Customer Testing Begins on New AncestryDNA Chip

Posted by Ancestry Team on May 12, 2016 in DNA Tech

The science and technology powering the AncestryDNA test, which helps people better understand themselves and where they come from, is always evolving. We are constantly seeking new and better ways to provide insights into your past and to help you uncover the stories and relationships that have come together to make you who you are. Read More

Automated Entity Extraction Making German Historical Records Searchable

Posted by Ancestry Team on May 6, 2016 in Big Data, Image Processing and Analysis

For several years now Ancestry has been publishing collections of records from the U.S. that have been “transcribed” using a method we call Entity Extraction. One example is the U.S. City Directory collection. A precursor to modern telephone books, city directories listed all of the inhabitants of a city, along with their address, occupation, and Read More

Ancestry Women in Technology year in review

Posted by Ancestry Team on January 5, 2016 in Inside our Offices

This past year Ancestry employees launched an internal group, Ancestry Women in Technology (AWIT), which aims to promote our diverse culture where anybody can develop and thrive in a motivating and supportive environment. The AWIT group is focused on women but anyone is welcome to join us as we work to empower our employees. We Read More

Data Science Thought Series: How to Embrace Technology Evolution

Posted by Ancestry Team on October 27, 2015 in Big Data, Data Science

  Technology evolution is a very common and natural process throughout human history.  Some people like it while some people are hesitant.  Despite attitudes towards technology evolution, new technology will eventually come.  That is how technology trends advance, that is how quality of life advances and that is how human civilization advances. As a technology Read More

Thinking like a manager

Posted by Ancestry Team on September 16, 2015 in Technical Management

One of the biggest shifts for me when I moved from a software engineer role into management was how to think like a manager. Things I never considered as an engineer were suddenly a top priority for me. For those experiencing a similar transition, I have identified two important considerations to help shape your mindset Read More

Genesys Works visits Ancestry

Posted by Ancestry Team on September 4, 2015 in Inside our Offices, Interns, IT

Recently Ancestry employees in San Francisco volunteered to help Genesys Works, a local nonprofit. Their mission is simple: to change the life trajectory of underprivileged high school students by enabling them to work in meaningful internships, at major corporations, during their senior year in high school. The organization has partnered with JPMorgan, Accenture, Salesforce, PG&E Read More

The Ancestry “Magnetic Containment Field” meets Docker

Posted by Ancestry Team on August 19, 2015 in Agile, Development, DevOps, Distributed Computing

In the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” the magnetic containment field prevents contact of antimatter with normal matter in a warp core. If the field were to collapse or fall below 15% of its maximum integrity, the starship would be destroyed. This containment field was a very important safety system for starships (reference Wikia). Read More

Robust Flag Enumerables

Posted by Ancestry Team on June 2, 2015 in C#, Development

Flag Day in the USA is just a couple of weeks away.  Flags are used to represent different things (usually nations or states).  While the things a nation’s flag stands for are more important than what flags in code represent, it’s easier to discuss how to use flags in code, so that’s what I’ll do Read More