Ancestry®, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, unveiled SideView™ technology this year–a first-of-its-kind scientific innovation that gives AncestryDNA® customers new insights into which side of the family they inherited their genetics from. With more than 22 million people in its growing consumer DNA network, Ancestry is the first company to be able to provide this type of genomic information without requiring a parent to be tested.

"I was lucky enough to be able to test both of my parents.  But, three of my grandparents died before DNA testing was readily available.  When working with my parents' AncestryDNA Match Lists, it has been difficult to sort the tens of thousands of matches they have into their maternal and paternal sides quickly and accurately.  This new feature is an exciting development for our family and so many like us who have not been able to test a parent.  It saves time and makes it possible for us to unlock new family discoveries faster than ever before.", said Crista Cowan, Ancestry Corporate Genealogist.

Automatically Grouping Your DNA Matches By Parent

Starting today, you may also see your DNA matches grouped by parent–the newest AncestryDNA feature being powered by SideViewTM. This highly requested feature will help members get a clearer picture of where their unknown matches fall within their family tree.  In addition to ethnicity inheritance, which informs a customer which side of the family they received each of their estimated ethnicities, SideViewTM is powering innovations only available on AncestryDNA. 

What are DNA matches?

When you take an AncestryDNA test, you can choose to see your matches—other people who have also taken an AncestryDNA test and who are likely related to you.

To calculate your matches, we compare your DNA to the DNA of everyone else in the AncestryDNA database. Depending on how your DNA compares, we figure out whether you're related—and if you are, how closely. We don't use any information from family trees to create your list of matches. They're based only on your DNA.

Revisiting Your Results

We encourage you to look at your DNA matches again to see if you have updates waiting to be explored. Share what you learn using the new feature on social media, and don't forget to tag Ancestry and use #MyAncestryStory for a chance to get featured in our channels!

As new people continue to join the AncestryDNA network and the science and technology powering results improves, we will continue to provide updates for our members. It’s just one of the many ways Ancestry helps you learn more about your family, your past, and yourself. 

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