MyHeritage LIVE: The Future is Bright

One thing that is certain about MyHeritage, the future is bright. At the opening presentation of the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, CEO Gilad Japeth announced MyHeritage's acquisition of SNPedia and Promethease. Quoting from the SNPedia website:

SNPedia is a wiki investigating human genetics. We share information about the effects of variations in DNA, citing peer-reviewed scientific publications. It is used by Promethease to create a personal report linking your DNA variations to the information published about them. Please see the SNPedia:FAQ for answers to common questions.

The second acquisition was Promethease.com. Here is an explanation of the company from their website.

Promethease is a literature retrieval system that builds a personal DNA report based on connecting a file of DNA genotypes to the scientific findings cited in SNPedia. 

Biomedical researchers, healthcare practitioners and customers of DNA testing services (such as 23andMe, Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA, Genos, etc.) use Promethease to retrieve information published about their DNA variations. Most reports cost $12 and are produced in under 10 minutes. Much larger data files (such as imputed full genomes) have increased runtime. Uploading additional data files into the same report costs an additional $4. 

These websites will add additional support and depth to the DNA matches on MyHeritage.com.  Both of these websites will help to add depth to MyHeritage's growing consumer health interests. Here is an explanation of the acquisition from the MyHeritage blog post dated 7 September 2019.

Today we are announcing MyHeritage’s acquisition of SNPedia and Promethease, through acquiring the company that owned and operated them, River Road Bio, expanding our intellectual property in medical genetics. This marks our first consumer health acquisition and our 10th acquisition since MyHeritage’s founding. Promethease will be made free through the end of 2019 and SNPedia will remain a free wiki resource for academic and non-profit use. 

SNPedia
SNPedia.com was launched in 2006 and is a wiki that contains a broad, community-curated knowledge base linking between genetic variants and medical conditions, as well as traits, citing over 30,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications. It is the primary encyclopedia and de facto go-to resource for information about genetic markers and has evolved to cover 110,413 genetic variants. SNPedia operates under a Creative Commons license, wherein it is a free resource for academic and non-commercial use, with only MyHeritage having the right to utilize it commercially. MyHeritage plans to maintain SNPedia as a free resource under the same terms and will utilize this comprehensive knowledge base to enhance future versions of MyHeritage’s DNA health products. 

Promethease
Promethease.com is a literature retrieval service. It allows consumers to upload their raw DNA data (from services such as Ancestry.com, 23andMe, and others) and automatically compare it to SNPedia to see relevant scientific findings regarding their genome. The Promethease service currently costs $12, and offers consumers the option to store their DNA data. Since its launch in 2008, Promethease has become one of the world’s most popular consumer health services by allowing customers to obtain information based on their unique genetic makeup. Following this announcement, MyHeritage is transforming Promethease into a free service, effective today, and this free promotion will run until the end of 2019. MyHeritage intends to keep Promethease separate from its MyHeritage DNA health product line. Unlike Promethease, MyHeritage does not provide any health reports based on DNA data uploaded from other vendors. All of MyHeritage DNA’s health reports are based on clinical validation of the underlying DNA data. 

“The acquisition of SNPedia and Promethease expands MyHeritage’s intellectual property in medical genetics. Going forward, SNPedia will empower us to broaden the scope of health reports provided by the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test and propel it to become a global market leader in consumer DNA testing. We are happy to keep SNPedia as a free resource for the academic community and for consumers,” said Dr. Yaniv Erlich, Chief Science Officer of MyHeritage. 

“We are pleased with the acquisition by MyHeritage. We expect this to extend SNPedia’s contribution to even more consumers and thereby improve millions of lives through MyHeritage’s popular DNA testing platform,” said Dr. Greg Lennon, co-founder of SNPedia and Promethease. 

