Save your money for a real DNA test
Don't bother
catching this ring
Yes, it is very inexpensive. The full price of this service is $89 but there are special offers and coupons all over the web for as little as $19 or $29 or $39. And yes, the end result of the service is a very attractive set of concentric circles that are reportedly a graphic representation of the results that are unique to you and you alone.
And, the service says, you’ll get a list of the countries where people live whose results in the particular areas examined are closest to yours.
So why am I — a self-confessed DNA junkie — not rushing off to get this test and not urging everyone I know (and those I don’t) to get this test done?
Because, from the standpoint of genealogy, this service is about as handy as a handle on a duck’s rear end.
First off, the service frankly concedes, and I quote, “NO, ConnectMyDNA™ is not an ancestry test.”1 What it does is look at 13 specific places in your DNA and produce what it calls a DNA profile. And those specific locations, according to the Center for Genetics and Society, “are currently regarded to be “junk DNA” sites, home to non-coding genetic materials, which currently are good for nothing but identifying an individual.”2
As the company says on its Facebook page:
Since the DNA Profile does not contain sufficient information about ancestry, ConnectMyDNA™ is not intended as an ancestry test. What it does show is the extent that we as human beings are genetically related which hopefully people that take the ConnectMyDNA™ test can appreciate.3
What the company does after it develops your Profile, it says, is compare it to the profiles of “population groups.”
It will
perform a calculation to determine which population group contains the most similarities with your profile. The population groups are then reported to you. Since this test is not an ancestry test, the population groups with the most similarity to your DNA Profile merely represent an interesting correlation, not an indication of your heritage. We hope this information is of interest to you and that you might be inclined to explore the population groups in terms of areas you find interesting.4
The value of this comparison — which population groups are included, how many samples there are and how significant they are — is hinted at more than specified. The company says: “There are a scientifically significant number of data points in the databases used for ConnectMyDNA™. If more data points were added to a country’s database, it may change the ranking of the country, but not necessarily.”5
In plain English, I read that to mean “we’re not going to tell you how we came up with these country lists and we’re not guaranteeing they’re accurate.” The service goes so far as to concede, on its Facebook page, “ConnectMyDNA will always pick the top 5-10 matches, even if the most appropriate database is not included in the mix.“6
So why does the company say this test is worth anything at all? Because, it says on Facebook, “Most genetic testing involves complicated personal issues regarding biological relationships or genetic disease. The ConnectMyDNA™ test is a way to participate in DNA testing in a way that is hopefully fun and educational.”7
Getting the picture here? This test isn’t useful for genealogy. It isn’t useful for health issues. But hey… it’s FUN, and besides it’s CHEAP, and after all you don’t really want to, well, you know, learn anything about genetic genealogy, right?
The Latin phrase is caveat emptor. It means “let the buyer beware.” If what you want is a pretty graphic to print on a t-shirt (which I’m sure the service will be happy to sell you), go right ahead. If what you’re interested in is information that might someday be of any use to you whatsoever in your genealogical research, save your money.
SOURCES
- “Frequently Asked Questions,” ConnectMyDNA (http://www.connectmydna.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2012. ↩
- Doug Pet, “How to Use $90? Buy a Gene Ring, or Burn for Warmth?,” Biopolitical Times, posted 8 Dec 2011 (http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org : accessed 31 Mar 2012). ↩
- ConnectMyDNA Facebook page (www.facebook.com : accessed 31 Mar 2012). ↩
- “Frequently Asked Questions,” ConnectMyDNA (http://www.connectmydna.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2012. (emphasis added). ↩
- Ibid. ↩
- ConnectMyDNA Facebook page (www.facebook.com : accessed 31 Mar 2012). ↩
- Ibid. ↩
I did an ancestry test which I got as a present, I thought it would b more specific than what the results told me. http://www.myancestrydnatesting.com/ -
On the website it mentions genealogy and family trees but you do not find out anything about these you find out where your ancesters, millions of years ago came from and where they went. Not exactly what I had in mind to find out, but for some people i guess it is interesting
A lot depends on which ancestry test you took: the deep ancestry will not be all that useful, a YDNA test much more so.
