Oct 11
The Los Angeles Times reported that, for a strong majority of California voters, the question of whether the Golden State should offer cash payments to the descendants of enslaved African Americans has a clear answer: No. But despite that dark finding, from a new UC Berkeley poll co-sponsored by The Times, most California voters possess a m...
Oct 6
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard, the Broad Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and 23andMe have developed a method that significantly improves the performance of polygenic risk models for people of non-European ancestry. Improving Polygenic Risk Scores Over the last several years, these kinds...
Oct 4
Genealogy expert Michael J. Leclerc, CG, shares some of his hot tips for finding your LGBTQIA+ Ancestors. Have you ever been curious about whether there could be LGBTQIA+ ancestors in your family tree? People from past generations would not have identified themselves using terms like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, as they...
Sep 26
In a recent study published in The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, researchers evaluated the performance of a compact diagnostic assay that can accurately and rapidly diagnose lactose intolerance using capillary blood and buccal swab samples, News Medical Net, reported. A decrease or absence in the synthesis and activity of the lac...
Sep 21
Smoking may not only harm the smoker and those who breathe in the secondhand fumes, but also their future children, UPI News reported (via Microsoft Start). New research suggests that boys who smoke in their early teens risk passing on harmful genetic traits to future children. The study probed the genetic profiles of 875 people between ...
Sep 19
FamilySearch’s goal is to make genealogical resources more accessible, engaging, and easy to use. As FamilySearch centers provide resources to patrons all over the world, volunteers and staff members at these centers need some fundamental resources to maintain each center and help patrons have great experiences when visiting. FamilyS...
Sep 15
As the land of Dylan Thomas and medieval castles, Wales has a fascinating history rooted in Celtic origins. That history lives on in the country’s chapels, cathedrals, and rolling green hills. If you’re curious about your Welsh heritage, the first step is to learn more about the most common surnames, the Ancestry Team wrote. About 500 ...
Sep 13
What a way to finish the summer! In August 2023 we published 89 million historical records from 37 new historical record collections from Australia, U.K., and the U.S., as well as one collection from all over the world. The records include marriage, death, burial, obituary, as well as one tax collection from all over the world. Many of the col...
Sep 11
Building on our first FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic health risk test for cancer, 23andMe received clearance this week to expand the number of genetic test variants covered in our BRAC1/BRAC2 (Selected variants) Genetic Health Risk report. These additional variants are all known to be associated with higher risk for brea...
Sep 7
Hispanic heritage stretches back more than five centuries, bringing together millions of people with their own unique stories. Hispanic individuals have used their experiences to make scientific breakthroughs, develop new technology, negotiate peace treaties, and improve working conditions for people all over the world. They’ve also made imp...
Aug 28
The Ancestry Team posted an article about Korean surnames. North Korea and South Korea share a border, but they couldn’t be more different. Referred to as a “hermit kingdom”, North Korea is an isolated country known for its authoritarian government. In contrast, South Korea is heavily influenced by Western culture, making it one of the l...
Aug 23
For generations, there were families who carefully recorded meaningful family events into the back of their Bibles. Sometimes, those Bibles are lost, forgotten about, or discarded. A company called Bible Rescue helps rescue those Bibles and return them to a family member. CHRON.com has a blog post written by Patty Taylor regarding rescuing...
Aug 21
Ancestry has provided helpful information about how to trace your Mexican roots with DNA and records. The information was posted under Family History by Jensen Cordon, Professional Genealogist at Ancestry. Immigration from Mexico to the U.S. has been ongoing for hundreds of years. But tracing your family’s story across time and borders ca...
Aug 16
FindMyPast wrote that with extensive record additions and over 100,000 newspaper pages, you can discover the stories of your ancestors like never before. Over three centuries of history are covered. Our team has been hard at work, bolstering five of our existing collections with new additions, and adding two brand-new sets into the mix. If ...
Aug 14
More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company they sued in 2021, accusing its leaders of reaping billions of dollars in a racist medical system, NBC News reported. Tissue ta...