Getting your Big Y-700 DNA results from FamilyTreeDNA can be exciting, but it can also create anxiety. I’ve been there, too, and it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Y-DNA, which is passed down from father to son, is just as helpful or perhaps more helpful than autosomal DNA in answering your genealogical research questions.
I first used Y-DNA in 2006, and I have since sponsored nearly two dozen Big Y-700 DNA tests across several of my ancestral lines. I’ve learned a lot about Y-DNA over the past two decades through personal experience, trial and error, and self-education. I want to pass this knowledge onto you through a Six-part Learning Module Series (Playlist) on my YouTube Channel.
FamilyTreeDNA provides a lot of great data and analysis tools to help us understand our results. The Big Y-700 DNA test is exceptional in determining our ancestors’ ancestral origins and figuring out how closely related two individuals with the same (or different) surname are to one another. And, if we’re lucky, we might just be able to identify a new generation or two. If nothing else, the Big Y can help direct our documentary research in one direction or another.
Video Learning Module Series
I’ve used my experience with the Big Y test and my instructional capabilities as a professor to create six short learning modules, each about 10-20 minutes in length.
The learning modules are purposefully not overly technical. Sufficient depth is provided, but the videos are designed to introduce you to your results and the Big Y tools and reports. Each module is designed around a specific concept depending on what you want to learn or where you are in your Big Y journey.
If you want to watch the videos in order, you can view the Big Y Playlist on my YouTube Channel. Alternatively, click below on the module heading of your choice that best fits your needs.
Module 1: Your Test
If you need a general orientation to the Big Y-700 test, this is the place to start. Learn how to navigate the website landing page for your Big Y test results. Also, discover that the Big Y-700 is actually two tests in one. It tests two different Y-DNA markers: STRs (short tandem repeats) and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). Learn, in simple language, how each type of marker provides different information about how you’re related to your matches.
Module 2: Your Ancestry
One of the reasons many of us take DNA tests is to understand from what country or region of the world our ancestor came. This video highlights FamilyTreeDNA’s Migration Map and Globetrekker features included in your Big Y-700 DNA test to see how your paternal line left Africa in ancient times to where it ended up in modern times. Follow along as you learn about haplogroups (branches of the paternal family tree), where to find your haplogroup within your test results, and what it means for family tree research.
Module 3: Your Matches
We know our matches are the key to discovering more about our ancestral origins and perhaps identifying unknown paternal ancestors. The video shows how to access and interpret your Match List as well as use some of the most important tools for determining how closely related you are to your matches. The tools includes Match Time Tree, Block Tree, Scientific Details, and Discover Haplogroup Reports.
Module 4: Your Branches
If you’re confused by the term “haplogroup”, then this is the video to watch. See how FamilyTreeDNA determines your branch of the paternal family tree (i.e., haplogroup), which is included in your Big Y-DNA test. The concepts of SNP mutations and private variants are discussed at a high level to solidify your understanding, and the Match Time Tree and Block Tree tools are used to show how your haplogroup branch is related to your matches’ haplogroups within your larger paternal family tree.
Module 5: Your Prospects
We all want more matches. The more we have, the more we learn about ourselves. In this video, you’ll learn how to identify which of your Y-111 matches are the best for improving your haplogroup estimates and the time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) associated with your paternal ancestor. Based on the genetic distance (steps) associated with your Y-111 matches, you’ll want to encourage these select matches to upgrade their Y-DNA test to the Big Y-700.
Module 6: Your Experiment
I’m a professor, so I like “experiments” to methodically enhance our general knowledge. I promise you don’t need to step into a laboratory to learn more about your ancestors. In this video, you’ll learn how to use targeted DNA testing using the Big Y-700 DNA test to answer specific research questions in your family tree. Targeted testers are individuals who have a direct paternal line back to your ancestor of interest. Several case studies are presented demonstrating how the Big Y can be used with autosomal DNA and genetic networks to discover the identity of a mystery match or the ancestral origins of an ancestor.
Acknowledgment: The image used within the header at the top of the blog post was created using Microsoft’s Copilot AI-powered assistant (DALL-E 3) and added to the title slide. AI tools were not used to generate the blog’s intellectual content or provide writing assistance. The post was authored solely by me.