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A security breach opened up access to a genealogy site’s DNA profiles
A security breach changed the permission settings on millions of profiles in GEDmatch, a DNA database used by genealogists.
23andMe's VIP service includes a one-on-one chat to explain your DNA
How does a DNA testing service like 23andMe convince you to shell out more when the base results are the same? By rolling out the red carpet, it seems. The company has introduced a $499 VIP Health + Ancestry Service that includes two Health + Ancestry kits, faster lab processing, overnight shipping, a year of "premium" support and, crucially, a 30-minute one-on-one walkthrough of your Ancestry results. Effectively, 23andMe wants to offer a concierge for your genes.
Justice Department sets rules for using genealogy sites to solve crimes
Investigators have used genealogy sites to solve a string of cold cases in recent years, but the US hasn't really had a firm stance on how and when to use those sites. There's now a basic framework in place, however. The Justice Department has established interim rules that determine how this forensic genetic genealogy can be used to tackle unsolved violent crimes. Officials portray it as striking a balance between the desire to solve crimes with the protection of privacy and civil freedoms.
Court convicts murder suspect found through a DNA database
Authorities have been taking advantage of the public's ever growing interest in genetic genealogy to crack cold cases these past few years. California's police departments even arrested a former cop after a DNA database linked him with the series of murders and rapes committed by the Golden State Killer in the '70s and '80s. Now, a court has convicted William Earl Talbott II, a murder suspect who was identified through his relatives found on open DNA database GEDmatch. It's believed to be the first time a case cracked using the technique was brought to court -- and clearly, the evidence was enough to convince the jury to find him guilty of two counts of aggravated murder.
Airbnb's 'heritage travel' section is for exploring 23andMe results
23andMe has partnered with Airbnb to let users literally explore their roots. The travel website now has a special "heritage travel" section divided into the genetic populations you'd find in a 23andMe ancestry report. The regions include Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and West Asia, Central America and Mexico, South America, East and South Asia, the Caribbean and Europe. After finding out where their ancestors hail from, 23andMe customers can click through to a specific region and plan a trip.
Family Tree DNA will let customers opt-out of the FBI's genetic data access
Genealogy company Family Tree DNA hit the headlines last month after it was revealed the firm had given law enforcement agencies access to its DNA database. The FBI was allowed to comb through the information in a bid to identify crime suspects, igniting confidentiality concerns and privacy fears. Now, the gene-testing service has announced it will let customers bar law enforcement from accessing their data.
Police are using ancestry sites to track down more cold case suspects
In April, California investigators arrested Joseph James DeAngelo for some of the crimes committed by the elusive Golden State Killer (GSK), a man who is believed to have raped over 50 women and murdered at least 12 people between 1978 and 1986. Investigators tracked him down through an open-source ancestry site called GEDMatch, uploading the GSK's DNA profile and matching it to relatives whose DNA profiles were also hosted on the website. Now, using those same techniques, a handful of other arrests have been made for unsolved cases, some going as far back as 1981.
DNA is just another way we can’t opt out of data sharing
Growing up in California, serial killers are as much a fact of life as year-round citrus or having a bit of Spanish in your daily vocabulary. News of the Golden State Killer's arrest came as a surprise and a relief to most of us whose early lives were shaped by a generation of fear. The Golden State Killer raped at least 51 women and killed 12 people (that we know of). Our parents literally slept with guns and knives under the killer's shadow, and the many others like him.
Genealogy service's DNA test helps you find your roots
Genealogy services are all about tracing your family's history, so it makes sense for one of these services to identify your genetic history, doesn't it? MyHeritage sure thinks so. It's introducing a $79/£79 MyHeritage DNA kit that offers a detailed look at not only your ethnic roots, but your geographic connections as well. Are you from eastern Europe, or northern Africa? You might just find out when your swab test results are ready in 3 to 4 weeks. Your report will even show you potential DNA matches with others, in case someone else is a distant relative.
Ancestry website won't let you borrow its UFO records
You wouldn't think that genealogy websites would have much need to defend copyrights, but they're apparently quite zealous -- so long as you're interested in alien spaceships, at least. Ancestry.com has forced enthusiast site The Black Vault to take down legions of declassified US records on UFO research because some of them were taken from its Fold3 subsidiary. While the documents are public domain, their digital copies supposedly aren't -- Black Vault has to either get permission or digitize the records itself in order to post this content online, a spokeswoman says.
Ancestry.com offers 'most comprehensive' Titanic records, not in 3D
You could mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic by going to see a 3D version of a 15-year-old film. Or, if you're so inclined, you can do some more serious research on the matter, checking out what Ancestry.com claims is "the most comprehensive online collection of records relating to the passengers and crew aboard the legendary luxury liner." The genealogical site is opening up records relating to the famous ship for free searching from now until April 15th. Thousands of records on the subject are available, including passenger and crew lists, deaths and headstones. It's all a bit morbid, but it certainly beats sitting through the James Cameron movie again. More information is available in the press release after the break.
Family.app gets updated to 2.3, fixes iSight/iPhoto features
If you have been following Saltatory Software's Family.app, then you know how great it can be for easily creating family trees. Recently updated, this application allows you to easily track your family's genealogy. The new update fixes some bugs that occurred with Leopard, like the iSight/iLife integration. Some of the updates to Family include: You can now export your Family file to PDF, and it will still be crisp if you zoom in. The iSight and iPhoto/iLife integration work again in 10.5. You can now zoom in 120% when in the main editor. Updated Family bubbles to make Family files look better in general, especially in printing. Minor bug fixes regarding text input. There is a fun little fade out when you close windows. Made it so that dragging a new connection is easier than before. Dragging a connection is not as particular about where you click like it was in 2.0.2. If you want more information about this update, or would like to download Family.app, you can visit the Saltatory Software website. Family is $29.95US for a personal-use license and it requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
MobileFamilyTree: Genealogy for iPhone
Want to carry your family tree with you?Synium Software, the developer of a genealogy app called MacFamilyTree, has announced a mobile companion for their Mac product. MobileFamilyTree for iPhone and iPod touch requires MacFamilyTree 5.2.3 to run, and allows genealogists to review, edit, or add to family tree information anywhere at anytime. Once you're back at your Mac, MobileFamilyTree syncs your changes with MacFamilyTree. This is great for adding genealogical information on the spot from interviews with relatives, doing additional research on the road, or just having a copy of your family history to review wherever you are. MobileFamilyTree is a free update to registered users of MacFamilyTree 5.2.3, or available for $4.99 from the App Store (click here to view the app in iTunes). [via prMac]
