ISOGG Group Gears Up For SNP Tsunami

The International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOOG) is a totally voluntary organization that does not charge dues. However, since 2006 it has been responsible for maintaining the Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree 2013 for researchers and testing labs around the world. The number of SNPs being discovered has been exploding since the end of 2010 and this is just the beginning. The recent wave of newly discovered SNPs have resulted from the Walk the Y, GENO 2.0 and 1,000 Genomes projects as well as the normal discovery processes of investigation by academics and citizen scientists.

End of year	Cumulative # of SNPs in tree
2006	436
2008	790
2010	935
2012	2067
Sept, 2013	3610

The tsunami has yet to come. Geno 2.0 has not yet published all its SNPs. Treasure troves of additional SNPs from FullGenomes and FTDNA’s Big Y tests loom just over the horizon. These have the potential to identify and place thousands of here-to-fore unknown SNPs. Many of these will be leaves toward the ends of branches on the Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree. They will be recent enough to connect with the documented trees by genealogists. 

In anticipation of this bounty and the chaos that may accompany it, those members of the ISOOG group who maintain this tree who were able to gather in Houston on Saturday planned for this event.  

Alice Fairhurst (center) leads the discussion. Members of her group in attendance (clockwise from Alice) are Richard Kenyon, Marja Pirttivaara, Michael Herbert, Sue Berry, Dr. D. (in red), Tim Janzen, Astrid Krahn and Thomas Krahn. (Photo courtesy of Katherine Borges)

It is clear that our processes need to be reorganized and streamlined if we are going to be able to continue to serve the genetic genealogy community and researchers in related disciplines in a timely basis.

Where is Genetic Genealogy Going? Who is Driving the Agenda?

Several indicators suggest the genetic genealogy marketplace is in a state of flux. So what else is new?

What impact will the departure of Thomas and Astrid Krahn from FTDNA have on the company’s commitment to further explore the Y-chromosome? This is a particularly interesting question at a time when FullGenomes is on the verge of having actual customer results from its pricey first round of tests of the full Y-chromosome.

    

After the dust clears from the separation of Anne Wojcicki from Sergey Brin, it appears likely that 23andMe will not be seriously affected. Even though it is Anne’s company, it has been Sergey’s billions and Parkinson’s gene that have been the driving forces behind this company’s growth.

    

DNA testing has not been incorporated into any of the first seven segments of Who Do You Think You Are? Ancestry is a principal sponsor and the company's databases are prominently featured in most episodes. If it is Ancestry’s business plan to grow the DNA side of its business, this is a strange way to go about it.

Not to be left on the sidelines, Geno 2.0 apparently is fine tuning its marketing focus. Emphasis on the sale of its public participation kits will be concentrated in the English speaking world which in general is already to most tested part of the world.

Regional commercial ventures are springing up in various parts of the UK.

All of this makes it clear that our agenda is being set by commercial entities. That’s not bad. We would be nowhere without the framework they have created. Most of us do not want it to be set by various world governments which may be the primary alternative to the free enterprise system.

Where do you want our community to go in the next decade? Probably the next six months is a more reasonable time frame for a business plan in this marketplace. Or is it? How can we as consumers, both individually and collectively, best communicate our ideas – dare I say dreams – as to where we want genetic genealogy to move next? Does ISOGG have an opportunity for a more proactive role? Are there other venues for this discussion?