Very thorough DNA analysis
579873
I ordered this based on the reviews here and was not disappointed. You will get updates on every step of the process and get detailed results to include health markers. I adopted my dog from the shelter and loved finding out his mixed heritage.
3764261
The only drawback to this book is that you don't want to put it down. The ideas presented by Ms. Fitzgerald present a new approach to looking at old photographs, thinking outside the box to solve some of those genealogy mysteries! Using DNA is probably the only way we will ever determine some of our ancestors. This book provides a clear understanding of this process. This book should be on the shelf of anyone who is researching family history,whether they do it as a hobby or profession. Ms. Fitzpatrick has given clear and concise information which will surely aid anyone who is currently "stuck" working through their genealogical research.
193157
This was a very exhaustive analysis of the first Americans who migrated to the Western Hemisphere approximately 11,000 years BCE. The author examines physical evidence including Clovis spear heads, dna analysis, linguistic studies along with paleoclimate records and other items.  In part, his analysis is highly technical but he lightens his prose with humor which makes his book a worthwhile read for those interested in examining who were the first Americans, where did they come from and how were they able to spread out so quickly. His discussion on the massive extinction of large mammalian species including sabretooth tigers, mammoths, horses  was very interesting.
611987
If you are exploring your family genealogy with the help of genetics, Israel Pickholtz offers inspiration, guidance, and hope. He has recruited dozens of members of his extended family to submit their check scrapings for DNA testing, and has used the results to map out relationships and fill in holes in the tree. Endogamous populations, including descendants of Colonials and Ashkenazi Jews, face particular challenges in the world of genetic genealogy, as everyone tends to be related several different ways. Israel has pioneered different techniques for approaching these relationships, and he makes extensive use of charts and other illustrations to document the varioius paths he has pursued.

Although the book begins with a Chapter Zero entitled "DNA Testing 101" this is a book best suited for someone who has some familiarity with genetic genealogy. For genetic genealogists who have gotten through the initial stages of chromosome comparisons and want to tackle the bigger challenges, this is an invaluable resource.
2080026
I got this as a gift for my gf for our dog that was a rescue.  Easy DNA collection and got results back in about 2 weeks.  The results provided a family tree listing the breeds of his parents are other ancestors.  I found the results of the test to be very close to his actual breed given the information provided.  Would recommend to anyone.
1117647
I have been working with genetic genealogy for five years, and I highly recommend this book!  It has everything a beginner needs to know, and has all the topics someone with more experience might need to review now and then.  Charts, diagrams, and clear explanations.  If you have taken a DNA test and want to get the most from your results, this book will show you how to do that!
4494026
This is an incredibly rich and detailed history of one African-American family, the Hemingses of Monticello.  Ten years ago DNA analysis confirmed a two hundred year old rumor, that Sally Hemings, a slave belonging to Thomas Jefferson, had in all likelihood been his mistress and borne children by him.  In the years since the original DNA results were released more research has confirmed yet another old rumor, that Sally Hemings was actually the half-sister of Jefferson's own wife.

Annette Gordon-Reed's thorough research has recreated the lives of the Hemings family at Monticello and their complicated relationship with President Jefferson.  In so doing she has also illuminated something that has been swept under the rug and carefully ignored by many: that the relationship between slave and owner was often not just economic in nature.  Exploitation could be sexual in nature, but sometimes, as was apparently the case with Jefferson and Hemings, it had a more tender emotional element as well.  Thus Gordon-Reed has made a major contribution to our national understanding and reconciliation.

I am a white Southerner with many ancestors who owned slaves, including some who lived not far from Monticello.  I have also had my own DNA analyzed, discovering among other things that my maternal line ancestry has a connection to a prominent living African-American. Such discoveries, which more and more Americans will make as DNA analysis becomes more common, along with books like The Hemingses of Monticello, should help us find healing at long last.
1542229
The search for genetic roots and who we are genetically can be a lifetime study.

Most interesting that in the final analysis the search was more important than the findings.

Well-written - keeps one interested.
28681
This book provided a well written account of how to take a "new look", using scientific methods, to analyse genealogically relevant materials, such as: old photographs; area, or event, specific statistics; and DNA.  It provides detailed information, and indepth studies, on how to analyse old photographs for clues which are not obviously apparent.  It reveals ways one can use statistical analysis on data provided by old directories, logs, DNA, and indexes to glean new insights and information on the lives of our ancestors.  The book provided some wonderful new ways to study information.
405421
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"That December I felt a satisfaction rare in my scientific career. What had started as a secret hobby when I was a graduate student in my native Sweden over thirty years ago had resulted in a project that seemed like science fiction when we announced it a little over four years ago [in May of 2010 via the journal 'Science']."

