There has been some discussion of the Sequencing com under $500, Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), 30x average read depth, Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) test offer. Especially their marketing chart comparing their test to existing microarray companies and Dante Labs. Of noted absence in that chart is Nebula Genomics. The main likely reason is Nebula is the provider of the Sequencing com test. So the actual Sequencing test and RAW data are already known factors identical to Nebula. Nothing more needs to be said about the test directly as this is basically a Nebula Genomics test and you can follow their product reviews.

The big claim of providing results in the GRCh38 model versus everyone else in GRCh37 is a hollow one. yDNA haplogroup work is best done with a GRCh38 model; no question there. And everyone serious about analysis will convert their results to that model. But it is a simple process to convert between models from the WGS test data when BAM and FASTQ files are provided. And all atxDNA analysis work with microarray files is done in GRCh37 as that is how the dikes are provided. Even most medical reporting is done using GRCh37 with GRCh38 VCF files often being "liftover" to GRCh37 for analysis. mtDNA does not really matter. The models are the same in both; for the most part. So you really need both models anyway. And will have both no matter what is delivered.

TBD more fully yet: But what about the reports? Are the Sequencing com ones related to the Nebula Genomics offering under their subscription-based service or based on Sequencing com's already existing offers and analysis? And independent of who is providing which reports, does the different subscription model costs account for the different costs? We already see Sequencing com has added on $100 to the Nebula Genomics price (albeit, not accounting for Nebulas required minimum one-month subscription; currently priced at $19.95).

We should point out the Sequencing com "Ultimate DNA Test" is believed to still be a re-branding of LivingDNAs microarray test. We do not understand where Sequencing com get the "30 million variants" number from (compared to less than 1 million for other microarray tests). LivingDNA is using the same microarray equipment and chips as everyone else. (In fact, LivingDNA has dropped back to an Affymetrix solution.) The "Ultimate DNA Test" is not the old Nebula Genomics 0.4x WES test that it appears to be and one might think that is the source of the 30 million variants claim. We already mentioned elsewhere (as have others) of the 0.4x WGS test from Nebula providing poor quality results in genetic genealogy.efforts.

See Sequencing com's Terms and Conditions page for statements declaring that LivingDNA and Nebula Genomics are the providers for their Ultimate and WGS tests; resepectively. As of today, the page on buying a test in the Sequencing com knowledge FAQ still shows a LivingDNA sample kit image. See Sequencing com's own blog post describing 30x vs 0.4x WGS testing. So we think this makes the understanding more definitive as to what the source of the Sequencing com tests are.