23andMe is a company that sells genetic testing kits to people who wish to know more about the information that is revealed in their genes. Every year, 23andMe releases a list of their top ten genetic findings. Many of these findings are of interest to genealogists.
23andMe has a blog that it calls “The Spittoon”. It is a rather amusing, and appropriate name. This company sells DNA testing kits to consumers. Those who purchase a kit provide a saliva sample to 23andMe. To do this, a person basically has to spit into the sample collection device. Therefore, “spittoon” is an excellent choice of name for their blog.
Every year, 23andMe posts a list of their top genetic findings of the year onto their blog. In 2010, one of the most interesting genetic findings had to do with body shape. An analysis done by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits consortium (GIANT) found that a person’s genetics influenced whether they were an “apple” or a “pear”.
Other interesting findings from 2010 revealed information about asthma, allergies, and arthritis. Genealogists know that the risk of developing certain diseases and disorders can be handed down, through generations, genetically. The more you know about what runs in your family, the better able you are to cope with it.
Recently, 23andMe posted a blog about their top ten genetic findings for 2011. It is a rather impressive list! At the top of the list, 23andMe reports discovering novel genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s disease. The company also reported the discovery of a potentially protective genetic factor against Parkinson’s disease, (in a gene called SGK1).
The company also did a study that involved 60,000 people, who were of South Asian descent. The study identified several genetic variants linked to type 2 diabetes. Some genetic variants had a stronger effects in either the European population, or the South Asian population. Other interesting genetic findings resulted in an improved understanding of the genetics involved with obesity. This is a condition that affects nearly two-thirds of Americans.
To read the full details about all ten of this year’s top ten genetic findings, I would recommend reading over the blog at 23andMe. The company uses a genotyping process that analyzes nearly 1,000,000 locations in a person’s genome. It is good to read over the many useful results that have come from all those DNA samples.
Image by Sergio Calleja on Flickr