DNA Data
Promethease currently contains hundreds of thousands of raw DNA files uploaded by customers who have tested with services such as Ancestry.com, 23andMe, and FamilyTreeDNA. The vast majority of Promethease customers are from the United States. As of November 1st, 2019, for existing non-European Promethease users only, the DNA data that is on Promethease will be copied to the MyHeritage website into new user accounts that will be created for them. Users who have uploaded DNA files to Promethease will retain ownership of their data (MyHeritage asserts no ownership rights over the DNA data), and manage it on the MyHeritage website in private accounts accessible only to them, and receive free value-add services, in addition to the accounts they will continue to maintain on Promethease. 

The accounts that will be created on MyHeritage for Promethease users will enjoy the special benefit of receiving not only free DNA Matching for relatives, but also free Ethnicity Estimates. Currently, users who upload their raw DNA data to MyHeritage receive free DNA Matches, but do not get Ethnicity Estimates. This extra feature is accessible for a  one-time unlock fee of $29 or by purchasing a site subscription. This benefit will be offered to Promethease users for free when their DNA is uploaded to MyHeritage, thereby saving them money and providing them with a free service that other users do not automatically receive. Some additional features will still require an unlock fee or a subscription, such as the Chromosome Browser. To learn about all of the benefits that will be available for free to Promethease users whose DNA kits will be uploaded to MyHeritage, read our DNA upload policy. 

Non-European Promethease users who are not interested in having their DNA data and accounts copied to MyHeritage can log in to Promethease and delete their DNA data permanently before November 1st, 2019, and their DNA data and accounts will not be copied. Promethease users will also be able to delete their DNA data and accounts permanently from MyHeritage and Promethease at any point thereafter. MyHeritage will de-duplicate the DNA data so that DNA kits that have already been uploaded separately to MyHeritage by the same users will not be copied over to MyHeritage again. For new users who sign up to Promethease on or after November 1st, 2019 and upload DNA data, it will be copied to new accounts created for them on MyHeritage on an ongoing basis. 

People who wish to take a genetic health test or receive health reports are encouraged to purchase the MyHeritage DNA Health+Ancestry test, which is based on clinically validated genetic markers and robust scientific research.

MyHeritage LIVE: Kim and Christine: Sisters Reunited

Kim and Christine: Sisters Reunited

The MyHeritage LIVE Conference started with an amazing presentation about two sisters separated as babies in Korea who found each other using the MyHeritage DNA test. After viewing the above video we were given the opportunity to meet and ask questions of the sisters in person. One of the main benefits of attending a conference in person is the opportunity to actually see the people.

https://live2019.myheritage.com/

The classes will be starting online shortly. Check the link for the current broadcast.

MyHeritage adds Huge Collection of French Marriage Records

France, Nord Civil Marriages, 1792-1937

MyHeritage.com announced the addition of a huge collection of 5.4 million French Nord Civil Marriages from 1792 to 1937. Here is the description from the emailed announcement:

France, Nord Civil Marriages, 1792-1937 which includes 5.4 million civil records of marriages (1792-1937) for the French department of Nord that were collected by government authorities after the French Republic was proclaimed in 1792. The collection contains a detailed searchable index that details you won’t find on other websites.
The collection is live in MyHeritage SuperSearch™ at: 

https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10726/france-nord-civil-marriages-1792-1937 

In this collection, you’ll find rich details about the bride, groom, and their families, including the names of the bride and groom, their birth dates, birthplaces, marriage date and location, and the names of the bride’s and groom’s parents — including their mothers’ maiden surnames. Additional information about the death of one or more of the parents, along with witness names and details — often with recorded relationships to the bride and groom — can also be found. 

Teaching Classes at the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam

Why am I in Amsterdam? Earlier this year, I was graciously invited to present at the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After some discussion with my wife, we decided to take advantage of being in Europe to do some touring before the Conference. We left Provo on August 16th and spent the next three weeks touring the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, a tiny part of Austria, and Germany. The tour ended in Munich. We then flew back to Amsterdam for the Conference from September 6th through the 8th. I will be teaching two classes. Here is the genealogy track schedule for Sunday showing the local times for my two classes. Of course, you will have the opportunity to hear most of the Conference live online during both days.

https://live2019.myheritage.com/

The instructions for live streaming are on this MyHeritage blog post. See "MyHeritage LIVE Is Almost Here!"

