Editorial

This is the first issue of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy (JoGG), a new on-line journal. JoGG will appear quarterly and will feature original articles, columns, letters, news items, and editorials.

Three original articles form the heart of this inaugural issue. Gareth Henson discusses the three-copy STR marker, DYF399S1, which he shows to be associated with the four-copy marker, DYS464. Henson makes a convincing case that this new marker would make a very good addition to the toolkits of genetic genealogists. Hopefully, one of the commercial labs will take note.

My own article on the haplogroup predictor algorithm is not completely new since some of the information has been posted on my web site, but JoGG seemed the natural place for a complete presentation of the approach. Also, the results of testing the program with 100 R1b and 50 I1a haplotypes are presented.

Ellen Coffman-Levy has written a wonderful review of genetic research that sheds light on the origins of the Jewish people, particularly the Ashkenazi Jews. She has skillfully interwoven the results of historical and genetic research to produce the first coherent synthesis of the available information.

Ann Turner will contribute a regular column for JoGG entitled “’Satiable Curiosity,” designed to connect the needs and resources of the genealogy community with those of the professional genetics community. The hundreds of surname and other family or haplogroup projects constitute a tremendous reservoir of valuable information, of which most geneticists are unaware. Turner seeks to connect project administrators with professional geneticists and she proposes new genetics projects that would be potentially helpful to both the genealogy and genetics communities. Those of us interested in genealogy are always talking about the study that we wish would be done, and many geneticists, especially students, are looking for interesting projects to do. Getting these needs together would be a win-win proposition. Ann’s first column suggests that “redundant” SNPs need further investigation and that those SNPs leading to Haplogroup Q could be studied using participants from surname projects who have been proven to be members of Q.

Book reviews letters to the editor, and a news section are not included in this first issue, but we hope they will be in subsequent issues. If you would be interested in contributing in these areas, please contact me.

JoGG was organized with Tom Roderick as editor and he has served in that position until very recently. Tom has decided that he cannot devote the time that is needed for the duties of editor and has stepped down from that position. He will remain as an associate editor. All of us on the editorial board appreciate Tom’s contributions during the organizational phase of the Journal.

I have agreed to become the editor for at least the first year of publication. I welcome your ideas and your feedback.