New Update to Theory of Family Relativity™

We’re excited to share that we’ve just completed an additional update to the data for our ultimate genetic genealogy tool, Theory of Family Relativity.

Theory of Family Relativity can save you countless hours of work figuring out how you might be related to your DNA Matches. It pulls together billions of data points from across the 86 million family trees and 18.2 billion historical records on MyHeritage to bring you plausible theories about your relationship paths to your DNA Matches.

These calculations are run on a periodic basis. Since our last update, many new DNA kits, family tree profiles, and historical records have been added to MyHeritage. This means that the number of theories, the number of DNA Matches that include a theory, and the number of kits that have a theory have all increased significantly.

If your DNA results came in relatively recently, or if you’ve been waiting to receive a theory, there’s a good chance you might receive one as a result of this update.

The new update by the numbers

As a result of this new update:

• 25,636,711 Theories of Family Relativity were added
• 328,439 kits that didn’t have any theories previously now have at least one
• 233,297 additional users will have at least one theory following this update

Note that in this update, we only added new theories and did not update any theories that existed previously.

Viewing and analyzing your Theories of Family Relativity

Watch this video to learn how to use Theory of Family Relativity:

To view your Theories of Family Relativity, visit your DNA Match page. The relationship calculated by the theory will appear directly on the match card of a DNA Match that has a theory. New theories will be labeled with a “NEW” banner for 30 days after this update.

You can filter your DNA Match list to view only matches with Theories of Family Relativity. To do so, go to your DNA Matches page and click the “Filters” button on the top right corner. Under “All tree details” on the far left, select “Has Theory of Family Relativity.” You will now see a list of all your DNA Matches that have a theory.

To view the full theory, click “View theory.” This will take you to a page that shows in detail how the algorithm arrived at this theory.

Sometimes, MyHeritage will arrive at a theory in more than one way. In cases like these, you will be able to toggle between the multiple relationship paths.

Confirming or rejecting a theory

While the theories are often accurate, they rely upon Smart Matches and Record Matches, which may not always be correct. That’s why it’s important to review the relationship path for the theory and confirm its accuracy.

If the theory appears to be correct, you can click the purple “Confirm” button above the relationship path chart. If it appears to be incorrect, you can click “Reject.” Your confirmation or rejection of the theory will then appear in the DNA Match’s card in your list. (You can always undo this action if you make a mistake.)

What can I do to increase my chances of getting theories?

In order to receive Theories of Family Relativity, you must:

• Have taken a MyHeritage DNA test, OR uploaded your DNA data to MyHeritage from another testing service
• Have a Premium, PremiumPlus, or Complete plan on MyHeritage, OR have paid the one-time unlock fee for advanced DNA features (for uploaded DNA data only)
• Have a family tree on MyHeritage that includes at least you, your parents, and your grandparents

The more detailed your family tree is, the more likely you are to receive theories. Specifically, it helps to have information on as many of your great- and great-great-grandparents as possible.

So if you didn’t get any theories this time around, prepare for the next update by working on your tree! It can also help to encourage distant family members you’re in touch with to expand their trees and take DNA tests, too.

Haven’t taken a MyHeritage DNA test yet and want to get in on the action? Order your DNA kit today.

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Source: My Heritage