Bennett Greenspan

About Bennett Greenspan

Bennett Greenspan, an entrepreneur and life-long genealogy enthusiast, founded Family Tree DNA in 2000, turning a hobby into a full-time vocation. His effort and innovation created the burgeoning field now known as genetic genealogy. Family Tree DNA and other cooperative ventures, including the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project and AfricanDNA.com, now constitute the largest non-medical DNA testing program in the world. A serial entrepreneur , Greenspan’ s business career has spanned photographic equipment and supplies, real estate, the pro- college website GoCollege.com and Family Tree DNA. He now also is involved in GeneByGene.com, a new medical genetic testing company. Greenspan lives in Houston, Texas.

The Genetic Origins of the Jews of Kaifeng, China: Preliminary Findings

Filed Under DNA Studies By Adam Brown, Michael Waas, Harold Rhode, Myrna Gabbay, Danil Shimonov, Aaron Pinkhasov, Bennett Greenspan, Wim Penninx and Raquel Levy-Toledano on July 15, 2024

[This subject matter of this announcement is presently in the pre-publication process and will be published in full with accompanying data following peer review.] The Avotaynu DNA Project is pleased to announce that its advanced genetic testing of men from […]

Avotaynu DNA Project Discovers ~11,000 Year Old Neolithic Lineage

Filed Under Collaboration, DNA Studies By Adam Brown, Raquel Levy-Toledano, Wim Penninx, Bennett Greenspan and Michael Waas on June 18, 2024

The Neolithic yDNA Haplogroup J-P58 has been a topic of research interest since its discovery over 15 years ago (Hammer & Behar, et al, 2009[1]; Chiaroni, et al, 2010[2]; Sahakyn, et al, 2021[3]). Amplified by a little understood population bottleneck […]

Can DNA Testing Confirm Jewish Ancestry?

Filed Under DNA Studies By Bennett Greenspan on April 1, 2008

People often ask, “Can DNA tell me if I am Jewish?” The answer, of course, is “no,” since DNA shows genetic history while religion refers to one’s current belief system. If, however, the question is reframed as, “Can DNA reveal […]