Wow! My DNA results at Ancestry.com show I am not really 67% Scandinavian, as earlier results indicated. I'm slightly disappointed, since being 67% Scandinavian explained why I've never been able to get a decent tan.
It seems the DNA database at Ancestry.com has grown by leaps and bounds, something that has enabled more refined reporting of a participant's DNA results. This is something the company mentioned initially, stating results would likely become more precise as more people chose to participate in DNA testing. My own new and improved results show one thing has NOT changed.........I remain 100% European!
So according to my new test results, I'm happy to report much more "specific" (and terribly intriguing) information. My genetic heritage comes from a broad list of locations, and the highest percentages are from the British Isles and Ireland, as shown here.
British Isles - 46%
Ireland - 22%
The two results above (a total of 68%) are remarkable, but not surprising, since my parents and grandparents always told me we were "Scotch-Irish." And we have lots of red hair on my mother's side of the family to prove it!
Europe West - 26%
What the heck does this mean? Were my ancestors from Austria, Germany, or France?
Not quite.....Ancestry.com explains a "Europe West" result could denote ancestry from one or more of a dozen countries, apparently classified as "Europe West."
Belgium
France
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Luxembourg
Liechtenstein
Also: England, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic
To say the least, my ancestry is a hodge-podge of cultures, don't you think?
O.K. So now my ancestry is up to 94% European? Where's the other 6%??
Below the list of western European countries is a drop-down menu that includes something Ancestry.com calls "trace elements." See below:
Iberian Peninsula - 3%
The online explanation for Iberian Peninsula says my ancestors were from Spain and/or Portugal, but could also be France, Morocco, Algeria, and Italy. Iberian Peninsula involvement may explain dark hair and blue eyes of a very large number of paternal family members. And Morocco and Algeria involvement may explain the J1 Haplogroup identified in some of my paternal male ancestors.
But there is more.....
Holy smokes! I thought I was 67% Scandinavian....wrong. Revised DNA results show I'm only 2%. Guess it doesn't take much Scandinavian ancestry to prevent me from tanning.
Finnish/Northern Russia <1%. No wonder so many of my cousin matches (maternal and paternal) show origins in the Volga/Ural Mountain area.
Now to unravel the connections for over 3,500 cousin matches.......
Thanks, Ancestry.com...I am truly genetically enlightened.
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