The above comes from the last paragraph of this VERY interesting book by Svante Paabo.  He is a Swedish biologist specializing in evolutionary genetics.  Paabo is one of the founders of paleogenetics.  (A discipline that uses the methods of genetics to study early humans and other ancient populations.)  He is now the director of the Department of Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (in Leipzig, Germany).

What was the "project that seemed like science fiction" mentioned above?  None other than sequencing the Neanderthal genome!!  (A genome is all the genetic material of an organism while Neanderthals are an extinct species of human, possibly a subspecies of H. sapiens.)

It's all here.  Beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies (in the 1980s) and culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome (in 2010), this book details all the events, intrigues, failures, and triumphs of this time through the eyes of a true pioneer.

Why is this all important?  Because it offers insight into the question of who we modern humans are through our closest extinct relatives, the Neanderthals.

This book concludes with a DNA analysis of a finger bone found in the Denisova cave in Siberia.

What I especially liked was Paabo's adherence to the scientific method and what he says about science.  In other words, this is THE book to read if you want to learn how REAL science is REALLY done.

I only had two problems with this book.  First, I think a glossary would have been beneficial and second, I think some of the finer points of the author's life could have been omitted.

Finally, the image on the front cover (displayed above by Amazon) is a Neanderthal skull (H. sapiens neanderthalensis).

In conclusion, this book details the incredible personal story of one scientist's quest for our human origins using genetics as his scientific tool!!!

(first published 2014;  preface;  23 chapters;  postscript;  main narrative 255 pages;  notes;  index)

<<Stephen PLETKO, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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4748406
This is the book to read, if you want to understand how helpful and essential DNA testing is in finding family.  Don found his birth parents and his extended family through testing.  The story he has written about his long search was an emotional read for me.  I would recommend it for anyone wanting to understand the different types of DNA tests and how they work.  Plus, it is a wonderfully told story.
1332208
There are other books out there about DNA testing for genealogy, but this one is head and shoulders above. It presents up to date information for this evolving field, introducing the science of genetic genealogy in easy to understand chapters.
The three types of DNA testing are discussed, sorting out the advantages and limitations of each. The author leads you through how to interpret your own results, and how to use available tools to get the most thorough analysis. He discusses ethical issues surrounding "surprises" in your DNA and searching for birth parents. Simple charts illustrate the points he makes.
Whether you are a professional genealogist or just curious about your genetic makeup, this book will be an excellent reference source for many years to come.
859550
As a protein biochemist who has taken an interest in DNA and blood forensics in the last five years, I waited for publication of this book with hopes that it would be interesting and information.  The book well exceeded my expectations.  Professor Gills discussion of the four levels of evidence (section 1.7) alone would make me glad I purchased this book.  He also discusses errors in the ways that forensic scientists frame opposing hypotheses very clearly in the Scott and Cleobury cases.  He also discusses the Farah Jama case and the excellent Vincent report that cleared Jama, despite the precise mechanism of contamination being unknown.  The Scott case also demonstrates that DNA in a negative control is sometimes ignored by the lab.

Chapter 5 is devoted to the prosecutions errors in the Amanda Knox/Raffaele case.  His criticism of an absurd inference about a knife from Sollecitos flat is complemented by an explanation of how the prosecution could have tested its hypothesis.  He does the same thing with respect to the paradox of the presence of a tiny amount of the victims DNA that might have been on the knife with the complete absence of blood.  My only criticism of this book is that it is too short.
2137012
This is a great book to have handy. As a complement to this guide and a realistic approach to the genealogy issue I recommend the "Ancestry DNA Toolbox" available at .... Many studies with the human Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA have made it possible to trace back our ancestry. In many cases names and DNA markers can be coupled to study our genealogy. It is not an easy task but worth investigating.
2895855
I liked the speed of the test results. The results were deep enough in the DNA that I now know what all 3 of my dogs are. I recommend this DNA test for everyone.
2871429
Draghici managed to write a manual on applying microarray (data) with a great feeling for explanation of hard issues. The book is relatively easy to read, very complete and covers most, if not all, analysis techniques that are currently around for microarrays.
Highly recommendable!
3060513
I really enjoyed this one, I have read a great deal of genetics books and this one gives a very nice overview of all of it. I am currently getting my genome test and this was great to read in preparation for that.