23andMe is a company on the ropes. The one-time leader of the DNA analysis market – valued at $6 billion in 2021 – is now worth less than $100 million, a 99 percent drop that makes Labour’s autumn Budget look like a roaring success.

2024 saw 40 percent of staff laid off and a mass exodus from the board of directors. Now, potential buyers are circling at the smell of blood and Anne Wojcicki, CEO and founder, is struggling to keep the company’s head above water.

Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe (23andme)

How did a successful Silicon Valley startup – an offspring of the tech boom that produced monolithic companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter – suffer such a fall from grace?

23andMe was co-founded in 2006 by Anne Wojcicki. With her ex-husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and her sister Susan, the former CEO of YouTube, Wojcicki quickly became a Silicon Valley power player: her family emblematic of a rare female presence in the male-dominated tech world.

The company’s USP was simple but revolutionary: spit into a tube, send off your saliva samples, and receive a detailed DNA analysis just a few weeks later. It was named Time’s Invention of the Year in 2008. With these results, customers could supposedly discover everything from personal disease risks to far-flung ancestry.

Unlike AncestryDNA, a competitor that stuck to genealogy, 23andMe also provided health reports, eventually diversifying into pharmaceutical development both internally and externally. The company’s pivot towards commercial research projects was made clear in 2018 via a well-publicised deal worth $300m with Glaxo-Smith Klyne; essentially, selling the genetic data of five million customers to the pharmaceutical company for drug research.

This move rapidly accelerated their value as a business – but ethical questions undercut their success. For some, 23andMe were nothing more than data harvesters who exploited customers’ existential curiosities in return for their genetic fingerprint.

Dr Adam Rutherford, a British geneticist and broadcaster, has long been sceptical of the company’s motives, despite having a 23andMe account himself. “They appeal to our sense of belonging and storytelling,” Rutherford argues, “But they were specifically set up in order to harvest people’s genomes: the densest amount of information that exists in the known universe.”

In 2023, the genetic testing company had its biggest setback: a scandalous data breach. After trying to squash the problem, they were forced to admit that the hacking incident hadn’t just accessed 14,000 accounts – as they originally claimed – but almost seven million. A subsequent lawsuit forced them to pay a settlement of $30m but damage to their reputation was incalculable, going on fatal.

23andMe also faced fundamental structural issues. The one-use nature of DNA tests (once you take a DNA test, there is not much point in getting another) meant a shrinking customer base, with consumer revenue falling eight percent yearly since 2021. In a bid to diversify and stem toppling share prices – those fell 70 percent last year – the company pivoted towards healthcare, launching a weight-loss program offering access to drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Whether this last-ditch effort can reverse their decline or merely delay the inevitable remains to be seen.

With Wojcicki reportedly looking to sell, the fate of 23andMe’s vast genetic database is now the biggest unanswered question. The chief concern of Nancy Kass, a Bioethics professor at Johns Hopkins University, is to do with custodianship. “If 23andMe does go under, who’s going to buy this data?” she asks. “That’s the real question.”

23andMe’s decline is a case study of a company’s mishaps and a growing distrust of Big Business’ use of data. However, as Dr Rutherford points out, it could be far more straightforward than this. “These kinds of tests are essentially a fad,” he says, “And in the current climate, people are prioritising spending money on heating bills over finding out they’re 40 percent Swedish – which by the way, is impossible.”

RootsTech is being held March 6-8, 2025, and is the largest genealogical conference in the world with millions of participants, content in 23 languages, and experiences in-person and online.

RootsTech offers classes for beginners to experts and everything in between.

There are different topics and specialists for all kinds of learning, including some cool forums.

If you attend in person you will get exclusive discounts, and you can get your photos and memories digitized for free!

There's also a "Night at the Expo Hall" with deals on top of deals all night!

You won't want to miss Relatives at RootsTech. Whether you are joining online or coming in person, you can see who you are related to with a special experience. Anyone around the world can join to see how they're related to other RootsTech participants.

