{"id":79125,"date":"2023-11-22T12:07:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T18:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/?p=79125"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:50:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T17:50:38","slug":"big-y-manual-review-lifetime-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.familytreedna.com\/es\/big-y-manual-review-lifetime-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Y Lifetime Analysis: The Myth of the Manual Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”107558″]By: Katy Rowe-Schurwanz<\/p>\n

Each Big Y test comes with a lifetime analysis of your results. Explore what the process looks like internally and events could lead to a new haplogroup.<\/h2>\n

Over the past few years, some in the wider genetic genealogy community have referred to the lifetime analysis<\/a> process as a \u201cmanual review\u201d and have suggested that all Big Y<\/a> testers will receive this within a couple of weeks after their results are complete.<\/p>\n

This term has become entrenched in Big Y terminology<\/a>, leading new customers to believe that after their initial results are posted, the kit will be examined individually by the Big Y team, and haplogroup changes will be implemented at that time. This is a misconception<\/strong> about the way results are analyzed and has led to frustration when nothing changes on the kit for weeks, months, or even years.<\/p>\n

The Big Y team does a review of the aggregate data, not each individual kit.<\/strong> With hundreds of kits in a batch, it would be logistically impossible to review each one. However, the Big Y program compares each batch of incoming data against the entire database of existing Big Y testers. Then, a proprietary in-house tool flags locations where changes could be warranted, and those are reviewed and updated.<\/p>\n

If the incoming kit does not trigger that flag<\/strong>, it typically means the data does not contain any private variants that match up with existing testers to be added to the tree or form new branches. This process is repeated with every new upload of Big Y data.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at what that means over the lifetime of Big Y results.<\/p>\n

What is Big Y Lifetime Analysis?<\/h2>\n

Lifetime Analysis refers to the Y-DNA haplotree<\/a> continuing to grow and evolve over time.<\/strong> The Big Y test sequences millions of Y-SNPs<\/a> on the Y chromosome and finds new Y-SNPs that have not yet been named and placed on the Y-DNA haplotree; these Y-SNPs are called private variants<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Your Big Y SNP results are compared to everyone else\u2019s Big Y SNP results to not just find matches but to expand the Y-DNA haplotree.<\/p>\n

Identifying Private Variants and Equivalent Y-SNPs for Further Y-DNA Haplogroup Refinement<\/h3>\n

Naming Private Variants Shared with Other Testers<\/h4>\n

The Big Y is an exploratory test that looks for new Y-SNPs on the Y chromosome. When these new Y-SNPs are discovered, they\u2019ll be placed in your \u201cPrivate Variants\u201d section under your Results and will be listed by the position number where they fall on the Y chromosome.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”79126″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”75″ lbox_caption=”yes” lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”589321″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”197654″]Our phylogenetic expert will also check to see if these new Y-SNPs have been discovered by another lab already or not. For the ones that have not, we\u2019ll name those Y-SNPs and submit the names to ISOGG (the International Society of Genetic Genealogy)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Y-SNPs discovered from the Big Y-500 will have the prefix BY followed by a number, e.g., BY147, BY592.<\/p>\n

Y-SNPs discovered from the Big Y-700 will have the prefix FT (or FTA, FTB, FTC, FTD, etc.) followed by a number, e.g., FT385, FT62.<\/p>\n

The numbers will be assigned in the order in which the Y-SNP was discovered. For example, the first Y-SNP discovered by the Big Y-700 was FT1, the second was FT2, and the 4967th was FT4967.<\/p>\n

Your private variants are compared to the private variants of other Big Y testers. If someone else shares a private variant with you, then that variant receives its official name<\/strong> and may be placed on the Y-DNA haplotree. This may<\/em> form a new branch; and you and that tester may be moved to that branch, and your haplogroup may be updated.<\/p>\n

Equivalent Y-SNPs Can Confirm or Split Branches<\/h4>\n

Many existing branches have \u201cequivalent Y-SNPs\u201d on them, meaning that there are multiple Y-SNPs that appear to belong to the same place on the tree.<\/p>\n

Everyone who has tested positive<\/strong> for one of those Y-SNPs has tested positive for all of those Y-SNPs.<\/p>\n

Everyone who has tested negative<\/strong> for one of those Y-SNPs has tested negative for all of those Y-SNPs, and the branch is unable to be broken up yet.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”79129″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes” lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”150413″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”851768″]When some testers test positive for some<\/em> of those equivalent Y-SNPs<\/strong> and negative for other equivalent Y-SNPs on the same branch, the branch can be split. Some Y-SNPs will remain on the original branch, and some will be moved to a new branch.<\/p>\n

When this happens, you and others may be moved to the new branch, and your haplogroup may change.<\/p>\n

