ethnicity results. We get updates every now and then, my last one was September 2021 and before that July 2020. As science and technology advances, the information a service can provide us changes. So most of us are used to this change and getting updates from all the DNA companies about our Ethnicity.

But this one comes with steak knives, you know those wait there is more adverts?
The more  you will be finding along with this Ethnicity update is called SideView™ technology, showing us our ‘ethnicity inheritance’.

Here is what mine looks like. This new technology gives Ancestry scientists an ability to show us which side of our family our Ethnicity Regions came from, without having tested our parents:

Don't forget to scroll down and because it is the first time - remember to read the help information in the right hand panel:

My Dad came from South East England - he very clearly is my parent two!

My mother has mostly Irish ancestry with a touch of Jewish, she has an unknown great grandfather - this comparison table doesn't just point to my Mum being parent one, but gives me some clues about her unknown great lineage, as all her known DNA confirmed lines are Irish and Jewish. So I am very pleased to have this additional clue when reviewing this unknown DNA cluster.

How can you see your Inheritance results?

Step 1 Click on DNA Story on the AncestryDNA home page

Step 2 Click on the Discover Now  link in the Ethnicity Estimate list just under NEW

Step 3 You will get a dialog box the first time, which includes links to background and learn info. Hope you make time to read those. Then close that dialog box by click on the X in the top right hand corner.

and you will see

Step 4 Click on the View Breakdown button  to see your Ethnicity Inheritance Overview and Comparison - as shown at the top of this post.

If you haven't kept a note of your previous Ethnicity Estimates, you can do this by clicking "Updated Month Year" of the current estimate (it is at the bottom of the Ethnicity Estimate list in the right hand panel) - a tool tip will appear, click on "Ethnicity Updates".

The next screen has a "View previous estimate" link at the top right - which will take you to a dialog box where you can download a pdf file. 

Some things to remember:

• The movement of humans over time between Ireland and Scotland makes it challenging to separate those regions - so don't be surprised if your Scottish/Irish regions aren't quite as you expect. Worth reading this post if this is a factor in your results.
  https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/blog/why-your-latest-results-could-include-more-scotland-in-your-ethnicity-estimates
• While the vast majority of us will benefit from this new tool, current parent one and two separation technology isn't likely to be possible for DNA lines involving 
• recent pedigree collapse and/or
• endogamy
• Two key points from the Ancestry PR info I was sent this week that SideView™ is
• based on your DNA and NOT your parents along with data from all your matches.
  "We’re really excited to see the release of ethnicity inheritance, the ability to split ethnicities by sides of the family without parents completing a DNA test "
• the FIRST feature we can expect from this new technology...
  "This is just the first feature as a result of our brand new proprietary SideView™ technology."

What's Next?

I'll be spending Easter checking out many of the kits I manage and writing the next company update video I'll need to record for our previous DNA Discovery First Steps Course attendees and for those current class members whose next live session is on 27 April. 

What Else?

Like those wait there's more steak knives adverts, I know more must be coming our way, so am trying to be patient waiting for the next feature this technology might be bringing us. We sure live in genealogically exciting times.