For those joining online, RootsTech is free!

If you're joining in person in Salt Lake City, use promo code: RT25FOX13 for 10 percent off tickets.

For more information please visit: rootstech.org.

From golden-age radio scripts to rare recordings of legendary broadcasts, the American Radio Archives (ARA) hold a trove of stories that shaped the airwaves. 

Now, thanks to a $100,000 grant from The Ahmanson Foundation, UC Santa Barbara Library will be able to bring those stories to a wider audience. The funding supports the cataloging and digitization of the archive’s rare materials, making them accessible to researchers, students and the public — and ensuring that the voices of radio’s past continue to be heard.

The collection was acquired by UCSB Library in 2021 from the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, which was supported for many years by the late Robert Ahmanson, founder of The Ahmanson Foundation. The ARA, one of the nation’s largest collections documenting the history of radio broadcasting, comprises over 50 collections, including the papers of radio legends Norman Corwin and Rudy Vallée, the archives of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters (PPB) and KNX radio materials. With thousands of scripts, tapes and transcription discs, this remarkable archive complements UCSB Library’s extensive collections on broadcasting, media and the performing arts.

“The American Radio Archives hold an extraordinary place in preserving our cultural and media history,” said David Seubert, curator of the library’s Performing Arts Collection. “The continued support from The Ahmanson Foundation ensures that we can complete the work of cataloging and digitizing this essential collection, making it accessible to scholars, students and the public.”

The recent award is The Ahmanson Foundation’s second grant in support of the ARA. The first, made in 2022, supported the initial processing and cataloguing of the collection by UCSB Library staff, and the integration of collection inventories and finding aids into library systems. To date, approximately 40% of the ARA has been processed. 

With the new grant, the library will complete cataloging the collection and further integrate its materials into library systems. The project will also digitize select high-research-value materials, making fragile audio recordings and rare documents accessible online to support research and scholarship in broadcasting and media history.

In October 1999, the decomposed remains of a woman were found in wooded area behind a truck stop near I-20 in Weatherford, Texas. Investigators believe she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was found wearing a white bra, white socks, white or beige panties and a blue and white windsuit. She also had a large blue shoulder bag with expensive prescription beige glasses, a long brown wig and a bottle of mineral water. Investigators determined she was between 35 and 55 year-old and had $30,000-$35,000 worth of extensive dental work including gold foil fillings with porcelain veneers.

Despite an extensive investigation, her identity could not be determined and she became known as Weatherford Jane Doe. Details of the woman’s case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP3572.

In September 2023, retired Deputy Chief Greg Lance encouraged Lieutenant Johnny Qualls and the Cold Case Unit to reexamine the case with modern forensic DNA technology. After consulting with Dr. Crowder at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, the team decided to explore forensic genetic genealogy, a method that has helped identify unknown individuals in numerous cold cases. 

In 2023, the Weatherford Police Department and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office sent forensic evidence to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Othram scientists produced a suitable DNA extract from the remains. A comprehensive DNA profile was then developed for the woman using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. Othram's forensic genetic genealogy team then conducted a genealogical search that resulted in new leads, which were provided to law enforcement. 

The follow-up investigation led investigators to potential relatives of the woman. A reference DNA sample from a possible relative was compared to the DNA profile of the unknown woman leading to the positive identification of the woman, who is now known to be Nellie Faye Gillespie. She was last seen in Jackson, Mississippi on August 15, 1998. She had called her son informing him she was planning on going to Arizona but was never heard from again.

The identification of Nellie Gillespie is the 18th case in Texas where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Visit DNASolves to learn about other Texas cases.

We are pleased to announce two new collections of Civil War records on Fold3: The Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, and Civil War Lists of Persons Employed in Army Hospitals, 1860-1865. These collections will provide new insights for Civil War researchers and family historians.