Automated Big Y Tools Identify Y-SNPs That Need Names or Split Branches<\/h3>\n

FamilyTreeDNA has created automated tools for our phylogenetic expert, Michael Sager, that identify when new Big Y results indicate if a branch of equivalents can be split or when private variants can be named and placed on the tree.<\/p>\n

As batches of Big Y results are completed in the lab and are posted to accounts, the automated tools start identifying potentially actionable changes to the Y-DNA haplotree. The two primary things that these tools identify are branch splitters<\/em> and shared private variants<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Branch Splitters<\/h4>\n

Branch splitters get identified when a sample has negative results on or upstream of their current branch<\/strong>, and these are typically addressed first before the shared private variants. These splits may cause you to be placed on a new branch and may refine the age estimate for your branch.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, branch splits happen fairly high up on the Y-DNA haplotree, like one from January 2023 that split Y-DNA haplogroup R-L754<\/a>, also known as Y-DNA haplogroup R1b1.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”79132″ media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ lbox_caption=”yes” lbox_social=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”144348″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”797789″]The split is based on the DNA test results of a Tajik man from a 2022 study<\/a>. His DNA added a new data point in the migration story of millions of men. A majority of men in Europe are descendants of these R1b1 genetic ancestors. Their Y-chromosome signature spread into Europe from Central Asia during the Bronze Age.<\/p>\n

The Tajik man is from the Sughd Province in the Republic of Tajikistan. Tajiks are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia. The new Y-DNA haplotree structure<\/a> is R-L754 (3 SNPs) > R-L761 (17 SNPs). The split is estimated to have happened around 16,500 BCE.<\/p>\n

Shared Private Variants<\/h4>\n

The automated tools also identify samples that have shared private variants. Larger portions of the Y-DNA haplotree are focused on here and worked through at the same time. So all of the shared private variants in Y-DNA haplogroup I are looked at, then haplogroup G, then J, the R1a, then R1b, etc.<\/p>\n

When two or more samples have enough positive reads for the same private variants, those variants may be named and placed on the Y-DNA haplotree<\/strong>, and a new branch might be created. If that happens, some of those samples may find themselves placed on that new branch and may receive a new haplogroup.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a Group Project Administrator<\/a> working with Big Y results for your project members<\/a> or if you\u2019re just comparing your own Big Y results to your matches\u2019 results and you notice that a new result has come in that shares private variants with an existing result, there\u2019s no need to reach out to FamilyTreeDNA<\/strong>. All you need to do is be a little patient. Our automated tools will identify the shared variants, and if there is enough phylogenetic evidence for a change, it\u2019ll happen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When will your haplogroup change?<\/h2>\n

If you have taken a Big Y, your haplogroup will change when there is phylogenetic evidence to make a change.<\/strong> There is no standard time after you receive your initial Big Y results when this will happen.<\/p>\n

You may have a change soon after your results come in if your results are the ones that cause a branch split or private variants to be named. If that\u2019s the case, you\u2019ll see an update within a couple of weeks of getting your results.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in an under-tested part of the Y-DNA haplotree, then your Y-DNA haplogroup may not change for weeks, months, or even years after you receive your initial Big Y results. It all depends on how many testers receive results for your part of the Y-DNA haplotree; if there are relatively few or no testers, then you won\u2019t see a change until there are more.<\/p>\n

Automated Notifications for Updated Big Y Haplogroups<\/h3>\n

Some parts of the Y-DNA haplotree are extremely well-tested. If you belong to an extremely well-tested part of the Y-DNA haplotree, then the equivalents may all already be split<\/strong>, and the private variants may all already be named and placed on the tree. This means you\u2019re as refined as you can get when your results come in, and you won\u2019t ever see your Y-DNA haplogroup change.<\/p>\n

We will soon release some new email notifications that will inform you when your Y-DNA haplogroup changes or when a Group Project member\u2019s Y-DNA haplogroup changes<\/strong>, so you will always be notified when such a change happens.<\/p>\n

The email will include the previous Y-DNA haplogroup and the new Y-DNA haplogroup. Within 24 hours, you\u2019ll be able to sign in and check out the new placement<\/strong> on the Block Tree<\/strong> and the Y-DNA haplotree<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You may need to wait a week or two before you can view the updated Discover\u2122 reports<\/strong>, as those are typically updated every week, whereas the Block Tree and Y-DNA haplotree are updated daily. The Discover platform does not directly connect to the Big Y database like the Block Tree and the Y-DNA haplotree, so changes such as new Y-SNPs, Group Project subgroup changes, and new Group Project Members will not be immediately reflected.<\/p>\n

How can you help refine your part of the Y-DNA haplotree so your haplogroup changes?<\/h2>\n