Friday finds: Week 43 - 2025 - Norwegian Genealogy and then some

“Tribunal upholds ‘catastrophic’ Ancestry request to access Scottish family history records”
Ancestry has long sought access to National Records of Scotland (NRS) holdings for inclusion on its commercial genealogy platform. A recent legal decision by the General Regulatory Chamber partially sided with Ancestry, ruling that NRS cannot refuse such access under freedom of information legislation. This is a high-stakes development for researchers of Scottish ancestry — especially in terms of the tension between public archival stewardship and private/commercial genealogy services. whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com
“What to Expect from FamilySearch in 2025”
While we are soon through 2025, this post from FamilySearch lays out their roadmap for the year and gives us an idea of what to expect from their services: More free record expansions, deployment of AI-powered full-text search over handwritten documents, improved indexing workflows, and a new “Family Groups” feature to share memories across living family members. Good inside scoop on where one of the major free genealogy platforms is headed. FamilySearch
“AncestryDNA 2025 Origins Update: Deep Dive”
On the support site, Ancestry has published details about their revamped “Origins” (ethnicity) algorithm and updated reference panel. They report combining genealogical and genetic data more tightly, and increasing the number of reference samples to over 185,000. For genetic genealogists, these changes can subtly shift match assignments and regional estimates. support.ancestry.com
“His lab’s ancient DNA studies are rewriting human history”
A Harvard Gazette feature describes how the lab led by genomicist David Reich continues to produce dramatic new findings about early human migrations, interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans, and the deep ancestry of Europe and Asia. While more archaeogenetics than genealogy per se, these discoveries shape our understanding of the deep roots of populations ancestral to many family tree researchers. Harvard Gazette
“Claims of pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no.”
This article confronts common misconceptions about genetic lineage and “purity” of ancestry. It emphasizes that the reality of human genetic history is full of mixing, movement, displacement, and that rigid identity claims often don’t stand up to modern DNA evidence. A helpful read for anyone writing or curating content to help genealogy audiences understand nuance and avoid over-interpretation. Harvard Gazette