By Anne Wojcicki


I’m excited about 2015! We are starting the New Year with new customers around the world, new research collaborations and many employees working diligently on our FDA submission.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22084" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg" alt="Anne_Color_ Seated" width="250" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-250x300.jpg 250w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-768x923.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-852x1024.jpg 852w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-732x880.jpg 732w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Anne_Color_-Seated-982x1180.jpg 982w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />


As CEOs do, I look into the future to make sure we are working towards our mission: to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. I also want to make sure we remain committed to our vision of accelerating the pace of significant genetic discoveries. As we head into 2015, I will continue to be focused on 23andMe initiatives that fulfill our mission and vision.
Our focus on research will grow as we partner with academics and scientists, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies globally, to use genetic data for good. Our research team will collaborate with new partners to find better drug therapies, opportunities for disease prevention, disease treatments and ultimately, genetic paths to cures. This is an important part of why I started the company – to make sure we empower ourselves and empower others. Both are equally important.
 


I’m excited about the possibility of new discoveries coming out of our collective data for research, and yet I also believe it’s important you are in control of your data. If you do not want to participate in research, you can always opt-out. You own your data.
It’s been an exciting eight years since we launched 23andMe. I have heard from thousands of you about how 23andMe has impacted your life. As we approach our millionth customer, we are planning a celebration that demonstrates the power and potential of individuals owning   their DNA.
Do you have a story to share? We would love to hear from you and make you part of our celebration. Send your story to <a href="https://23me.wufoo.com/forms/z1ngt56e18lv5ed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tellannemystory@23andme.com.</a>
 
I wish you the best for 2015.

Anne Wojcicki

A Note To Our Customers About The New Year

Over the summer 23andMe launched <a href="https://www.23andme.com/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a collaborative study</a> with Pfizer to study the research inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).


We&#8217;ve been encouraged by the number of people diagnosed with either Crohn&#8217;s disease and ulcerative colitis who have joined the study.
On top of the research we&#8217;re doing, we also want to raise awareness about   these debilitating digestive <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-large wp-image-21972" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/08052014_IBD_Infographic_Rd18-01-1-249x768.jpg" alt="08052014_IBD_Infographic_Rd18-01-1" width="249" height="768" />conditions and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ibd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inflammatory Bowel Disease</a> (IBD) more broadly.
More than 1.4 million Americans suffer from IBD, while in Europe two in every 1,000 people are affected. The incidence and prevalence of IBD, is rising even in Asia where the rates have historically been low.
Not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, IBD is a very serious and sometimes crippling condition. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, bleeding, and severe weight loss.

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In order to participate in the first study within the IBD community, you must meet all six criteria below: 
Eligible Individuals 
1. You&#8217;ve been diagnosed with Crohn&#8217;s disease or ulcerative colitis by a qualified physician. 
2. You&#8217;re willing to submit a saliva sample for DNA testing and complete online surveys related to your condition. 
3. You have access to the internet. 
4. You are at least 6 years old (minors under 18 require parental consent to enroll). 
5. You are not a current 23andMe customer.* 
6. You reside in the United States.
*If you are a current 23andMe customer, learn how you can participate here.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-21220" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More-300x99.jpg" alt="Learn More" width="300" height="99" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More-300x99.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Learn-More.jpg 744w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Raising Awareness About IBD

