Answer: The project administrator is of the personal opinion that testing with AncestryDNA first and then transferring to FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) is one of the best things you can do. This is for at least two intertwined reasons: AncestryDNA currently has the largest database for autosomal results or cousin-matching (marketed on FTDNA as 'FamilyFinder'), making it the most effective for doing just that but also—for that reason—having arguably the most accurate representation for ethnicity estimates. Secondly, FTDNA allows customers from several other major companies to freely transfer their results, whereas AncestryDNA does not. So, testing with AncestryDNA and transferring to FTDNA is perhaps the best bang for your buck.

Answer: FamilyTreeDNA is a division of Gene by Gene Ltd., which can be seen as the copyright holders on, among other pages, the Discover reports. While Gene by Gene Ltd. is based in Houston, Texas, it was acquired by Australian company MyDNA, Inc. in January 2021. ("Houston-based Gene by Gene and FamilyTreeDNA acquired by Australian firm")

Answer: This depends on what you want to find out and/or who else has tested before you. The Big-Y700 is – without exaggeration – probably the most valuable patrilineal test you could take to answer any questions you have and others of your family may have now or in the future, so it is a somewhat 'selfless' upgrade to make which will be beneficial for generations. While it is expensive, the worst outcome for upgrading is contributing to genealogical and scientific knowledge that will long outlast you.

If you take a Y-37 and find a dozen matches with the same last name as you, whose relation you never would have guessed because their connection predates the 1800s or even 1700s, then you should be mindful that whatever paper trails may have existed to verify those connections are probably lost (if they existed at all), considering none of your family genealogists even thought of these until you swabbed your cheek in the 21st century – you are then one of the first to tread this forgotten ground. So, if you want to map out something with these relatives, perhaps to zero-in on migrant ancestors for example, then you most likely need to upgrade to Big-Y700.

If your closest Y-DNA matches already have Big-Ys and you know how you relate to them in such a confirmed, sure way that you taking the test would be 'redundant', then the best that your own Big-Y could do would be to refine or back-up the scientific data. Each Big-Y700 is ultimately extremely helpful.

Answer: Again it depends but most often the answer is yes. If both of your parents are alive, testing them instead of yourself will capture a better representation of your recent ancestry – basically, genetic inheritance is random; when a child is conceived, autosomal DNA is rearranged and thrown together in unpredictable ways, so testing the older members of your family better sorts the noise into cleaner categories and makes it easier to sort through your matches. If you are concerned about how DNA companies may use your data, then this might be a better tactic—Note that if you use Meta's products and services such as Facebook, then this should not be a problem for you.

Answer: No, not in any genealogically meaningful way – if you have a result like this then you most likely only took an STR marker test (Y-37 or Y-111). Any help that this will provide you for genealogical purposes will be incredibly limited, and this result is usually only 'predicted' anyway. It can be helpful to imagine terms like 'haplogroup' and 'SNP' to be synonymous with 'certain ancestor' – in other words imagine R-M269 to be a man in a family tree in relation to all the other haplogroups; R-M269 is an ancient ancestor to thousands of lineages, so while you and other R-M269 -predicted testers do share this group and ancestor as opposed to somebody of J-M410 or E-M2 ancestry, you are super distant with the overwhelming majority of them and should only consider those in your matchlists to actually be your possible relatives rather than looking for every descendant of R-M269, even if they share your last name.

Answer: The farthest female who you can verify on the test taker's mother's directly-female line. Never a male; men cannot pass on mitochondrial DNA, so entering a male into that section will not be helpful for matches or administrators (especially if you have no visible tree).