The Civil War Prisoner of War Records contains some 1.6 million records for both Union and Confederate POWs. Each soldier’s name is indexed and searchable. Please note when searching that the records often include a soldier’s initials rather than a full name (e.g., P. Jackson).

Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois, in 1862

The records in this POW collection are organized by location, allowing you to search all records for a particular prison camp. The information contained within the records varies but can include name, regiment, place of capture, date of imprisonment, information on exchanged and paroled prisoners, release date, date of death, location of burial, list of effects, letters, and more.

Our second new collection contains the names of female nurses, cooks, and laundresses employed at Army Hospitals during the Civil War. This single volume is not a complete list and does not include all hospitals or all women who served in these roles.

Elmina P. Spencer, Civil War Army Nurse 

Each person is listed by name, but the record does not include what specific position was held or the dates of employment. The records reference other volumes and “Old Books,” but those books have not been identified or located.

This collection is divided by the hospital and includes the following hospital transport vessels: Atlantic, Baltic, Ben DeFord, Charles McDougall, D. A. January, Daniel Webster, J. S. Pringle, John Warner, Knickerbocker, and State of Maine.

This collection may serve as a starting point for further research on women’s contributions during the Civil War.

Explore these new Civil War records today on Fold3!

Inspired to learn more about your roots? Here’s how to start your journey into family history.

 Step 1: Start at home

• Gather what you already have: Old photographs, family Bibles, letters, birth/marriage records, military records, obituaries, quilts, or heirlooms.
• Digitize important documents for safekeeping.

Step 2: Talk to your elders

• Interview your oldest living relatives—parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or family friends.
• Ask about names, places, traditions, and stories passed down.
• Record conversations using your phone or a voice recorder for future reference.

 Step 3: Visit your local library

• Get a library card—most libraries offer free access to genealogy databases.
• Use resources like census records, city directories, and historical newspapers.

Step 4: Use free online resources

• Create a free account at FamilySearch.org for access to a vast collection of genealogical records.
• Explore databases like:
  • Ancestry.com (some records free, others require a subscription)
  • FindAGrave.com (cemetery records and family connections)
  • African American Genealogy groups on Facebook and online forums.

 Step 5: Join a genealogy research group

• Learn methods, strategies, and documentation tips from experienced researchers.
• Connect with local or national genealogy societies for African American family research.

 Step 6: Be patient – it’s a journey, not a destination

• Researching family history is not a weekend project—it unfolds over time.
• Each new discovery leads to more relatives, more stories, and more history to uncover.

Ever wondered which ancient civilizations you descend from? Now you can find out! We’re thrilled to announce the release of Ancient Origins, a major new product that complements your MyHeritage DNA ethnicity reports. Ancient Origins enables you to trace your origins up to 10,000 years into the past and discover the ancient populations from which you descend, such as Imperial Romans, Norse Vikings, Phoenicians, and Ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Origins offers a comprehensive ancient DNA analysis and is a fascinating new addition to MyHeritage. It forms an important part of one’s wider family story, and is a must-have for lovers of history and archaeology, and anyone who is curious about their ancestral roots. The results are calculated based on your existing DNA results on MyHeritage, so there’s no need to take a new test. Ancient Origins is immediately available to all MyHeritage DNA customers and to all those who uploaded their DNA to MyHeritage from other DNA services. Ancient Origins is a premium feature on MyHeritage and requires a Complete or Omni subscription. It is available on desktop and mobile web, and support for it on the MyHeritage mobile app will be added very soon.

What is Ancient Origins?

The new Ancient Origins product is the result of a partnership between MyHeritage and Illustrative DNA, a startup company that is at the forefront of ancient ethnicity analysis. Ancient Origins complements MyHeritage DNA’s Ethnicity Estimate, which provides a percentage breakdown of an individual’s modern ethnic origins going back a few hundred years. Ancient Origins compares your DNA to ancient DNA samples uncovered in archeological excavations, and ancient populations from the Neolithic Period through the late Middle Ages.

