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| Blaine Bettinger with CGS past president Linda Okazaki in Berkeley, March 3 |
On March
3, CGS hosted “A Day with the Genetic Genealogist,” a daylong seminar with
Blaine Bettinger at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. The sold-out event
addressed “Getting the Most Out of Your AncestryDNA Matches,” gave an overview
of Y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA, and looked at new third-party tools for
genealogical DNA analysis. Bettinger also led a smaller seminar at CGS the
previous day, where he examined in detail such topics as the need for ethics
and standards in DNA testing, a “genealogical proof standard” for genetics, and
how to interpret non-European DNA evidence.
Blaine
Bettinger was first bitten by the genealogy bug in middle school, when a family
history assignment sparked a fascination that would continue through his life.
He was a graduate student at SUNY Upstate Medical University, studying
molecular biology and biochemistry, when the first affordable
direct-to-consumer tests for ancestral DNA came on the market. “This was
combining my two loves, microbiology and genealogy,” he remembers. Soon he had
discovered his passion. After grad school, he decided to pursue a law degree,
reckoning that “would allow me to pursue my love of science and reading and
writing, without being at the bench every day. So I went right from grad school
to law school, and it's been a terrific career.” In 2007, he launched a
website, The Genetic Genealogist,
one of the earliest blogs on the topic.
Self-described
as “an intellectual property attorney by day and a DNA specialist by night,”
Dr. Bettinger soon became one of the go-to authorities on ancestral DNA. He’s
been interviewed and quoted by national publications such as Newsweek, New Scientist, and Wired.
He’s also gained something like rock-star status in the genealogical community
for his entertaining presentations, which are both informative and lucid enough
for the layperson.
While limited population samples currently hinder the study of ancestral DNA,
especially for those of non-European heritage, Bettinger anticipates great
leaps and bounds in DNA analysis in the near future. “The way the databases are
growing, it’s just incredible,” he says. He’s enthusiastic about the
development of such tools as DNAPainter, GEDMatch, and the Chrome extension MedBetter, which make it easier
to understand and compare DNA results. In April 2018 he plans to launch a new “DNA
Central” project to help subscribers keep abreast of the latest
developments in genetic genealogy.
You can
learn more about Bettinger’s work at his website, TheGeneticGenealogist.com.
Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society
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