The following announcement was written by MyHeritage:

It’s that time again! We’ve just updated the data for Theory of Family Relativity™, adding millions of new theories to help you uncover how you’re related to your DNA Matches.  

Theory of Family Relativity™ is a groundbreaking feature that can save you hours of work trying to understand your connection to your DNA Matches. It utilizes MyHeritage’s huge database of 49 million family trees and 20.8 billion historical records to provide you with plausible theories about how you and your DNA Matches are related.

Since the last update, our DNA database has grown, as have the number of family tree profiles and historical records on MyHeritage. As a result, the overall number of theories has grown significantly. 

Haven’t taken a DNA test yet? Order MyHeritage DNA today!

Theory of Family Relativity™ by the numbers

Thanks to this update:

• The total number of theories has grown by 40%, to 233,400,486.
• The number of DNA kits with at least one theory has grown by 16%, to 2,947,678.
• The number of DNA Matches that have a theory has grown to 167,111,082, representing a 43% increase.
  
• The total number of paths has increased by 35%, to 1,629,635,874.
  

Viewing new theories

If new theories were found, you’ll see a purple banner at the top of your DNA Matches page. Click “View theories” to view all matches that have a theory.

Watch the video below to learn how to use Theory of Family Relativity™:

When a DNA Match has a theory, this is indicated on the DNA Match card. You can also filter your DNA Matches to only show those with a Theory of Family Relativity™. Click the “Filters” icon on the top right corner of the page. Then, click “All tree details” on the far left, and select “Has Theory of Family Relativity™.” This will display all DNA Matches that have a theory. A “NEW” badge will appear next to the theory on the DNA Match card for 30 days.

Click “View theory” to see the detailed path showing how the algorithm arrived at the proposed relationship. In certain cases, multiple possible paths may exist for a given theory. If more than one path exists, you can toggle between them on the page. Having more than one path for a theory strengthens its reliability.

It’s important to review the relationship path(s) for each theory, and decide for yourself if the theory is reasonable. If it appears to be correct, you can confirm the theory using the button that appears directly above the chart showing the relationship path. If the theory seems incorrect, you can reject it.

Confirming or rejecting a theory (click to zoom)

How can I increase my chances of receiving theories?

To boost your chances of receiving a theory, continue growing your family tree. The more details you add, especially about your great-grandparents and other distant ancestors, the more discoveries you’ll receive. These could lead the algorithm to uncover new theories about your relationships to your DNA Matches. You can also encourage your relatives to grow their family trees and take a DNA test, to increase your chances of making new discoveries.

All users who have new theories will receive an email from MyHeritage letting them know there’s a new theory to review. Theory of Family Relativity™ is a premium feature on MyHeritage. To view a full theory, a site subscription (Premium, PremiumPlus, Complete, or Omni) is required. Users who upload their DNA data to MyHeritage can pay a one-time unlock fee to access advanced DNA features.

Haven’t taken a MyHeritage DNA test yet? There’s no time like the present! Join in the fun and order your DNA kit today!