Since providing 23andme with a DNA sample I’ve learned all sorts of fun facts about my ancestry and developed a deeper understanding of my genetics. I know where my ancestors come from, what my ancestry is comprised of, and discovered the ancestry and locations of my DNA relatives. I also have a better understanding of how my genes affect my health and wellbeing and influence all sorts of interesting traits.
According to 23andme, I’m 100% European which comes as no surprise. It basically just confirms what my parents and grandparents already told me about the origin of our species if you will.
What I found most interesting about my ancestry is how much of a caveman I am. Apparently, my DNA has more Neanderthal variants than 54% of their customers. I guess that explains why I’m so damn hairy and love to eat meat. What confuses me though is how I rank 2nd place out of my family and friends.
My maternal Haplogroup is H8 which makes me relatively uncommon among 23 and me customers. What that means is my maternal lines can be traced back 9,000 years to a woman who lived somewhere near modern-day Turkey and Syria around the end of the ice age. Pretty neat huh?
If I close my eyes and think real hard, I can picture my ancient cave momma riding on a horse.
My paternal Haplogroup R-L21 traces back even further to a man who lived nearly 10,000 years ago.
Although my paternal lineage is a bit more common, I do share a paternal-line ancestor with Niall of the Nine Hostages so that’s pretty cool I guess.
As you can see, 23andme can get pretty deep. You can learn all sorts of fun facts about your origin story but it’s not all about the past. You can learn a lot about how your DNA influences your physical appearance, preferences, and even physical responses. Traits reports are pretty spot on.
I can, in fact, smell asparagus. I do prefer salty over sweet, have detachable earlobes, wet earwax, and a long big toe. While I cant agree on everything I do with most traits.
You can even learn about potential health risks based on your genetics. You can learn all kinds of stuff about yourself.
If you are curious about the secrets locked away in your DNA all you have to do is order a home-based saliva collection kit from 23andme.com. Follow the instructions, spit in the tube, send it in and you’ll have your results before you know it. It’s pretty freaking easy. Doesn’t cost much either.