Ancient Origins provides a set of detailed reports. They include a percentage breakdown of the ancient populations from which you descend in different historical eras; a breakdown of how much of your DNA traces back to populations of hunter-gatherers and early farmers; advanced reports that indicate one or more ancient populations that are closest to you genetically; and genetic distance maps visualizing your genetic proximity to ancient populations. A vast encyclopedia of ancient populations and ancient DNA samples is included for reference.

Ancient Origin reports are dynamic and will be updated periodically as more ancient DNA samples are added to the database, and as new scientific research papers are published with new findings on ancient DNA.

By the way, unrelated to Ancient Origins, the long-awaited update to the Ethnicity Estimate, v2.5, was released earlier this month. If you haven’t done so already, visit your DNA results on MyHeritage to view your Ethnicity Estimate v2.5 results. It’s also a great opportunity to check out your Ancient Origin results!

How it works

Ancient Origins is based on the latest developments in archaeogenetics, which is the study of ancient DNA. Advanced DNA extraction techniques that did not exist until recently enable scientists to analyze human samples excavated from archaeological sites around the world, date them, and extract DNA segments and genetic markers that are thousands of years old, or older. Using the location, time period, and additional archaeological evidence, researchers can associate samples with ancient civilizations. Many of these findings are published in scientific papers, and the samples are made publicly available.

The Ancient Origin reports are generated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which is an approach used to measure genetic distances using multi-dimensional vectors. Subject to your consent, Ancient Origins first processes your raw DNA data to create a vector known as DeepAncestry Coordinates. DeepAncestry is a 25-dimensional vector derived by comparing your DNA data to a reference set of modern and ancient populations. The DeepAncestry Coordinates are then used anonymously to generate the Ancient Origin reports.

The results are presented in comprehensive reports that are both informative and visually appealing. These include ancient populations that are now extinct or that have merged into other populations over time, such as Canaanites, Scythians, Visigoths, Etruscans, and many others. The Yellow River civilization, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Insular Celts, Ancient Bantus, Central Amerindians and Ashkenazi Jews of the Middle Ages are among the many ancient populations represented in the Ancient Origins product.

Accessing Ancient Origins

To access Ancient Origins, log in to your MyHeritage account on the web and select “Ancient Origins” from the DNA menu.

The ‘DNA Discoveries’ online event is set to take place on from 24 March to 24 April 2025, featuring eight expert talks designed to help family historians understand their DNA results and use the information to uncover more about their ancestry. 

Returning for its second year after a successful launch in 2024, DNA Discoveries will feature an impressive line-up of expert speakers, insightful case studies, and practical sessions to help you make sense of your genetic matches and build a clearer picture of your family tree. 

Family Tree publisher Matt Hill said: ‘With DNA testing becoming an increasingly powerful tool in family history, this event gives family historians the chance to really improve their understanding and make much more of their DNA test results. The eight talks cover a range of topics and together provide a comprehensive programme for anyone interested in using DNA to trace their ancestry.’ 

In addition to the talks, Family Tree are excited to be publishing a 100-page ‘bookazine’, also entitled ‘DNA Discoveries’, which provides a comprehensive guide to using DNA for family history. The publication will be made available in WHSmith, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco stores across the UK, as well as Gardners book wholesalers and digitally. 

Customers who purchase bundle tickets for the event, will receive a digital copy of the publication as part of the ticket price. 

Tickets are now available at: https://www.family-tree.co.uk/how-to-guides/webinars/dna-discoveries-2025

Join us and take your family history research to the next level with DNA Discoveries 2025!

For Jewish families, tracing their roots isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of reconnecting with history, reclaiming lost stories and understanding where they come from. Now, a new television series is taking that journey to the screen.

