20 April 2011

DNA Heritage demise

The following notice appears at www.dnaheritage.com
As of April 19 2011, DNA Heritage has ceased its operations and is in the process of transferring the domains DNAHeritage.com and Ybase.org to Family Tree DNA.
All the tests in progress will be processed by our current lab and the results will be delivered to our customers.
In order to ensure the continuity of the existing surname projects Family Tree DNA will study the best options to integrate our customers' results into their database.
Once Family Tree DNA decides on the option(s), our customers will be given the opportunity to opt-in to their database.
Family Tree DNA has a notice on the company website repeating the above and adding:
Given that the vast majority of the DNA records use 12, 37, 67 markers, and the 43 marker test from DNA Heritage includes only 25 markers in common with Family Tree DNA, you will be better off buying the standard 37 or 67 markers test from Family Tree DNA. This way you will be able to compare to the over 200,000 Y-DNA samples in the Family Tree DNA database.
Comment

Aside from very pricey Oxford Ancestors, DNA Heritage was the only UK based company in genetic genealogy. The company suffered from never being able to develop the size of client database needed to compete with the sector leaders. My own experience with the company was never receiving a reply to a query.  

Although the company has a significant financial base, one wonders whether DNA is a field that Ancestry.com will continue to pursue. They also have a relatively small database, and a track record of divesting out of unprofitable business lines.

As FTDNA once offered, and presumably still have clients who tested 25 markers, their comment on how former DNA Heritage clients would be "better off" seems odd.

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