BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AUTOSOMAL TESTING
Dr. David K. Faux
(Racial - Ethnic) DNA Testing
The DNAPrintTest offered by Family Tree DNA and Ancestry by DNA provides a "most likely estimate" (shown as a red dot in the above triangle plot), based on an analysis of 72 "ancestral informative markers" known as single neucleotide polymorphisms on 19 of the 22 pairs of autosomes (the sex chromosomes are not included).  By comparing a DNA sample to individuals in the four reference groups noted above, the test estimates the percentage of each group in the genetic makeup of a person.

The test appears to have some difficulty in distinguishing between the Native American and East Asian people, perhaps due to migration patterns and genetic similarity between these groupings.  Therefore it is likely that a better estimate of the true ancestry of David K. Faux is
3% Native American.  The black, blue, and yellow bands around the red dot are confidence intervals, and in this case mean that the Native American and East Asian components could be as high as 20% - however this is much more unlikely than the estimate where the red dot appears.  This data becomes more meaningful when compared to other sources such as a well - documented genealogy.  Comparing the two lines of evidence, it appears that the estimates are likely accurate.  It should be noted, however, that lately the DNAPrint Version 2.0 has come under heated criticism based on findings that cannot be substatiated with other data (e.g., genealogical), and which make little sense based on known genetic principles.  Therefore, it is entirely possible that the results of this test for myself (and others) are not valid - at least in relation to estimates of minority ancestry below 30% (approximately).  Results for Greek with 9% and Pakistani with 30% Native Ameriacan does not inspire confidence.

One way to address the problems is to ensure that the testees have only one documented source of Native American and no Greek or Pakistani ancestry.  It makes sense to assume that if there are statistical anomalies, that they could be "smoothed over" by employing a series of family members whose genealogy is known and who all descend from the same Native American ancestor.  The broader picture provided by this approach may offer a more valid and reliable esitmate of the true contribution of this ancestor to the genomic make up of the family.  For this reason I have requested selected family members to  take the  DNA Print Test - the results are available here -
HOME                       
YOUNG Family BGA Racial - Ethnic Testing:
1)  DNA PRINT (DNA Print Genomics)
2)  DNA TRIBES TEST
The DNA Tribes Test is a relatively new biogeographical measure using the 13 CODIS markers employed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement agencies, plus Penta D and E,  to ascertain a person's unique profile with Short Tandem Repeat values at each autosomal marker site.  It should be noted that 15 alleles (30 in total) is a very small number upon which to base a "racial - ethnic test"; but more to the point the choice of these markers was not intended to employ selected ancestral informative markers.  Thus it is being used for an unintended purpose - but the question is whether it may perchance have these desirable characteristics.  Here follows my results of this testing. 
FAUX, David K. "Tribal" Testing:
What follows is a summary of the results of the tesing presented as a 7 page report in pdf format.  Since this information contains my CODIS marker scores (a personal idenfiyer), I have not included the pdf but include a summary of the findings in relation to the High Resolution Global Population Match.

The two matches which are noteably higher than the rest of the
Top 20 matches in a database of 699 global populations, including native people as well as Diaspora groups that expanded from their homelands and sometimes admixed with other populations in recent history are:

1) Strathclyde, Scotland

2)  Denmark


Other groups can be clustered as follows:

1)  Scando - Germanic:  Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium

2)  Franco - Italian:  Calabria, Toscana, Toulouse

3)  North African - West Asian:  Andalusia Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Bhar India (Brahmin)

4)  Diaspora:  Caucasian (Canada), Caucasian (Minnesota), Moroccan (Belgium)

The
DNA Tribes Europa results can be seen by clicking  here.  The High Resolution Native American Panel showed no matches with any tribal groups here.

INTERPRETATION:

Determining what the full weight of results mean is of course the point of this testing.  First, it is no surprise that there is
no match to North American tribal groups since the percentage on Mom's side is relatively small, and Dad none.  Hence this type of test with so few markers cannot pick up admixture, only matches to population groups now in existance.

The results need to be analyzed in relation to
known genealogy.  Out of 32 great great great grandparents (maternal and paternal sides) 15% are Scottish (4 of the 6 are from Strathclyde Scotland), 65% are from the counties and shires in England known as the Danelaw (settled by a mixture of Danish, Anglo - Saxon, and native Briton), and the rest are in what can simply be called "other".  The results should be interpreted in light of these facts and an awareness of migration patterns within these areas.

The Europa test shows major affiliation with
Germania, which means Sweden to Denmark and south to the Alps.  Close is both North Atlantic which includes Norway, Britain and Ireland, as well as northwest France; and Italian which encompasses northern and central Italy.  The latter makes sense in that there is evidence that this area is a major "hotspot" of the La Tene Celts, some of whom migrated to northern Jutland and nearby areas and then to England.  Affiliation with eastern groups such as Polish and Russian is close to nil, as my genealogy would predict.

The more general BGA testing involving 699 groups is surprising in both what it shows as matches and what it does not.  Not terribly unexpected is
Scottish and Danish.  The latter because the majority of my ancestors on both Dad and Mom's side come from the coastal areas of the Danelaw in England which was heavily settled by the Danes.  Mom's side includes a strong Scottish lineage for both her mother and father.  It does, however, seem that there "should" have been more matches to England - but perhaps most of the samples are from areas outside the Danelaw.  The Franco - Italian groups are within the region where the La Tene Celts resided and via a large migration to northern Jutland appear to have comprised a strong element among the Danish Vikings.  The Y-chromsome haplogroup R1b1c10 is found at highest frequency in the Alpine regions of Central Europe, and in England and Scotland only those areas known to have been settled by Danes from northern Jutland or from Vestfold in what is today Norway.  The Arab links are simply an anomaly - I have no explanation other than chance operates to some degree with this testing.  However in general the results do appear to support the genealogical and historical evidence.