Why some people will have a hangover the morning after they ring in the New Year this year and others won’t, can at least be partially explained by genetics.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Wine-bottle-300x199.jpg" alt="Wine bottle" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22045" width="300" height="199" />
There’s a lot of variability in how people respond to drinking. A lucky few, about 20 percent, have few symptoms from imbibing too much. But the rest of us pay for a night of indulging with a mix of symptoms that might include a headache, or nausea, or cloudy thinking or all of the above.
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2014/dec/12/hangover-severity-genetic-alcohol-inherited" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Two studies</a> published earlier this year looked at those differences. Researchers in both studies examined data from twin studies and found that genetics explains about half the “heritability” of hangovers.
Scientists look at heritability to try gauge how variation of a certain trait or condition within a population can be explained by genetics versus how much can be explained by environmental influences. The proportion of variation within a population that’s explained by genetics is known as heritability. 
In this case, the heritability of hangovers is about 50 percent. In other words about 50 percent of the differences between those who have a hangover and those who don’t is explained by genetics. Using identical and fraternal twins allows researchers to isolate environmental and genetic influences.
Unlike <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2442454/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other studies</a> that have looked at specific genetic variants involved in how individuals respond to alcohol or variants that influence the risk for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25439982" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">alcohol dependence</a>, these studies tried to ascertain how much of the differences in how people respond to a night of drinking is influenced by genetics versus how much is influenced by environmental factors.
In one study that looked at data that was first compiled in the early 1970s among about 13,000 adult male twins living in Australia. The researchers again looked at the data that included information about alcohol consumption, intoxication and hangovers. The other study also looked at data from about 4,500 twins, both men and women, and found that genetics accounted for 45 percent of the difference in hangovers.

Cheers!

The pace of discovery in genetics is such that every few months a new finding has the potential to change something fundamental about our understanding of the science. To keep up, we here at 23andMe take a moment to look back and list the top genetic findings of the year.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg" alt="23andMe_Logo_blog" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6586" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog.jpg 350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
&#8211; Ebola DNA 
As health workers heroically raced to try and stop the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/27/ebola-wars" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a core group of scientists</a> at Broad Institute began sequencing the virus in real time. They wanted to understand how it mutates, whether there are strains that are more deadly than others and why some individuals may be more resistant to the virus than others. In one of the team’s first studies, they were able to <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6202/1369" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trace the start of the outbreak</a> in Sierra Leone to a funeral in May of 2014. But as a testament to the dangers many of these health workers face, five of the co-authors on the study – who worked in Sierra Leone – contracted Ebola and died.
&#8211; Noninvasive Prenatal DNA Testing 
A new kind of DNA test allows for the screening of prenatal abnormalities without the kind of invasive procedures needed in the past. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall-300x199.jpg" alt="new born baby" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11065" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall.jpg 425w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />. The test allows doctors to <a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/new-dna-test-better-at-predicting-some-disorders-in-babies-study-finds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">obtain fetal DNA</a> by taking a small blood sample from the mother and then screening for chromosomal disorders.
&#8211; $1,000 Genome? 
Much has been made about the quest for the <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/is-the-1-000-genome-for-real-1.14530" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$1,000 genome</a> and its potential for revolutionizing medicine and research. <a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/dec/01/san-diego-innovation-scientist-edico-illumina/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Illumina announced</a> that they have developed a machine – the HiSeq X ten – that, at volume, can reach that price point. Since the first human genome was sequenced a little more than a decade ago, the cost of sequencing has plummeted to less than one-one hundred-thousandth of its original price. But as the price of sequencing has dropped, the utility of that information has risen. Cost soon will no longer be a barrier for getting tested.
&#8211; Emergency Sequencing 
A boy is rushed to the hospital critically ill, but no one can quite figure out what is wrong with him. His case published in the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1401268" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New England Journal of Medicine</a> and reported on in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/05/health/in-first-quick-dna-test-diagnoses-a-boys-illness.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The New York Times</a>, illustrates the power of next-generation sequencing to quickly identify a pathogen and help direct treatment. Suffering from a fever, headache, stomach pain and swelling of the brain, the 14 year-old’s condition got so bad that he was put into a medically induced coma. After weeks of trying treat and diagnose him, doctors finally decided to sequence the boy’s cerebrospinal fluid and compare it to a sequencing data from the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Center for Biotechnology Information</a>. Within a few hours using doctors were able to pinpoint a likely cause of the infection, the bacteria Leptospira, that brought him close to death.This allowed doctors to identify proper treatment and bring him back from the brink.
&#8211; King Richard’s Bones<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/richardiiiportrait.jpg" alt="richardiiiportrait" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21981" width="200" height="269" /> 
The story around the identification of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/king-richards-bones/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">King Richard III’s bones</a> found under a municipal parking lot in Leicester, England offers a rare opportunity to look at what we know about a historical figure, <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141202/ncomms6631/full/ncomms6631.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">use DNA</a> from that individual, and then compare it with the DNA from living relatives –as well as what’s in the history books and even classic literature – to piece together a more complete version of history.
&#8211; Genetic Diversity 
Three studies over the past year have expanded what we know about people with ancestry from <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13997.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Africa</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0102645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">south Asia</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6189/1280" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mexico</a>, and remind us that more needs to be done to improve the diversity of genetic studies, which in turn is critical for improving medical research for everyone.
&#8211; Eurogenes 
Studies early this year by scientists at Harvard and at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, added more to what we know about human evolution by tracing modern Europeans to <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v513/n7518/full/nature13673.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">three distinct ancient populations</a>. Led by geneticist David Reich, the study used DNA extracted from ancient bones and compared the sequences to sequences from modern humans.
&#8211; More Ancient DNA<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Image12-300x209.jpg" alt="Max Planck Forscher Prof. Dr.Svante PÃ¤Ã¤bo entschlÃ¼sselt Neandertaler-Genom" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20651" width="300" height="209" /> 
Svante PÃ¤Ã¤bo and his team at the <a href="http://www.mpg.de/eva-en?section=eb-evb-g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> in Leipzig, Germany went back farther than anyone before in sequencing a <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v514/n7523/full/nature13810.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">45,000 year-old leg bone</a> found on a riverbank in Siberia. PÃ¤Ã¤bo and his team were the first to decode the Neanderthal genome a few years back, and they have left us all to marvel as the ability to obtain a quality DNA sequence from ancient bones. But beyond that achievement, the sequence also gives us more detail about how modern humans evolved and interbred with their early human cousins, such as Neanderthals and <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/the-other-neanderthal/375916/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Denisovans</a>. From previous work, we knew that humans and Neanderthals interbred, but this sequence allowed scientists to pinpoint <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/science/research-humans-interbred-with-neanderthals.html?ref=science&#038;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">when the interbreeding occurred</a>.
&#8211; Protective Flaw 
Researchers lead by a team from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute, found that a genetic variant in the gene NPC1L1 that not only lowers the levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol but also significantly <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/11/12/flawed-gene-protects-against-heart-disease/itUCUgFWJEPdHR3fRqTReJ/story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cuts the risk for heart disease</a>. The finding published in the <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1405386" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New England Journal of Medicine</a>, is interesting for another reason. By pooling large sets of genetic data, researchers can find people with rare genetic variations that are protective against certain conditions. This in turn can help researchers more effectively identify the biological underpinnings for those conditions as well as target more effective treatments.
&#8211; Written in Our DNA 
Not wanting to toot our own horn, we didn’t single out all the papers 23andMe researchers published. It’s an impressive

