MyHeritage DNA test for 20 euros: 80% Basque result and a second cousin found

MyHeritage for 20 euros: the DNA test that nails 80% Basque ancestry and uncovers a second cousin

Can a 20-euro kit really tell you where you come from? A case discussed these days on a history forum suggests it can, at least up to a point. A user says the MyHeritage test attributed him 80% Basque ancestry and 10% Portuguese-Salamanca border heritage, and that when he cross-checked this with FamilySearch's genealogical records the match was complete: a Portuguese ancestor from the 19th century who arrived from the Pantaletanza district, a grandfather from northern Burgos and the rest of Basque branches. His genealogy, he says, goes back to 1800.

The most celebrated finding was not the percentage, but a second cousin he didn't know existed. That's where the technical consensus running through the whole conversation lies: ancestry percentages are a statistical estimate, while relative matches are the most reliable part of the service. With 3% shared DNA and around 200 cM, the relationship fits the average for a second cousin.

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How much DNA you share with a great-uncle, a second aunt and a second cousin

The arithmetic of kinship was reviewed in detail. A grandparent's brother shares on average 12.5%; his daughter, the second aunt, 6.25%; and her daughter, the second cousin, around 3.1%. These are average values, and that's where the nuance that generates the most debate appears: meiotic recombination makes variation between distant relatives enormous. Between second cousins it can range from about 50 to more than 400 cM. From third or fourth cousins onwards, it's normal to share nothing detectable, or for what is shared to be indistinguishable from population noise.

The author of the finding himself admits his figure came out somewhat above the average and that, even so, it still fits a second cousin. The practical conclusion: DNA confirms close relationships solidly and, beyond that, only provides clues.

The database problem: it depends on who has bought the kit

The most repeated criticism is not aimed at the science, but at sample size. Everything depends on how many people from your family are registered and have bought the kit. The author didn't find a single close relative on the platform; others recount matches that can only be explained by a shared surname. One participant says a German woman appeared whose test belonged to her grandmother, who never knew who her father was: only that he was a Spaniard who left without saying anything. The surname matched her grandmother's second surname.

Hence the warning from those who have been doing this for years: uncommon surnames make it possible to identify distant branches sharing 1-2% of DNA. And the fine print: on several platforms, searching records requires paying.

The Mormons, the Civil War and a brother who doesn't appear

FamilySearch, the genealogical database promoted by the Mormon community, is the other leg of the method. It allows free registration, searching for ancestors who died more than 50 years ago, and working the tree upwards and downwards. That's where the mystery arose: a brother of the grandmother who doesn't appear on the website, but does in a Spanish Civil War search engine, assigned to a disciplinary battalion. Official archives, it is pointed out, only allow online searches up to 1900; anything else requires an in-person consultation.

For those cases, routes are suggested: the Spanish Civil Registry has existed since 1871 and, as a relative of a deceased person, literal birth and death certificates can be requested through the electronic office of the Ministry of Justice.

Simulated coordinates and scepticism about the percentages

The scepticism doesn't disappear when the charts arrive. One participant warns that G25 coordinates obtained with simulators are not the real ones and that it's best not to pay for them if you already have a documented tree. The calculation with Admixture JS puts the Basque Country and the French Basque Country at the top, trinc by Cantabria, Aragon and southwest France; the ancestry percentages distributed by the platform include 36.25% Iberian, 27.01% Basque and 7.63% Italian.

The counterpoint comes with Basque genetics as a singular case: it is said to be one of the easiest populations to identify in Europe due to its isolation. And with the usual fine print: small percentages, like the 1.3% North African or the 5% French, are statistical noise more than family history.

Privacy: the real price isn't the 20 euros

The objection that genealogy cannot resolve is that of the data. Handing your DNA to a platform means surrendering sensitive information that cannot be recovered. Some compare it to giving your genetic profile to anyone who asks, and others point out that Spanish-based alternatives exist. Distrust of the provider coexists with enthusiasm for the results.

In the end, the balance is like almost everything in life: 20 euros for a solid lead on relatives and remarkable genealogical entertainment. Absolute certainty, like the brother missing from the archives, still awaits an in-person visit.