Which of my autosomal results do you believe is the most accurate?

[poiuytrewq0987]

So far, I have tested with five different companies, and they tend to give me one of two types of results. The first one shows a 50-50ish split for Eastern European and Southern European. The second shows a Southern European-dominated result with a notable Eastern European contribution.

I have gotten the first type from AncestryDNA and FTDNA. It also shows in many Gedmatch calculators. While I've gotten the second type from 23andme, DNA.land and DNA Tribes.

Which do you think is more accurate, the 50-50 splits or the Southern European dominated results?

[poiuytrewq0987]

Here's what 23andme had to say about the Balkan category.

Thank you for your reply. For each section of your DNA, Ancestry Composition assigns a probability to each reference population for a given segment of DNA. You can select the confidence at which these populations are assigned using the confidence slider in the Scientific Details section of the report. There are five levels of interpretation for your results, ranging from conservative to speculative.

While the Conservative view is our most confident prediction of your ancestry, you will see more assigned ancestry in the Speculative View.

For more information about these confidence thresholds, please visit the following help article: https://customercare.23andme.com/hc//articles/202906800
Each population has its own recall and precision rate. We encourage you to visit the Testing & Validation section of the Ancestry Composition Guide here:

www.23andme.com/ancestry_composition_guide/

It is not uncommon to receive varying results between different ancestry analyses. Different companies can utilize reference data from varying sources. For example, 23andMe uses reference individuals from within our customer base to help define the reference populations used in Ancestry Composition.

You are able to view the data sources for Ancestry Composition by referring to the instructions in our previous message. Note that Macedonian ancestry is included in our Balkan reference population.

We hope you found this information helpful. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

and

Thank you for your reply. The population labels in Ancestry Composition refer to genetically similar groups, rather than nationalities. In general, we sought to make the populations as small as possible, subject to the constraint of being able to distinguish between them. We are able to distinguish between these groups by identifying genetic similarities and differences. Some populations may be inherently difficult to distinguish because of historical mixing, or we might not have had enough data to tell them apart.

To view the subgroups that make up each reference population, visit the Methodology section within the Scientific Details tab of Ancestry Composition. You can also access this section at the following link: https://you.23andme.com/reports/ance...ls-methodology

For more information regarding Ancestry Composition, visit the following links:
https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/...osition-Basics
www.23andme.com/ancestry_composition_guide/

We hope you found this information helpful.

[poiuytrewq0987]

The Balkan category in 23andme is perhaps the worst thing about the whole organisation. When I got my results was massively disappointed at the Balkan reference. As if - for one second - a Slovenian is as close to a Cretan as a Greek is to a random Italian... They could easily split the Balkans into the correct countries but simply feel no pressure to do so.

Just think - every single Greek who has ever taken the test is simply split between Balkan and Italian. They could easily create a Greek marker or Romanian marker - like serious scientists do - but they simply refuse.

Have you seen their PCA in one of the links I posted?

[Neon Knight]

Which is closest to your known ancestry?

[poiuytrewq0987]

Which is closest to your known ancestry?

My parents are from Macedonia and the results that show predominant Balkan ancestry make sense. However, what about the Slavic migrants and what genetic impact did they have on the Balkans? It is possible that the Balkan category is a real one, and there is a genetic continuum that gives it a raison d'etre for 23andme. If we are to believe this, then my Slavic influence ranges only from 5 to 15%.

[Linebacker]

There is no Eastern European in history with E1b

[Neon Knight]

My parents are from Macedonia and the results that show predominant Balkan ancestry make sense. However, what about the Slavic migrants and what genetic impact did they have on the Balkans? It is possible that the Balkan category is a real one, and there is a genetic continuum that gives it a raison d'etre for 23andme. If we are to believe this, then my Slavic influence ranges only from 5 to 15%.

It depends where the Slavic migrants came from and how long ago. If they came from the Serbia/Bulgaria area then they would not have made much difference to the overall genetics. And do we know how many came? Languages can spread without much immigration.

[poiuytrewq0987]

There is no Eastern European in history with E1b

E1b1b Y-DNA haplogroups (ultimately originating in northeastern Africa) are not very common among Russian men, but some do have them, and the "Russia-Slavic DNA Project" has men who specifically carry E1b1b1 and E1b1b1a1b.

[poiuytrewq0987]

For example - these tests have the power to solve so many disputes, but they are not interested in making proper markers. Would be fascinating to see if there are any major differences between Cretan Greeks and Mainland Greeks - what about with you also? Being able to see if there is any difference between a Macedonian and a Bulgarian? The differences between a Romanian and a Moldovan?

See Puntdnal K15. That test has Macedonian samples. Mdlp too, I think.

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/sho...=1#post3918432

[Voskos]

Heres a Bulgarian result in case you want to compare your my origins score:

Here is mine :

Europeаn - 74%
- North Mediterranen Basin - 26%
- Trans Ural peneplain - 49%
Middle Eastern - 19%
- Anatolian Crossroad - 16%
- Eastern Afroasiatic - 3%
- North African Coatlands - 1%
Jewish Disapora - 6%
- Jewish Disapora - 6%