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list, not just for how much work our scientists have done, but for the breadth of our research. We also posted a strong showing at this year’s meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. And we can’t let the year go by without mentioning a paper published this month in <a href="http://www.cell.com/ajhg/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Journal of Human Genetics</a>. 23andMe population geneticist Kasia Bryc created a first-of-its-kind <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/history-written-in-our-dna/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">genetic portrait of the United States</a>. The study offers a detailed look at how the ancestry make-up of self-identified African Americans, Latinos and European Americans differs by region and these differences reflect some of the distinctive socio-political history in different parts of the United States.
&nbsp;

Top Genetic Findings of 2014

In a new study published in the <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-21956 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1-197x300.jpg" alt="" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1-197x300.jpg 197w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kasia1.jpg 369w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" />
<h6>Regional Ancestry Differences</h6>
The study offers a detailed look at how the ancestry make-up of self-identified African Americans, Latinos and European Americans differs by region and these differences reflect some of the distinctive socio-political history in different parts of the United States.
“Our study not only reveals the historical underpinnings of regional differences in genetic ancestry, but also sheds light on inconsistencies between genetic patterns and commonly accepted notions of race and ethnicity,” Kasia said.
<h6>DNA USA</h6>
Although the study doesn’t pretend to be a comprehensive portrait of the genetic makeup of the United States, it’s unprecedented in its scope and it does show how the history of the Americas as a crossroad for disparate cultures is written in our DNA.
Using aggregated and anonymous data from 160,000 23andMe customers who consented to research, Kasia looked at how the ancestral make-up for whites, blacks and Latinos differed in each state. Some of what she found is well known, but some of the data illuminates a United States with a much more complicated multicultural history than many of us understand.