MyHeritage LIVE Is Almost Here!

For those of you in the US, the 6+ hour time shift will put the Conference into the afternoon or evening. If you are in other places around the world, check to see what the time shift will be for your area. Most of the action will be on the MyHeritage Facebook page so keep a watch there.

Live Streaming from the MyHeritage LIVE Conference 2019

https://live2019.myheritage.com

Great News! The MyHeritage LIVE Conference with be both live-streamed and available online after the conference. I will be teaching two classes on Sunday so check the schedule and adjust the times for your particular time zone. Here are some instructions about the live streams:

We are just a couple of days away from an exciting weekend in Amsterdam, and we are thrilled to announce that we will live stream the genealogy and DNA lecture tracks online throughout the conference! 

The live stream will be available on the MyHeritage LIVE website and on the MyHeritage Facebook page, so please tune in from 9:00 a.m. Amsterdam time on September 7th. If you need help calculating the time difference to your local time zone, you can use https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/.  

Make sure to visit the conference website to see the full schedule.

#MyHeritage

The Rijkmuseum and the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam

The Threatened Swan

We are busy getting ready for the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam from September 6th to the 8th but meanwhile, we are taking the opportunity of being in Amsterdam to visit some of the places I have only read about previously. The first place on my list is the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. Here is a short description from a Google popup:

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague on 19 November 1798 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis.

The image above of The Threatened Swan is historically significant in Dutch history. Here is a description of the painting from the Rijksmuseum website.

A swan fiercely defends its nest against a dog. In later centuries this scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory: the white swan was thought to symbolize the Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (assassinated in 1672) protecting the country from its enemies. This was the meaning attached to the painting when it became the very first acquisition to enter the Nationale Kunstgalerij (the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum) in 1880.

It turns out that swans are very significant in Western European history. Another example is the name of the famous castle in Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle which translated into English is the "New Swan Castle." Images of swans are very prominent in many contexts.

What does all this have to do with MyHeritage and the Conference? Well, you might start to realize that genealogy and history are really the same things. Over the next few days, I hope to be able to show some direct connections between our cultural and historic heritage and our genealogical inheritance.

 

Bicycles, Canals, and the MyHeritage LIVE Conference in Amsterdam

We have arrived in Amsterdam a few days early for the MyHeritage LIVE Conference on September 6th through the 8th and have taken the time to see some museums and the sights around the city. We have already seen the windmills, the Ann Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, and the Botanical Garden. We also spent a day just walking around the downtown area but we still have some time to see more before the conference. We have enjoyed the beautiful and very busy city of Amsterdam.

The two most obvious things we see everywhere are canals and bicycles. The bicycle traffic is constant. When you cross a street, you need to look both ways in the bicycle lanes on both sides of the street. Bicycles have the right away and they don't stop for pedestrians. There have to be a lot of bicycles in this city. According to Amsterdam Facts:

According to the most recent figures, the 850.000 residents (442.693 households) of Amsterdam together own 847.000 bicycles. That represents 1.91 bicycles per household. 78% of people 12 years and older own at least one bike. Bonus fact: each year between 12,000 and 15,000 bikes are fished up from city’s canals.

We haven't seen too many of the .91 bicycles but we have seen a lot of the rest. The bicycles also travel very fast.

Although we lived many years in Mesa, Arizona and are accustomed to canals, the Arizona canals are not nearly so plentiful or beautiful as the Amsterdam canals. In the older parts of the city, you cross a canal every few blocks. Additionally, Amsterdam is amazingly clean for a large city although we do see and have seen the ever-present graffiti all over Europe including in Amsterdam.

The number of people in the downtown is remarkable. We saw the same crowds in Madrid, Paris, and other cities. When you come from the Phoenix, Arizona area, seeing anyone on the streets is unusual and even after living almost my entire life in Phoenix/Scottsdale/Mesa, the only crowds I have seen in the downtown areas are during parades and other special events.

We are looking forward to the Conference. We hope to see some of you there.

https://live2019.myheritage.com/