On March 3, Jewish Life Television will premiere “Generations,” the first-ever Jewish genealogy TV series, produced in collaboration with the Museum of Jewish Heritage and JewishGen, an online resource with more than 30 million Jewish genealogical records. The debut episode follows Emmy-winning actress Camryn Manheim, known for “Law & Order” and “The Practice,” and her son, Milo Manheim of “Zombies” and “School Spirits,” as they uncover their Jewish ancestry through DNA testing, historical records, and heirlooms.

“For me, learning about my ancestors and my Jewish heritage holds immense significance,” Camryn Manheim said. “It allows me to connect with my roots, understand the rich history of my family, and appreciate the unimaginable struggles and triumphs that have shaped my life today.”

The series, hosted by Brad Pomerance, goes beyond standard genealogy research. Using JewishGen’s extensive digital archives, the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s historical collections it will explore Jewish family histories, some dating back centuries.

For Jewish families, genealogy presents unique challenges. Name changes, immigration records and lost documents—often due to persecution and displacement—can make piecing together a family tree difficult. “Generations” aims to bridge those gaps, offering deeply personal, historically rich narratives.

“This show is about more than just tracing names on a family tree,” Pomerance said. “It’s about understanding the journeys our ancestors took, the obstacles they overcame and how those experiences shape us today.”

Connect with your community every morning.

Future episodes will feature other well-known Jewish figures exploring their own family legacies with guidance from genealogists and historians.

St. Louis’ own Jewish genealogy treasure trove

For St. Louisans inspired by “Generations,” there’s no need to wait for a TV crew to start digging into their own Jewish ancestry. The Jewish Special Interest Group of the St. Louis Genealogical Society provides expert support, quarterly meetings, and access to vital resources for local research.

J-SIG, co-led by Ilene Murray, helps individuals navigate historical records, debunk genealogy myths, and find lost family connections. Their meetings, which are open to the public, include expert talks and workshops on researching Jewish heritage.

The Emerson History & Genealogy Center at the St. Louis County Library also offers one of the most extensive collections of Jewish genealogical resources in the Midwest. Whether you’re just starting or stuck on a family mystery, these local institutions provide hands-on support.

The premiere of “Generations” airs March 3 at 8 p.m. on JLTV. To learn more, visit JLTV’s website.

Thanks to our amazing partners at the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina, DigitalNC is pleased to announce a stunning collection of ledgers is now available online!These twelve new ledgers include meeting minutes, membership rolls, and correspondences between members of the Masonic Lodges across North Carolina. They cover a breathtaking span of history, and have been meticulously attended to both in their creation and preservation. The oldest ledger dates all the way back to 1853, while the most recent book was logged as recently as 1994. Generations of Masons are chronicled in these books, and each book records how Lodges change over the course of decades. Meticulous notes are maintained in each volume, befitting North Carolina’s oldest and largest fraternal organization.

One of the Mark Masters Marks in Minute Book No. 1 of the Louisburg Chapter of Masons.

Many of the new ledgers hail from the Louisburg Chapter No. 26 of the Royal Masons. Each account book was maintained by a designated Mason, each of whom had their own particular method of note-taking and minute-recording. The individual nature of the note-takers provides a sense of individuality and personality to each book, which are otherwise uniform in their scope. A particular highlight from these books are the “Mark Masters Book of Marks” from Book No. 1. Found near the back of the ledger, the author has drawn a series of circles wherein other Masons have signed their names. The regularity of the signatures and the accuracy of the circles are beautiful, especially considering the age of the volume. Each volume is similarly filled with tantalizing glimpses into the often secret operations of Masonic Lodges (for instance, did you know that each Masonic year begins on October 31st?). 

You can find more of these Mark Masters circles, as well as over a century of meticulous North Carolina record-keeping, online now at DigitalNC here. Thanks again to our amazing partners at the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina for making these stunning account books available online. If you’re interested in finding more records from the Grand Lodge, you can find their DigitalNC partner page here.