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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2008-08 > 1217699242


From: "Ian Sage" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] We reveal online DNA tests are waste of money
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 18:47:22 +0100
In-Reply-To: <4894624F.2010703@rogers.com>


>Has anyone actually seen the full article?
Yes - though I hadn't read it properly until this discussion. The article
(Which? Computing., July 2008) reports on the results of submitting two
samples - one male, one female - to each of four testing companies
(Ancestry, Oxford Ancestors, DNA Solutions, 23andMe). It is in the same
issue as a comparison of genealogy software. The results and analyses
provided by each company are compared, and also judged against brief
extracts from the promotional material of the companies.
Issues raised in the article include:
- The relatively high cost of testing (listed for each test)
- The vague nature of the resulting ancestral information (eg "someone of
Polish, Arab or Irish descent")
-The different standards used by different labs is mentioned. I found this
account pretty confusing, and I already know the issues.
-The contract small print, and the lab's rights to store samples, make their
own use of data etc.

There is a reasonable illustration of what you get in a representative
results pack. The article closes by raising the question whether there may
in future be issues of how the information is used - eg for employment or
insurance screening.

Given that the target audience of this publication is likely to be the
average consumer who does not have prior knowledge DNA testing, and is
interested in family history, it struck me as a reasonable article. Those
who want to find out about the issues in depth will likely lurk on a list
like this one, and not pay much attention to a short popular article. I'd
add that if I had paid up cash for a test expecting to "to find potential
genetic cousins" as suggested by one test, I'd consider that less reasonable
than the article.

Ian

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