Last month, I decided to take a DNA test to trace my ancestral roots. It has been on my "I've always want to" list ever since I heard of the company 23andMe on a PBS special sometime ago. On "cyber Monday" the company slashed their prices from $499 to $99. While most online shoppers were taking advantage on low prices for electronic items, I bought a DNA test. Using a saliva sample, 23andme claim to trace your ancestral roots via one's maternal line, paternal line, ancestral painting, as well as showing your genetic similarity to other groups in the world. This test also detects one's disease risk, carrier status, drug response and traits. I mailed my sample mid December with an expected wait time of 6-8 weeks.
The manual lists ways to produce saliva in case you can't under pressure. The test tube already had some substance that mixed with the saliva. I mailed off my sample in the self addressed envelope that came with the kit. It included a tracking number so I could make sure it didn't end up in some pervy old man's house.
You may be wondering why I bothered to do this. To put it simply, I don't know much about my family. I know my father's family are Mexican and my mother's family are Salvadorian. Of my four grandparents, I only knew my maternal grandmother. She loved to tell me stories about her childhood memories with her family back in Sonsonate, El Salvador. She wouldn't go in depth about where her mother and father came from. I wasn't sure if she didn't want to talk about it or if she didn't know. Since her passing, I often kick myself for not prying some answers out of her. Now all that I'm left with are a handful of pictures and her birth certificate, which she never showed me while she was living.
Before I purchased the kit, I was having second thoughts about taking this DNA test. Since I'm a female, only my mitochondrial DNA( my maternal bloodline) could be traced, which really disappointed me. I'm desperately curious about my paternal roots too, however, I would need an uncle or my father to take the test for me. I was starting to think this wouldn't be worth it afterall. So what changed my mind? My mom told me that my great grandmother (my maternal grandmother's mother) was an orphan. I made up my mind to take the test even if it only traces half of my past. I hoped to get some answers no matter how vague.
Seven weeks after I sent in my sample I received an email notification that my results had been processed. I logged in and the first screen that popped up was an option to skip my health results. The company understands that some of the findings might disturb some customers. Of course, I clicked and viewed them. I won't share my health results but I will say that learning what I have was absolutely worth taking this test.
I moved onto to my ancestry results. My heart was pounding a bit and my hands were clammy. I had no idea what to expect. Would it tell me things I already knew or something unexpected?
Ancestry Painting
My racial percentages were broken down right in my face. There I am. 64%, 31%, 5%. I studied history and I'm well aware of the mixtures that occurred, but I still find it insanely fascinating. So why is it split between these three groups? As 23andMe explains, Your Ancestry Painting results should be understood to mean Asia, Africa and Europe before the era of intercontinental travel, about 500 years ago.
The way my numbers were calculated :
Simply by adding up the lengths of the segments attributed to each population, as displayed, and dividing by the total length. The numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number, so in cases where one region contributes less than 1/2% of the total, "0%" is shown. The grayed-out regions indicate regions of the genome where 23andMe has few markers at present; these regions are not included in the percentage calculations.
The following solidified what I hoped about my great grandmother. There isn't a way to track the precise Native American blood she came from, however, 23andMe narrowed it down a bit in the global similarity section.
Global Similarity
According to 23andme, my maternal bloodline is most similar to the people of South America. This is all incredible to learn and I wish my grandmother was around to share all this with her. Rather than gaining any type of closure, I feel as if I've opened a genetic pandora's box. Now I want to learn so much more about my maternal family. Their stories, their occupations, their struggles, etc. I have no idea how I'm going to approach all of this but maybe in time I'll find some more pieces to this puzzle I'm trying to solve. One thing that's certain: there is no turning back. I can't ignore or forget everything I've learned. I tapped into this wealth of information and now I have to live with it until I can continue searching what I'm looking for.
All of the information discovered by 23andMe is incredibly fascinating and I'm very glad I did it. I definitely recommend this for those that don't know too much about their roots or if you're just curious about your racial percentages. For any females interested in taking this test, I only recommend this test if you do not have any full blood brothers or a father. If you do have a brother/father, have them take the test as well. It will trace both sides instead of just the maternal side. I do advise to wait for sale prices. I would've been sorely disappointed had I paid $499. The results are a bit too vague for that amount of money. Finally, I also recommend this service for the vital health information that can lead a person to take steps towards disease prevention.
That's absolutely amazing! And to hear that you got it at a great deal is even more awesome. My uncle has been working on our family tree, but it tends to get a little muddled on his mother's side. This is really something and I really appreciate you sharing this. :)
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