June 22, 2012
“Québécois” will likely be celebrating John the Baptist and French-Canadian heritage on June 24th with lively parties, parades and bonfires. At 23andMe we’re paying tribute to French-Canadian ancestry with the release of two new health reports on rare genetic disorders (Leigh Syndrome, French Canadian [...]
June 20, 2012
Today is summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. This means that there’s a lot of light around and as a consequence, people with the “ACHOO syndrome” might be sneezing a lot. Gesundheit! Two years ago 23andMe announced a new genetic discovery that at least partially [...]
June 19, 2012
June 19th is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day and commemorates the date in 2008 when the United Nations began recognizing this group of genetic blood disorders as a public health concern. Sickle cell disease affects millions around the globe and nearly 100,000 people in the United States. It’s relatively [...]
May 24, 2012
Crohn’s disease develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own gut cells. Although most people with European ancestry are pretty genetically similar, some sub-groups like Ashkenazi Jews have distinct genetic characteristics that carry important implications for health. For instance, [...]
May 22, 2012
Ashkenazi Jews are one group that fall under the umbrella of “European”, but it’s clear from numerous studies that they’re genetically unique and distinct from the European population at large. Most people with Ashkenazi ancestry trace their DNA to Eastern and Central Europe, but also have Middle [...]
May 21, 2012
23andMe is passionate about fighting cancer. We’re researching specific forms of cancer and treatments (see sidebar) and also learning more generally about cancer through our Cancer Family History survey (men’s version and women’s version). Personal experiences have the potential to fuel important [...]
May 18, 2012
Do You Have a Story? How have you been affected by breast cancer? Tell us your story and help all of us learn more about the disease. (To share your story, please leave a comment at the end of this post. 23andMe customers can also share their stories in our Breast Cancer Community Group.) Roughly [...]
May 15, 2012
Although the majority of respondents to 23andMe’s Female Fertility survey stated that they weren’t trying to conceive the first time they became pregnant, around 13% said that they had tried or were currently trying to become pregnant, a percentage that’s on par with the national infertility average of [...]
May 14, 2012
Two of the biggest physical milestones in a woman’s life are menarche (pronounced “MEN-ar-kee”), the first menstrual period in girls, and menopause, when menstruation stops and female reproductive hormones slow. These milestones are universal and mark the beginning and end of a woman’s reproductive [...]
May 12, 2012
Mothers are special on so many levels. We cherish them for loving us and imparting important life lessons... and for giving us mitochondria (or "mito" for short)! Mitochondria are small, roundish structures inside of cells that produce cellular energy. They have "zigzag insides" and their own DNA, which can [...]