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<h6>Hidden African Ancestry</h6>
Among her findings were that about 3.5 percent of self-identified European Americans have at least 1 percent or more African Ancestry. It’s likely that many of these Americans, who describe themselves as white, may be unaware of their African ancestry, which in many cases goes back between five to ten generations. There are also differences regionally – with the highest levels in the South – so that in South Carolina, at least 13 percent of self-identified whites have 1 percent or more African ancestry, while in Louisiana the number is a little more than 12 percent.
In Georgia and Alabama the number is about 9 percent. The differences perhaps point to different social and cultural histories within the South.
Among black Americans, those with the highest percentage of African ancestry also live in southern states, especially South Carolina and Georgia. The percentage of the population who are African Americans are also highest in those states, but there are also differences among states with similar percentages of African Americans.
<h6>Native American Ancestry</h6>
That may also be due to the different histories of those states. Kasia’s study also found that one in every 20 African Americans have Native American ancestry, while in Oklahoma 14 percent of African Americans carry at least two percent Native American ancestry.
Among self-reported Latinos in the US, those from states in the southwest, especially from states bordering Mexico, have the highest levels of Native American ancestry.
But among Latinos too there were wide regional differences that also likely reflect the history of migration and intermixing. For example, some Latinos have no discernible Native American ancestry, while others have as much as 50 percent of their ancestry being Native American. Latinos in states in the Southwest, bordering Mexico – New Mexico, Texas, California and Arizona – have the greatest percentage of Native American ancestry. Latinos in states with the largest proportion of African Americans in their population – South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama – have the highest percentage of African Ancestry.
All three groups — African Americans, European Americans and Latinos — showed asymmetrical male and female ancestry contributions, with more European male and more Native American and African female ancestors. This asymmetry is likely a legacy of slavery, unbalanced sex ratios in frontier settings, as well other social factors.

Ancestry Across the United States

A new study suggests that genetics plays a much bigger role in ALS than previously thought. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Gehrig1-222x300.jpg" alt="Lou Gehrig" class="alignright wp-image-4645 size-medium" title="Lou Gehrig, who died of ALS" width="222" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Gehrig1-222x300.jpg 222w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Gehrig1.jpg 443w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px" /> 
Past estimates said genetics accounts for about 10 percent of cases. But a new study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai and Washington University in St. Louis suggest that as many as one in three cases of ALS can be tied to genetics.
The finding sheds light on the possible genetic origin of the disease. This is important particularly for patients who have had no family history for it.
<h6>Lou Gehrig&#8217;s Disease</h6>
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as <a href="http://www.lougehrig.com/about/news/07-02-14.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lou Gehrig&#8217;s Disease</a>, is a <a href="http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rare neurodegenerative disease.</a> It is marked by a wasting of nerve cells that control the muscles in your body. It is often fatal. Right now there is no cure for ALS. In 90 percent of the case, clinicians cannot point to a cause. It was thought that most of those so-called “sporadic” cases were the result of environmental factors.
But this new study in the Annals of Neurology, suggests that genetics may play a role in many of those cases. 
<h6>The Genetics</h6>
Previous studies have identified about a dozen genetic variants associated with ALS. Among those are variants in the C90RF72 gene and in another gene, SOD1. But the Cedar-Sinai and Washington University study identified many more rarer variants associated with ALS. Researchers suggest that alone these variants may not have a big impact, but acting in combination they do.
The hunt for the causes and possible treatments for ALS got a boost over the summer through the viral spread of the <a href="http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“ALS Ice Bucket Challenge”</a> social media campaign.
The campaign generated some <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/virals/11040688/Ice-bucket-challenge-40-of-the-best-videos-so-far.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pretty good videos.</a> More importantly for researchers the campaign brought in <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/08/28/will-million-raised-from-ice-bucket-challenge-yield-cure-for-als/SMDz3n4GxByCZ9RaAVtZ2J/story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">close to $100 million</a> during the summer. The ALS Association, recently gave researchers at Cedar-Sinai $1.6 million to support their work on the disease.

