Category Archives: DNA

Privacy authorities for Canada and the UK launch joint investigation into 23andMe data breach

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Gail Dever

The privacy authorities for Canada and the United Kingdom have launched a joint investigation into the data breach that was discovered in October 2023 at genetic testing company 23andMe. Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne and UK Information Commissioner John Edwards will investigate … Continue reading →

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Simon Fraser University study seeks Canadians 55+ who found and met an unknown relative through DNA testing

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Gail Dever

A four-year project at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, called The Family Genealogists and Long-Lost Relatives (AGEGen2), aims to learn more about the experiences of diverse midlife to older-aged Canadians (aged 55+) who tested their DNA and then searched for … Continue reading →

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CTV News looking for Canadians who’ve uncovered a surprise in their DNA test results

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Gail Dever

If you’ve tested your DNA and discovered an interesting surprise or two, CTV News would like to hear from you. CTVNews.ca wants to speak to Canadians about their experience with genealogical DNA tests from companies such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage … Continue reading →

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Watch for updates on AncestryDNA

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Gail Dever

If you haven’t looked at your DNA results on Ancestry in a while, you may to keep an eye open for updates that should be coming in the next few weeks. Some think the updates will be improved ethnicity estimates. … Continue reading →

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MyHeritage releases cM Explainer to predict relationships between DNA matches with greater accuracy

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Gail Dever

MyHeritage announced yesterday the release of cM Explainer, a free new feature they say accurately estimates familial relationships between DNA Matches. cM Explainer is fully integrated into the MyHeritage platform to shed light on any DNA Match found on MyHeritage. … Continue reading →

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Genetic genealogy solves two Toronto murders — on YouTube

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Gail Dever

On Sunday, I caught a repeat airing of Fifth Estate’s How DNA technology led to murder charges — nearly 40 years later. The program first aired on CBC in December, and after watching it on television, I discovered it’s available … Continue reading →

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How genetic genealogy helped uncover the fate of a girl who disappeared 68 years ago in Montreal

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Gail Dever

Rosemarie Doederlein was 14 when her mother sent her to a bakery a few blocks from their Notre-Dame-de-Grâce apartment one afternoon in late 1954, a couple of months after she had arrived in Montreal from Germany with her parents and … Continue reading →

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Toronto’s Humber College partners with Othram to support law enforcement and develop programs to educate future forensic professionals

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Gail Dever

A new collaboration between Humber College in Toronto and Othram Inc. will measure social and criminal justice impact and develop tools to support law enforcement and the development of programs to educate future forensic professionals.  Othram Inc., the leading forensic … Continue reading →

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AncestryDNA test and online newspaper archives help New Zealander find her birth father — a convicted bank robber in Canada

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Gail Dever

A reference librarian in New Zealand spent more than 20 years trying to track down her birth father, and she shared her story with the Vancouver Sun. After New Zealand relaxed laws in 1999 on access to closed adoptions, Heather … Continue reading →

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Toronto police solve two 39-year-old murders using genetic genealogy

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Gail Dever

Toronto police yesterday announced they have arrested a 61-year-old man in the unsolved cold-case murders of two women who were found dead in the city almost 40 years ago. Erin Gilmour was a 22-year-old aspiring fashion designer and was found … Continue reading →

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