Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2013 10:04:48 -0230 (NDT)
From: David Pike 
To: pike-dna-l@rootsweb.com
Subject: 3 new results, and other news



Hi everybody.

I've had an unusually heavy workload this term and have consequently 
fallen a bit behind on a few things, including the regular pace of sending 
out email updates about developments with our DNA project.  With this 
message I'll try to start to catch up a little bit.



The first news item to convey is not DNA related but instead is about a 
Pike reunion that will be taking place on July 18-21 in and around 
Salisbury, Massaschusetts.  The reunion is not for members of any specific 
Pike family, but is open to members and descendants of all Pike families. 
For more information, contact Roy Escott Pike (who is President of the 
Pike Family Association as well as being kit number 31483 in our DNA 
project) at roypike36@msn.com



Next is some news from Family Tree DNA.  In February they held a promotion 
in which they offered their 12 marker Y-DNA test for an unprecedented $39. 
Although it was advertised as being a temporary price, it now appears that 
Family Tree DNA has adopted it as the regular price for their 12 marker 
test.  While our project will continue to recommend that people test at 
least 37 markers, the attractiveness of a low cost test may enable more 
people to take an initial step into the realm of genealogical DNA testing. 
Indeed, our project has already been joined by some new members who have 
taken advantage of this opportunity.



Okay, now for some new DNA results.  Just before Christmas, Stephen 
received the 37 marker results for his grandfather James (kit number 
258895).  James' grandfather Thomas Meredith PIKE was a major in the Royal 
Irish Rifles.  Thomas was born about 1848 in Dublin, Ireland, but all that 
is currently known about his ancestry is that his father was named Thomas 
and was deceased by 1876.  James' DNA results are a clear match with the 
members of our project's "Group 1" clan.  Given the abundance of Pike 
lineages in "Group 1" that trace their origins to the area of Hampshire, 
Wiltshire and Berkshire in England, it now appears that Stephen's and 
James' Pike line will ultimately be traced back to this region as well.



Kit 262519 (who is currently an anonymous participant in our project and 
who hasn't yet provided pedigree details) also tested 37 markers.  He 
matched on 35 of the 37 markers with Harl (kit 179514) in our "Group 6" 
and so it appears likely that 262519 descends from James and Naomi PIKE 
who settled at Charlestown, Massachusetts in the 1640s.



Kit 262549 is also anonymous and has not yet provided details for his Pike 
ancestry.  He tested 67 markers but no close matches with other members of 
our project were found.  Based on the first 37 markers, his closest 
matches are with Gary (kit 160783) and Donald (167453) in our "Group 16", 
but 262549 is separated from each of Gary and Donald by 11 differences in 
their DNA results, which is more than enough to exclude a close 
relationship.  For the timebeing 252549's results have been put into the 
"Ungrouped Test Results" section of our Test Results webpage.



Let me close this message with a detailed update about the Genographic 
Project that is operated by the National Geographic Society.  Back in 
November I mentioned that it had entered into a second phase in which it 
was testing a large number of autosomal markers as well as some mtDNA and 
Y-DNA markers too.  All of the markers being tested are SNPs (single 
nucleotide polymorphisms) whereas the Y-DNA markers that we use within the 
Pike project are STRs (short tandem repeats).  The utility of SNPs is 
primarily with respect to deep ancestry (i.e., well before genealogical 
times).  With regard to Y-DNA SNPs, these are the basis for Y-DNA 
Haplogroups (which are merely predicted from the standard STR markers).

I received my Geno 2.0 results in January.  For my mtDNA, they have 
identified that I belong to mtDNA Haplogroup T2b21.  This is correct, and 
is something that I already knew based on having had Family Tree DNA 
previously do a full mtDNA test for me.  On the Genographic website there 
is an "Our Story" section that lets me see brief stories written by other 
people who are in my haplogroup.  So far it shows that there are a dozen 
others in my haplogroup, but only one has evidently written a story yet, 
so for now I have no idea who the other T2b21 folks in the Genographic 
Project might be.

For my Y-DNA, they have identified that I belong to Y-DNA Haplogroup 
R-Z253, which is one of many subgroups of Haplogroup R1b.  This is correct 
(again, I knew this already from some extensive testing that I have done 
at Family Tree DNA).  In fact I'm in a subgroup of R-Z253 called R-L554, 
but the Genographic Project isn't yet showing this detail.  It's all still 
in "beta" mode though, so perhaps this will get adjusted later on, maybe 
once some more people who are R-L554 come along.  Currently the only 
people who I know belong to Haplogroup R-L554 are the members of "Group 2" 
in the Pike DNA Project, a fellow with the surname BROWN and another 
fellow with the surname PERRY.

For my autosomal DNA, the "Who Am I" section on the Genographic website 
provides an analysis for me.  It says that my autosomal genetic makeup is 
44% Northern European, 40% Mediterranean and 16% Southwest Asian.  A few 
reference populations are then listed for me, the first one being 
"British" for which a typical person is evidently 49% Northern European, 
33% Mediterranean and 17% Southwest Asian.  My next best reference 
population is "Iberian" for which a typical person is 37% Northern 
European, 48% Mediterranean and 13% Southwest Asian.  Based on what I 
think I know of most of my ancestry, it makes sense that these would be my 
two best reference populations.

Currently there is not much more autosomal analysis offered.  For 
instance, it does not yet show just which parts of my autosomal DNA might 
be from which region, although this functionality might be added in the 
future.  Something they have shown are the amounts of Neanderthal and 
Denisovan DNA that I carry... I measure 2.7% for both of them.  They say 
that most non-Africans are about 2% Neanderthal.  No details are yet 
available for what might be typical for Denisovan results.



- David.