Study Says Genetics May Play Larger Role in ALS

Last month we announced the three winners in 23andMe’s first-ever Genetics Image Contest, but we felt like everyone came out ahead by helping to bridge the gap in genetics education.
<div id="attachment_21851" style="width: 181px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21851" class="size-medium wp-image-21851" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-171x300.jpg" alt="One of the winning images. This one &quot;Human Karyotype&quot; by Drury University student Ashleigh Spalding" width="171" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-171x300.jpg 171w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-503x880.jpg 503w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S.jpg 520w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 171px) 100vw, 171px" />One of the winning images. This one &#8220;Human Karyotype&#8221; by Drury University student Ashleigh Spalding</div>
On top of giving out awards to individual winners, 23andMe also gave out stipends to the three schools with the highest rate of student participation – Drury University, Wartburg College and the College of San Mateo. Each school received $300 to help defray the costs of a “learning event” hosted on campus meant to raise awareness about personal genetics.
At Drury, where this year Prof. Roger Young incorporated 23andMe as a learning tool in his Advanced Molecular Genetics class, students used the money to host a genetics fair that attracted about 90 people. The students even did a before and after survey to gauge whether the event helped improve understanding of genetic testing.
“As you know, any good science experiment should have good data,” Prof. Young explained.
And it appeared from the data that the event had an impact. For example, before the event 65 percent of those surveyed said they would want to know if they were at genetic risk for a disease. Afterwards, the number went up to 79 percent.
At Drury, where this year Prof. Roger Young incorporated 23andMe as a learning tool in his Advanced Molecular Genetics class, students used the money to host a genetics fair that attracted about 90 people. The students even did a before and after survey to gauge whether the event helped improve understanding of genetic testing.
“As you know, any good science experiment should have good data,” Prof. Young explained.
And it appeared from the data that the event had an impact. For example, before the event 65 percent of those surveyed said they would want to know if they were at genetic risk for a disease. Afterwards, the number went up to 79 percent.
<div id="attachment_22006" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22006" class="wp-image-22006 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Using 23andMe&#8217;s chromosome view as a tool for learning about genetics.</div>
<div id="attachment_22007" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007" class="wp-image-22007 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1024x535.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="535" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-300x157.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-768x401.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-880x459.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1180x616.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event.jpg 1182w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Students participating at the Drury University Event.</div>
Prof. Young said using 23andMe in his semester-long course helped prepare his students for a future in which understanding genomics is integral to medicine.
“Integrating genetic testing into a semester-long learning experience has, I believe, placed these students at a distinct advantage as they prepare to take the (medical school admissions test) and interview for acceptance into various medical schools,” he said.
Learn more about 23andMe’s Academic program here.
The winning images from the contest will be showcased in the Genetics Gallery at <a href="http://www.thetech.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tech Museum of Innovation</a> in San Jose, California.

Everyone’s A Winner

A <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11065" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall-300x199.jpg" alt="new born baby" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iStock_000014838144XSmall.jpg 425w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />parents they surveyed would like to have their newborns sequenced for medical conditions and disorders.
“Several other studies have measured parents’ interest in newborn genomic screening, but none focused on new parents in the first 48 hours,” <a href="http://www.genomes2people.org/director/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr. Robert C. Green</a> told the Boston Herald this week. “Since this is when genomic testing would be of the greatest value, it is vital to study parents’ attitudes immediately post-partum.”
<h2>BabySeq</h2>
A geneticist and researcher at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Green has done a series of studies to gauge attitudes about personal genetic testing and the impact the information has on participants.
The focus of this study, called BabySeq and funded by the National Institutes of Health, looks specifically at the sequencing of newborns. Other studies done by Dr. Green and his team have looked more broadly at genetic testing –including personal genetic testing, and its impact on health outcomes and whether the testing results in undue anxiety.
In this latest study, Dr. Green asked parents shortly after the birth of their child whether they would want to have their child sequenced. There is already extensive state-mandated newborn screening for various inherited life-threatening conditions. It’s one of the most established and successful public health programs globally. However, sequencing newborns would add a much more extensive screen.
<h2>Parents Point of View</h2>
The researchers talked with 514 parents within 48 hours of their baby&#8217;s birth. After the parents were given a brief explanation of genetics and what it can say about one’s health and risks for certain conditions, they were asked whether they would want their newborns sequenced. About 83 percent expressed interest. The breakdown of the survey showed that about 18 percent of parents were “extremely interested,” 28 percent were “very interested,” and 37 percent were “somewhat interested.”
The researchers point out that as sequencing becomes more affordable and if parental interest remains high, further research will be important to assess how well parents understand the results they would get from sequencing and the impact that testing would have on public health.

