Everything we do at the 23andMe Research Institute starts with our amazing community of consented research participants. The data they share helps our scientists uncover new insights about genetics, across health and ancestry, pushing science forward in ways that we hope can benefit different communities, researchers, and future generations. These discoveries are also returned to our members in the form of new reports and features: from more detailed ancestry breakdowns to new health reports on a variety of conditions.
With that spirit of discovery in mind, here are some of the new reports and product features that our consented research participants and expert scientists helped to make happen in 2025.
New Genetic Health & Wellness Reports and Features
This year, consented 23andMe research participants, along with our groundbreaking research platform, delivered new polygenic risk score (PRS) reports to our 23andMe+ Premium™ members, offering deeper insights into complex health conditions.
| ACL Tear | Shows how a person’s genetics may influence their likelihood of experiencing an ACL tear, an injury common in high-impact sports. |
| Early Menopause | Offers insights to female members into the genetic predisposition for experiencing natural menopause before age 45. |
| Endometriosis | Helps female members understand their genetic likelihood of developing endometriosis, a common condition that often takes years to diagnose. |
| GERD | Provides insight into the genetics of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that impacts around 20% of people in the U.S. |
| Osteoporosis | Estimates an individual’s genetic likelihood of developing low bone density. |
| Severe Morning Sickness | Allows female members to assess their genetic likelihood of experiencing severe morning sickness during pregnancy. |
We also answered the call from our members to provide more information about MTHFR as well as genetic differences that can impact health disparities.
| Homocysteine (MTHFR-Related) | Examines common variants in the MTHFR gene associated with slightly increased homocysteine levels in the blood. |
| White Blood Cell Count (Duffy Antigen-Related) | Raises awareness about the Duffy null genotype, which is common among people with African ancestry and leads to naturally lower white blood cell counts. Understanding this can help prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary follow-up testing. |
Expanding Health Beyond DNA
We further expanded our integrated health offerings to include expanded direct access to blood testing services (where available), including the Biological Age Panel. This allows members to get a more complete health picture by combining genetic and real-time health data.
Major Ancestry Updates
2025 brought the most significant update ever to our Ancestry Composition report, expanding granularity and increasing accuracy across the globe. Members can now see if they have connections to more than 4,500 geographic regions, the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market.
Ancestry Composition v7.0 was a major overhaul, adding 33 new European populations and 6 new Indigenous American populations to our Ancestry Composition breakdown. Thanks to a new DNA phasing pipeline and a new method for refining reference panels, the update also improved accuracy for other regions of the world. Finally, a new chromosome painting method eliminated “Broadly” and “Unassigned” categories in the default view.
We also added more than 800 new Genetic Groups this year. These updates were available to all 23andMe members, with additional features (such as Distant Genetic Groups) for 23andMe+ Premium members.
| Eastern European Genetic Groups | Introduces Genetic Groups for people with ancestry in Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. |
| European Diaspora Genetic Groups | Adds new Genetic Groups for people of European descent who settled in the U.S., Canada, and South Africa. |
| Expanded African Genetic Groups | Expands from 25 to over 250 Genetic Groups across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering significantly more detail and precision for members in the African diaspora. |
| Genetic Groups in China, Korea, Mongolia | Expands Genetic Groups in East Asia, providing matches for members with ancestry from China, Korea, and Mongolia. |
| South Asian Genetic Groups | Adds more detail to Genetic Groups in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan. |
Historical Matches
The Historical MatchesSM feature continued to expand with over 275 new individuals added, connecting 23andMe+ Premium members to ancient and notable figures from diverse eras and regions.
| Ancient China | Adds fifty-six new Historical Matches from three recent studies of ancient China, offering connections to populations like those in Shandong Province and Chang’an. |
| Cheddar Man and Early Farmers in Britain | Allows members to explore how the transition to farming transformed ancient Britain through 18 ancient individuals, including the famous Cheddar Man. |
| Chromosome Number Diversity in the Past | Adds historical matches based on a 2024 study identifying ancient individuals in Britain with sex chromosome variations (aneuploidies). |
| Early Colonial Africans in Mexico & Individuals from Catoctin Furnace | Expands the Historical Matches feature to include 16 new historical African and African American individuals from Catoctin Furnace (U.S.) and colonial Mexico. |
| Early Medieval France | Features individuals from early medieval France, highlighting evidence of migration from Great Britain, Ireland, and North Africa in shaping the region’s demography. |
| Erik the Red’s Homestead | Adds four new individuals from the Viking Age settlement of Brattahlid, the homestead of Erik the Red, to the Historical Matches feature. |
| Iron Age Celtic Women | Adds matches to a lineage of Iron Age Celtic women in Britain, suggesting a matrilocal society. |
| Medieval Iberians | Adds individuals from Las Gobas, a medieval site in northern Spain, revealing insights into a small, isolated Christian community. |
| Named Historical Figures | Includes DNA matches for notable individuals like George Bähr (German architect) and Bishop Peder Winstrup (Swedish bishop). |
| Neolithic Ireland | Adds individuals connected to an elite, megalithic society in Neolithic Ireland that built passage tombs over 5,000 years ago. |
| The Mystery of Roopkund Lake | Features genetic analysis of skeletons from Roopkund Lake, revealing three distinct groups with South Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian ancestries. |
| Viking Age Europe | Adds 23 individuals from sites across Europe and Greenland to study the genetic diversity of the Viking Age. |
We continue to deliver cutting-edge ancestry science
This year we also improved the DNA Relatives features with two new updates: improved relationship prediction estimates and the HybridIBD™ algorithm. These updates dramatically enhance the accuracy of DNA Relatives predictions, in particular benefiting members with diverse ancestries.
Finally we recently launched Reconstructed Ancestors to 23andMe+ Premium beta testers. This early feature uses a highly advanced algorithm along with your DNA and the DNA from relatives on your Family Tree, to piece together the ancestry composition of ungenotyped parents, grandparents and eventually other ancestors.
A Year of Insight and Connection
2025 gave us the opportunity to bring a wealth of new insights and features to our members, and the cycle of discovery isn’t slowing down thanks to the continued participation of our research community. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to push genetic science even further, expanding what’s possible and continuing to build a more inclusive, accurate, and empowering experience for everyone on their journey of self-discovery. The best is yet to come.
