WHY DEEP ANCESTRY (older YSNPs) ARE IMPORTANT

For deep ancestry researchers, it is primarily about discovering new branches to add to the descendancy chart of mankind (known as the YDNA haplotree). Once a new branch is discovered via YSNP testing, the new YSNP must be further tested in order to determine the breadth and age of the newly discovered branch. This is done via more NGS tests, SNP pack/panel tests or individual YSNP orders. There are a myriad of diverse and interesting other reasons that deep ancestry researchers are involved in genetic testing. Many just like the mathematical and logical challenge behind analyzing YSNPs. Others have interest geographic origins of their ancestry or are researching the origins of their surnames. Others are more interested in the migration patterns of mankind in the few thousand years. For those with Scottish and Irish ancestors, many are attempting to determine and establish the connection of various surnames associated with clans.

For most genealogists, it is gathering more genetic information in order to break through their brick walls of their ancestors.

Deep ancestry research focuses on discovering the broadest and oldest L226 branches possible. There is a strong desire to discover and document broad branches so that the branches are discovered in orderly manner that do not leave any L226 researchers stranded with only L226 as their most recent YSNP (this now getting stranded with FGC5660, FGC5628 or FGC5659, the three major branches of L226 that remains the terminal YSNP of around one-quarter or even one-third of L226 researchers. Since L226 researchers must walk before we run, we have to spend time working our way down the haplotree of mankind before we reach the genealogical time frame. There is natural bias to discover and document major new branches under L226 because they affect wider L226 audience. Deep ancestry researchers tend to concentrate on filling out the L226 haplotree and getting a broad understanding of how all of L226 connected. Genealogists greatly benefit from their efforts since broad knowledge of the L226 haplotree reduces overall testing costs in the long run.

However, many deep ancestry researchers lose interest in those branches that are not very broad or too recent as they like to concentrate on filling out the L226 haplotree with as many major branches as possible. These people tend to concentrate on NGS testing as these are easier to analyze than sorting through all the parallel and backwards YSTR mutations that have to sorted out with more recent genealogical branches. But many of us have lost site of our original goals of breaking down those genealogical brick walls. We really need both types of researchers in a balanced manner and sometimes it is easy to get caught in the wonderful technological advances that YDNA offers and many genealogists become deep ancestral researchers (disovering branches before surname creation). Also, many deep ancestral researchers are now becoming more interested in genealogical issues as well. As they see significant progress on genealogical research via genetics, they also can shift their interests to determine how submissions with a surname cluster are connected.

There are some major differences between the goals of deep ancestry researchers and genealogists seeking to break through brick walls. The primary differences are the age of the YSNP and the breadth of YSTR submissions under any YSNP. Finding new major branches under L226 is a valid "tops down" approach that eventually ends up in the genealogical time and ensures that fewer are left stranded with older L226 branches that are not very genealogically relevant. Discovering these older YSNPs also reduces the number of YSTR submissions that are stuck with only FGC5660, FGC5628 or FGC5659 which are major genetic bottlenecks for L226 researchers. Almost one-third of all of L226 have these three branches as their terminal YSNP while the other 23 branches represent the other two-thirds of L226. For the deep ancestry researcher, once a YSNP is determined to be very limited in scope, interest in that YSNP wanes as these YSNPs will have less impact on the larger community of L226 researchers. Genealogists are just the opposite, the smaller the scope and the more recent the origin of the YSNP, the higher the impact will be on genealogical research. Although deep ancestry researchers and genealogists have some major differences in their objectives, both parties are very dependent on each others research.

THE DETAILS BEHIND HOW DEEP ANCESTRY WORKS

For those just starting out in YSNP research, the methodology for YDNA research is radically different from traditional genealogical research. The first step for YSNP researchers is to build a significant cluster of YSTR submissions that are believed to be L226 descendants. We currently stand at around 450 high quality 67 marker or higher submissions which is robust YSTR database. Once a good YSTR database is established, researchers look for patterns of common YSTR mutations that may reveal common ancestry. Since YSNPs and YSTRs track each other, these YSTR patterns are call YSTR signatures that reveal good candidates future testing. Unfortunately, this YSTR signature approach for L226 produces much smaller and unreliable signatures than the signature of L226 under L21. So the methodology that serves so well for identifying L226 submissions from others no longer applies under L226.

Attempts to create L226 haplotrees solely based on YSTRs were at best - extremely inaccurate. There was just too many hidden parallel and backwards mutations to have any accuracy at all. When NGS tests became available for under $1,000, this new price point quickly started revealing many new branches under L226 at rate the poor Dennis Wright probably has time to do much else but serve the L226 community with is excellent NGS analysis via BAM files. We are no longer stuck with only L226 being our terminal YSNP and a flood of new L226 branches are now being discovered every week or two. Since YSTRs were way too unreliable to create accurate L226 haplotrees, NGS testing became and remains the primary emphasis of discovering more about our L226 ancestry.

NGS testing continues to create many new major branches as well as more recent branches as well. Creating complete haplotrees based on YSTR is not possible, but NGS testing set the framework that revealed 26 new L226 branches as of May, 2016. NGS testing is an excellent methodology for revealing significant numbers of new L226 branches on a regular basis - so we need to keep the this ball rolling. We have recently NGS tested over ten percent of all 67 marker L226 submissions to date. We also have over 350 private YSNPs associated with these NGS tests and we will soon have more private YSNPs than 67 marker YSTR submissions to test soon.

But there is another new approach that is now becoming available that should complement the continual need for yet more NGS testing. With all the NGS tests, we now have a robust YSNP database being created. With NGS tests, YSNP pack tests from FTDNA, YSNP panel tests from YSEQ and individual YSNP testing from YSEQ, this YSNP database continues to grow in size and has become another source of genetic information that can compensate the small YSTR signatures under L226. With an every growing 67 YSTR database that increases around 30 % per year and YSNP database that is growing at 30 % per month, we now have a powerful combination of genetic information that makes L226 haplotree generation possible in the very near term future. With the powerful combination of both a robust YSTR database and rapidly growing YSNP database to fill the holes of poor YSTR signatures, I am now able to create reasonably accurate haplotree for around 25 % of L226. With the excellent analysis tool SAPP which continually is improving and the rapid growth of YSNP data becoming available, creating a resonaby accurate L226 haplotree is within our grasp in the near term.

Development of even a partial L226 haplotrees will accelerate the discovery of L226 branches. Having a good L226 haplotree that charts all genetic data will allow to visualize where more NGS tests are critical and where higher resolution NGS tests are more needed. By having better haplotree charts that contain all YDNA data, allows us to test individual YSNPs at 10 to 20 % the cost of YSNP pack or YSNP panel tests to discover our terminal YSNP. Testing negative for all other YSNPs are not important if you test your terminal YSNP directly.

Also, testing of individual YSNPs for the private YSNPs associated with NGS testers also reveals branches at 10 % of the cost / branch as NGS only testing. The quicker and lower costs to adding L226 branches just gets us there faster and allows our NGS tests to shift to where the genetic bottlenecks are under L226. Getting more branches faster will increase the YSNP database much faster since our growing L226 haplotree will get routinely updated in the YSNP pack and YSNP panel tests. We will still need many more NGS tests but we also now have other YSNP alternatives that complements the NGS testing.