Ancestry DNA

AncestryDNA has unveiled an updated service offering county-level ethnicity results in the UK for those who have tested with them.  As part of the update the company increased its UK Genetic Communities from 18 to 73.

AncestryDNA’s results reveal customers’ ethnicity within the past 1000 years. The new Genetic Communities technology then analyses their origins in the past 300 years, including specific groups they’re related to, where those ancestors lived and the migration paths they followed – to county level in the UK.  The results can also be cross-referenced with Ancestry’s family history records.  Genetic Communities are groups of AncestryDNA members who are most likely connected because they share fairly recent ancestors who came from the same region or culture. These groups identify areas where your ancestors may have lived more recently. Regions with a dotted circle are based on Genetic Communities.

Russell James, family historian and DNA expert at Ancestry, called Communities “an incredibly valuable tool for those wanting to discover more about their DNA and family history”.  The 55 new UK communities will automatically be added to the results of existing AncestryDNA customers.

Ancestry has also increased its global number of communities to 225, covering France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, further improving the ethnicity results for its customers.

So if you have taken an Ancestry DNA test, it might be time to revisit your results and check out all the new information that is waiting for you.  There might even be a new cousin or two!