April 20, 2012
23andMe celebrates genetic diversity but today we’d like to celebrate our genetic similarities -- to other organisms. You are no rabbit or chicken (or, if you are, you are a truly impressive rabbit or chicken to be reading this blog). Rather, your DNA contains all the instructions for making you human. [...]
April 20, 2012
We at 23andMe have a special place in our hearts for today, National DNA Day. There are many ways to celebrate this special science holiday, ranging from making DNA-themed bracelets to constructing helical origami, but we think one of the best ways is to learn something new about DNA and, in the [...]
April 17, 2012
"Musical Royalty": Watch the video from the PBS series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as he speaks with Branford Marsalis about his relative Wellman Braud, a pioneering jazz bassist. Just as jazz greats Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis wondered, in the first segment of the PBS series [...]
April 16, 2012
As the series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. begins its 10-week run on PBS, The Spittoon will feature posts from 23andMe’s Ancestry Ambassadors featuring their own stories about using DNA to dig into ancestry. By Ann Turner, M.D. Many members of my extended family have inherited a [...]
March 26, 2012
It’s that time of year again. That’s right... it’s March Madness and time to follow your favorite U.S. college basketball teams during playoffs. Some of you may be baffled by how much mental energy, time, and money Americans invest in sporting events, but those who participate will expound on the [...]
March 21, 2012
Like many people around the world, the health content team at 23andMe rang in 2012 with resolutions of staying healthy and it seemed fitting to delve into the genetics underlying response to diet and exercise, eating behavior and cholesterol levels. As we eased in to the new year, we segued into reproduction, [...]
March 16, 2012
Nearly 37 million Americans claim to have Irish heritage according to a national survey conducted in 2009. That’s over eight times the number of people living in Ireland today. Although it’s remarkable that nearly 1 in 10 Americans might say “Kiss Me I’m Irish!” on St. Patrick’s day, it’s not [...]
February 29, 2012
Today, February 29, is Rare Disease Day — a concept first initiated by the European Rare Disease Organization (EURORDIS) and now recognized around the world. Join the Global Genes Project™ and help unite one million people for rare diseases. The Global Genes Project™ is a campaign that works [...]
February 23, 2012
Although there has been a recent boom in DNA research, little is known about the connection between DNA and disease in African Americans. This is because most genetic research studies intentionally limit enrollment to a single population — usually northern Europeans — since the analysis is easier to carry [...]
February 14, 2012
Sickle Cell Celebrities A number of famous individuals have suffered from sickle cell anemia including Miles Davis, perhaps the most famous jazz musician to have lived (some consider his platinum-selling album Kind of Blue to be THE jazz album), and Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, a singer and founder of the [...]
