Wednesday, March 9, 2011

23 and me. DNA testing


My dad is really into researching our family history. He came across a DNA test called 23 and me that maps the heritage in your genes and even reveals health problems you may develop. Last week I opened the kit and I spit into the tube they provided. In 6-8 weeks I will know more about myself and my husband. This is kind of exciting, I can't wait for the results!

"With a simple saliva sample we'll help you gain insight into your traits, from baldness to muscle performance. Discover risk factors for 95 diseases. Know your predicted response to drugs, from blood thinners to coffee. And uncover your ancestral origins."


5 comments:

Jory Dayne said...

Oh I hope you get something interesting — I did mine and got:

"You belong to haplogroup R1b, The Artisans, who first arrived in Europe from west Asia about 35,000- 40,000 ago... We're not yet able to tell you which (if any) of these subpopulations you match to, so we'll tell you a little about a few of them. Population genetics is a rapidly advancing field, and new data may allow us to match your DNA to a specific subgroup in the future. "

And that was it. So like, a chunk of cash and a whole lot of waiting to be told: your ancestors are white and from Europe. Which I mean, nice to know the mirror hasn't been lying to me my whole life, but sheesh.

Jenn Ski said...

Yeah I'm sure mine won't be that different, but it's my husband's results that I'm more interested in.

Vanessa said...

That is amazing! After Jory's story I'm a little scared to do this, but it would be interesting to see my family's genetic makeup and Mexicans/Puerto Ricans: mutt races :)

Thanks for sharing this, I've been meaning to research simular things.

Anonymous said...

I did this last year. My experience was somewhat similar to Jory's, but I enjoyed it. I warn you that the genealogy people on there can be a bit intense. Some of them made me feel guilty for being willing to proffer more information.

Laura L. said...

I'm wondering if the people that have done it got any of the medical info i.e. the risk factors for certain illnesses?
I was adopted & have no idea of my heritage. My daughter was very ill for a very long time with what turned out to be celiac disease. If I had any medical history it would have been really helpful.