Not so Italian after all: DNA updates from Ancestry

Just over two years ago, I spit into a tube and mailed my saliva to somewhere in the USA so my DNA could be analyzed.  I realized much of this was a lark and not definite, but it was something I had friends doing, something I was interested in doing, so I did it!

I posted about my results in August 2016, and now it's time for an update.

Why?  My friend posted her updated DNA results the other day and said Ancestry had emailed her about their thousands of new samples and new science which changed some of the findings.

Some trace regions were eliminated, some broad groups were better refined.  I actually was not super-shocked when my highest original 35% Europe South (Greece/Italy) was dropped to 18% Refined to Italy.  Italy is still surprising to me so you can imagine a 35% would be, and was.

I thought my dad's total would drop as well since HE is the one I got that high percentage from. But his 47% Europe South (Greece/Italy) changed to 47% Italy and 5% Greece and the Balkans!

So, I'm not sure what to make of that.  Mine dropped significantly as my DNA became much more English all of a sudden ... and his did not.  (Well, it kind of did, but not the Europe South part.  See his updated results below.)



See why I take this as not totally true and more for entertainment purposes?

Here are our updates as of earlier this week:  (Click pictures to view larger; they are the updated results) 



Since my sister controls her son's test, his results are pictured differently so I copied his original here to make it easier to compare.  I think his switch from 35% Iberian Peninsula which was his top one to 37% France being the top is odd.  His dad is Venezuelan so the Iberian Peninsula didn't shock me.  France is actually what I expected more from my parents since Fuqua and Truax are purportedly French surnames. 



My nephew Michael:  Original

DNA Results


Africa 3%
Trace Regions 3%
Africa North 3%


America 14%
Native American 14%


Europe 77%
Iberian Peninsula 35%
Europe West 24%
Italy/Greece 8%
Great Britain 6%

Trace Regions 4%
Ireland 4%
West Asia 6%

Trace Regions  6% 
Caucasus 4%
Middle East 2%



NEW

Me: Original 



NEW

My parents: Original



NEW

Andrew:   Original


NEW

I still believe the test is accurate in matching family members because I have several on my DNA Matches whom I know personally - and we are, indeed, related.  Plus I've met several other extended family members by messaging them in the last couple of years.



But as my brother (not tested) rightly noted when I updated my close family on these new results:

Interesting info. The only thing I would be a little bit,..not miffed, but a question raised in my mind, "At what point can you put some certainty in their findings?" What if people told their friends at a certain date that they were such and such? Do they have to now give them Intermittent updates? Who's to say that in a year, "Ancestry" will update again and you'll be from a totally different region? Oh well, lol, I don't guess it really has much impact on our lives other than being interesting.

So, who knows?  I may update my DNA regions again in a couple of years to find something even different.   It's all for fun, anyway! 

Stay tuned.