I agree with your conclusions about this particular test. However, I would be cautious about all DNA tests offered for genealogical purposes. As Ed noted, his result was not as specific as he had hoped.
Y-DNA tests use a limited number of loci (beads on the ‘string’ of DNA), typically 67 last time I looked, but the number offered keeps increasing. That is only enough to place the individual in a general group (haplotype), which if it turns out to be really common (e.g. about half of European men are R1b), is not very informative.
Forensic and legal DNA tests employ a range of techniques and take great care to ensure samples are not contaminated other people’s DNA. Not surprisingly, these tests are much more expensive than those offered for genealogical purposes.
A DNA test result, even if accurate and specific, tells you nothing if you have no samples compare it to.
This company mentions CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) the DNA database used by the FBI. They are coy about where thier data comes from but suspect it is aggregated data that has been published. I am not sure I would want my DNA to be compared with that of felons
If all the test gave you was the haplogroup, I’d agree with your hesitation. But for genealogical purposes, testing with a reputable company with a good database of tested individuals gives you much more in the usual case. YDNA is very very helpful when compared to that of other persons who have tested. It isn’t the haplogroup that’s particularly useful, it’s the fact that you are (or are not) a match to another person.
Has anyone ever tried DNA Tribes or DNA Consultants?
I don’t see the genealogical value in either of those, which appear to be more directed to deep ancestry (admixture) analysis.
This was a great wasste of money and truly misleading, we think and believe DNA to be the blueprint of ourselves. Not a compiliation of what could or could not be the end results of everyone else who tested. How stupid is this?
Sorry you had to learn the hard way about this one.
I totally agree .
Should have read this before purchase. Total scam. Said I was from Namibia. I’m a biochemist and that’s just plain quackery
Sorry you had to learn the hard way.
I was very confused by connectmydna’s website. I was given ten countries when I had taken the test and then a few months later, I checked back and there was some alteration in those countries as well as some that hadn’t previously been mentioned. I am looking to find a more accurate test.
The most accurate test for deep ancestry — generations and generations back — will probably be the new Geno 2.0 from National Geographic, Alonna. For genealogy generally, your best bet is most likely Family Tree DNA, and if you want health info as well then 23andMe.
Thank you for this information. I did the Geno 2.0 test but it did not tell me what I was interested in.
If you’re looking for deep ancestry, Randy, Geno 2.0 is as good as it gets — and the data will only get better over time. For genealogy, you really need to test with either (or both) Family Tree DNA or 23andMe.
I feel like everyone who was truly disappointed didn’t correctly read the description to begin with. I have to give them props for at least putting an innovative product out–even if it’s for pure entertainment. To me it was purely a fun test, and it got me reading articles on population genetics for an hour or two. It was fun to tell people about the weird results I got as a conversation piece, I had a good laugh.
I suspect you didn’t pay full price, Beth… it might not be quite so amusing.
As an African American family research can only go so far and I take DNA testing seriously. I’m very disappointed with ConnectMyDNA. They left much to be desired. Even the ring is difficult to understand and customer service wasn’t helpful. Now I’m on a quest for a reputable company that will layout my ancestral profile. Any recommendations?
If you are looking for genealogical testing, to help find your personal recent-time roots, then the company I personally use for most of my family DNA testing is Family Tree DNA. I have tested with both 23andMe and with AncestryDNA, both of which have excellent science, but have issues that make me less willing to recommend them as a first choice (though I always recommend that you test with as many different companies as you can afford). If what you want is deep ancestry — your African roots — you might also consider the new National Geographic Geno 2.0 project, which is likely to produce more and better info on deep ancestry than anybody else around.
Thanks for your article. The deal being offered looked intriguing but glad the truth about it was clarified better here. Thanks for savings me $30!
Glad I could help steer you in the right direction.
For the life of me I can’t understand why so many people are so upset when ConnectMyDNA has flat out in bold print said that they’re test was NOT an ancestry test multiple times and has gone into detail why their test wasn’t an ancestry test. They’ve also mentioned tests like Ancestrybydna and Ancestrydna that are ancestry tests.
Thanks for saving me $30. Sounds like if I am interested in this I should go with Family Tree DNA or 23andMe.
Those are vastly superior to ConnectMyDNA — which is utterly useless for genealogy.