Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Nice Double Helix You Got There, Baby

Genetics are awesome, don't you think? Just awesome.

In October, The Hubs and I submitted samples (read: tubes of spit) to 23andMe to have our DNA analyzed. Recreational DNA analysis has become popular and we've read quite a bit about about some of the companies involved and the kinds of results the curious consumer can receive. 

We chose 23andMe because they'd received a lot of coverage and some positive reviews, so we felt comfortable sending them our spit. At the time, they offered both health and ancestral breakdowns, however the FDA recently put a stop to their health offerings because of how the data was extrapolated and conveyed and how folks interpreted (freaked?) and used the data (freaked in the general direction of their doctors).


I know you...


In November, we received our results. Health-wise, they were as I expected. I know the majority of my immediate family's health history, so I know that I have generally elevated risks of heart disease and diabetes (thanks, Mom and Dad) (I'm kidding, I love you and your genes, promise). The health results also go through some genetic-based drug responses, inherited conditions, and traits, like my apparently wet earwax:


lol, sprinter

However, for us, the real fun was in our ancestry results. Seriously, how cool is this?


Oog, fire.

For me, I really wanted to see the my genetic origins. I'm Mexican-American, so I expected my results to show me something interesting. The Hubs...well, The Hubs is as Caucasian European as schnitzel and his genetic composition reflects it. Blue is European. How much blue are we seeing here?


Like, BLUE.

According to the results, he's 99.6% European. That's...definitive.

And mine? I'm pretty damn proud of mine. I'm from all over and I love it.


Colorrrrrs!

While some of my information is "Nonspecific European" or "Nonspecific East Asian & Native American," based on my family history, I can assume the Nonspecific East Asian & Native American is actually Native American. I'd been told my maternal side has a good chunk of "indigenous peoples of Mexico," but it was nice to see some confirmation.


100% me, baby


Side note: I was trying to find a proper distinction for "indigenous peoples of Mexico" by doing a bit of Googling and this is the garbage I got within the top 5 results. Sigh. 


(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻)


You can also do a chromosomal view of the ancestry composition. Chromosomal view. We live in the future, people!


Potpourri 


23andme has a pile of other features, but that would make for a long blog post that reads like an advertisement. For The Hubs and I, this is a fun science experiment. For some people, this has been enlightening and for others, frightening. Some people don't want to know and some can't not know. If you have questions about this, I'd be happy to privately discuss some of my results or about the service itself. If you're curious about the service, I can also send you a 23andme invite.

At least now you can know there's a genetic basis for not liking cilantro.




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