Newborns And Sequencing

Drawing on DNA analysis, genealogy, and archeology, scientists at the University of Leicester unearthed 500-year-old royal bones found under a municipal car park and have definitively identified the remains as King Richard III.
<div id="attachment_21983" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21983" class="size-medium wp-image-21983" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-300x200.jpg" alt="University of Leicester Photo" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/UM0A1608-Credit-University-of-Leicester-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />University of Leicester Photo</div>
In their recently <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141202/ncomms6631/full/ncomms6631.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published findings</a>, the team determined that the bones are indeed those of the monarch Shakespeare made infamous.
&#8220;The evidence directly indicates that these are the remains of Richard III,&#8221; says geneticist Turi King of the University of Leicester in the U.K., who led the team reporting the results in <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6631" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nature Communications</a>.
<h2>Battle of Bosworth</h2>
Much of the findings conformed to contemporary accounts of Richard III, who died at the <a href="http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_bosworth.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Battle of Bosworth</a> in 1485 – the last English monarch killed in combat. Depicted by Shakespeare as a deformed, paranoid and power-hungry villain, it’s clear that the Bard took some poetic license to characterize the king. For one, while Richard’s spine shows he clearly had scoliosis, he wasn’t a hunchback.
The car park excavation also uncovered the old tiles of the church, the Greyfriars Church, where it was said that Richard had been buried. His bones revealed more details that matched historical accounts, his curved spine, and his combat wounds. The team also looked at genetic markers in hair and <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-21981" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/richardiiiportrait.jpg" alt="richardiiiportrait" width="200" height="269" />
<h2>DNA Analysis</h2>
However, DNA analysis and matching with living relatives fascinated us the most here at 23andMe.
Comparing the mitochondrial DNA from the skeletal remains to DNA from living relatives, researchers were able to make a match on Richard’s maternal line. In a mind-boggling case of finding lost relatives, they determined that one of the relatives was a niece, but 21 generations had passed. The other is a nephew, 19 generations removed. (Richard’s maternal haplogroup is J.)
However, researchers didn’t have the same luck when they compared Richard III’s DNA with living relatives on his paternal line.
<h2>The Paternal Line</h2>
Richard had no male heirs, so researchers had to trace his lineage back in time and look for a common ancestor with living relatives. They found five men who could trace their paternal line to Edward III, Richard’s great-great-grandfather, a connection that goes back 18 generations. But unlike Richard&#8217;s maternal line, the researchers didn’t find a match.
<div id="attachment_21982" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21982" class="wp-image-21982 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine-300x243.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="243" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine-300x243.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine-768x622.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine-1024x829.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine-880x712.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MaleTreeLine.jpg 1170w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Tracing Richard III&#8217;s Paternal Line to present-day relatives.</div>
This finding suggests that somewhere on the male line, there was a break or an illegitimate son born (a &#8220;false-paternity&#8221; event). No one knows where that might have happened in that long paternal line. It’s possible that it happened before Richard’s birth, which would cast into question the legitimacy of both Richard and his brother’s claim to the monarchy. (Richard’s paternal haplogroup is listed as G-P287.)
For 23andMe users, that is a subgroup in the G2a haplogroup.) While revelations have also triggered a flurry of stories about the legitimacy of the Tudors – the dynasty that followed Richard III after defeating him in battle – the story of Richard’s bones offers us all a rare chance to take what we know about a historical figure, use DNA and living relatives to piece together new information about the past.

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