Episode #4
Genetic Genealogy's Next Breakthrough: Genealogical Bioinformatics with Arun Konanur
In this episode of the Branching Out Genealogy Podcast, Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal, CG®, and Tami Osmer Mize sit down with Arun Konanur, founder of Discovering New Ancestors and a leader in the emerging field of genealogical bioinformatics. Arun has filed five patents for processes that make DNA match data readable by computers, and he's the recipient of a 2026 Continuing Genealogical Research Grant from the American Society of Genealogists, the first time that grant has been awarded for work in genetic genealogy.We talk about why most DNA tools stop working below 40 cM, the difference between the generative AI you use every day and the expert systems Arun builds, how to tell a real shared match from a misleading one, and how he used the match lists of 18 cousins to find his third great-grandmother's sister. Best of all, his tools are free for personal use.Plus: why Tami is loving tables, Elizabeth's pick of a genealogy book that asks more of us than another checklist, a DAR milestone, and a double dose of tea on the MyHeritage layoffs and the planned closure of National Archives facilities in Chicago and San Bruno.TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Intro00:03:43 - What We're Loving: Tables (Tami) 00:06:25 - What We're Loving: Ancestoring by Darcie Hind Posz (Elizabeth)00:09:10 - Congratulations to Tami, new DAR member 00:11:06 - Interview with Arun Konanur00:14:07 - What is genealogical bioinformatics? 00:22:05 - Favorable and unfavorable shared match trios 00:27:19 - Can these tools hallucinate? 00:33:25 - Getting started: gathering your cousins' DNA results 00:38:22 - Finding a third great-grandmother's sister 00:44:31 - Trying the free tools at Discovering New Ancestors 00:52:00 - Do all your matches need to test at the same company? 00:56:09 - The ASG Continuing Genealogical Research Grant 01:00:51 - Where to learn more: Arun's October 2026 UGA talk 01:10:54 - Teatime01:11:18 - MyHeritage layoffs and AI's ripple effect on tech jobs (Tami) 01:14:07 - National Archives closures and what you can do (Elizabeth) 01:23:24 - Outro___________________LINKS * Discovering New Ancestors (Arun Konanur): http://discoveringnewancestors.com/* Bioinformatics landing page (all five processes): http://discoveringnewancestors.com/our-services/bioinformatics/* CMA free tool and quick start guide: http://discoveringnewancestors.com/cma/Genealogical Bioinformatics Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1144461196603400* ASG 2026 Continuing Genealogical Research Grants: https://fasg.org/asg-awards-2026-continuing-genealogical-research-grants/* Arun's patent filings on Google Patents: https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Arun+Konanur* Utah Genealogical Association, Genealogy ProTalk series: https://ugagenealogy.org/genealogy-protalk/* GEDmatch: https://www.gedmatch.com/* Ancestoring: Understanding Records, Family, and Ourselves by Darcie Hind Posz: https://link.amazon/B0em3Y8WT (affiliate link)* Daughters of the American Revolution: https://www.dar.org/* MyHeritage layoffs (Globes): https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-myheritage-to-lay-off-15-of-workforce-1001548761* Save Our National Archives (SONA): https://www.saveournationalarchives.org/* Change.org petition, Chicago and San Francisco: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-the-national-archives-in-chicago-and-san-francisco* Chicago Area Archivists action page: https://www.chicagoarchivists.org/NARAClosuresAction* Find your member of Congress: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative* ConferenceKeeper: https://conferencekeeper.org/* Heart of the Family: https://thefamilyheart.com___________________The Branching Out Genealogy Podcast is produced by Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal, CG®, and Tami Osmer Mize. All original music by Elizabeth Swanay O'Neal with the assistance of AI.This episode is sponsored by Vivid-Pix. All product opinions are our own. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
