In honor of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, one of our computational biologists, Emma Pierson, took a look at aggregated de-identified data from 23andMe customers, focusing on associations between certain traits and participation in sports.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-30244 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="8000" height="4000" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled-300x150.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled-768x384.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled-880x440.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GettyImages-510165920-scaled-1180x590.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 8000px) 100vw, 8000px" />
Unfortunately, we have no data on <a href="http://www.sochi2014.com/en/curling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">curling</a>, but Emma looked at a range of 39 different sports from archery to wrestling. She found associations between athletics and certain personality types, different kinds of injuries, and participant’s relative level of health.
Some of these associations make sense – tall people play basketball, flexible people do yoga and gymnastics. And if you are athletic and active it stands to reason that you get some health benefits from that. But other associations Emma found are thought-provoking.
In terms of personality traits, the athletic tend to be more adventurous, assertive, optimistic and extroverted. They are also less anxious, neurotic and shy. Go team!
But all that activity unsurprisingly made them more injury-prone. Emma found those who participated in sports are more likely to have had dislocated joints, tendinitis, ACL tears, shin splints, arthroscopic surgery, and ankle sprains.
<div id="attachment_20337" style="width: 450px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20337" class=" wp-image-20337 " src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sport-Clusters.jpg" alt="We found we could divide our 39 sports into eight different clusters: in the picture below, two sports are connected if people who play one sport also tend to play the other sport. You can also see the interactive visualization here. " width="440" height="330" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sport-Clusters.jpg 550w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sport-Clusters-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px" />We found we could divide the sports into eight different clusters with any two sports   connected if people who play one sport also tend to play the other sport. You can also see the interactive visualization <a href="http://cs.stanford.edu/people/emmap1/visualizations/sports/sports.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>. Emma came up with the unique classifications.</div>
And then there is this: People who play sports report health benefits – lower heart rates, lower stress and are less likely to be short of breath after climbing on stairs.
Even when you control for age, income and BMI, they still report health benefits. But controlling for those same things Emma also found that athletic people simply have a more positive perception of their own health. For example, Emma compared sporty and non-sporty customers, who have similar BMI, and found that those who participate in sports tend to rate their health higher. They even rate themselves as more attractive, and better at math.
Different physical traits predispose us towards different sports. 
<style type="text/css"></style>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>If you&#8230;</th>
<th>You’re more likely to engage in&#8230;</th>
<th>But less likely to engage in&#8230;</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Are really flexible</td>
<td>Yoga, Martial Arts, Dance, Gymnastics, Skating, Swimming, Jogging, Aerobics, Eliptical Machine</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Are taller</td>
<td>Golf, Baseball Football, Basketball,Swimming and Volleyball</td>
<td>Gymnastics,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Have bigger feet</td>
<td>Baseball Football, Basketball, Weight-lifting and Volleyball</td>
<td>Dance and Gymnastics</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Suffer from altitude sickness</td>
<td></td>
<td>Hiking, Downhill Skiing, Backpacking, Cycing, Yoga and Jogging</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Many other lifestyle traits showed sport-specific effects as well. 
<style type="text/css"></style>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<tbody>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>If you&#8230;</th>
<th>You’re more likely to engage in&#8230;</th>
<th>But less likely to engage in&#8230;</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Are politically conservative</td>
<td>Golf, Baseball and Football</td>
<td>Hiking, Cross Country Skiing, Walking, Cycling, and Yoga</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Have a good sense of direction</td>
<td>Hiking, Backpacking, Walking, Downhill Skiing, Golf, Cycling, Swimming, Dance, Volleyball, and Soccer</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Were in the military</td>
<td>Running, Powerlifting, Jogging, Martial Arts, Elliptical Machine</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Use a tanning bed</td>
<td>Stair Climbing, Jogging, Aerobics, Weight Lifting, Elliptical Machine</td>
<td>Hiking</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

The Sporting Life

When he was seven years old, Francisco Caravayo’s Puerto Rican grandmother told him a secret that he didn’t really grasp until decades later when he tested with 23andMe.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to finally have confirmation of my history,” Francisco said.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-20313 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Francisco-Photo-1-248x300.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Francisco-Photo-1-248x300.jpg 248w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Francisco-Photo-1.jpg 411w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px" />
<h6>Hidden Ancestry</h6>
When he tested with 23andMe, Francisco had wanted to contribute to research while exploring a little of his family’s Portuguese ancestry.
“My brother and I always felt as if there was a culture of secrets in our family,” said Francisco.  “When my grandmother said to all my cousins, ‘Never forget, you are of God’s chosen people,’ I knew what she meant, but didn’t understand why we couldn’t talk about it.”
In telling his story, Francisco goes back to his childhood, growing up in a Latino neighborhood. Most of his friends were Catholic, and although his family was  Lutheran and went to church regularly, something didn’t feel quite right to him.
“We went to church, but my father was always saying things like ‘Remember, Jesus was a Jew,’” Francisco said.
<h6>Conversos</h6>
After Francisco went away to college, he had a discussion one day with a Portuguese professor about his last name.  She told him that his surname was taken by Portuguese Jews many of whom had been forced to convert to Catholicism by the Inquisition, and many of these <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20316" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-180x300.jpg" alt="Star of David" width="180" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-180x300.jpg 180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-768x1280.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-614x1024.jpg 614w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-528x880.jpg 528w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-708x1180.jpg 708w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Star-of-David-scaled.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px" />
There were other clues.  His grandmother lit candles on Friday nights.  She taught the family that dairy and meat were not to be mixed and that shellfish were to be avoided.  Pork was eaten apologetically.  Christmas and Easter were not celebrated with joy, but with what can only be described as an obligation, as if performing a chore.  And when Francisco’s father died, Francisco followed family tradition: no clergy were present at the funeral and no Christian iconography was put on the gravestone.
<h6>Exploring His Jewish Ancestry</h6>
He began to explore his Portuguese roots and studying more about Judaism.  Shortly afterward, he saw an article in OUT Magazine about 23andMe’s research.  Francisco decided to get tested as a way to not just contribute to research, but also explore his own ancestry.
His results indicated Iberian ancestry, but also he saw that his paternal haplotype was shared by 20-to-30 percent of Sephardic Jews.
“That information was so grounding,” said Francisco. “I didn’t expect to find that I was 100 percent Jewish, because my ancestors tried to blend in and marry non-Jews, but I finally had evidence.”
He traced his haplogroup’s migration, and it matched up with the diaspora’s migratory patterns.  He was one of the thousands of families whose ancestors had escaped persecution by hiding their religion.
“I was sitting at the computer crying,” said Francisco
Not only did Francisco find answers to his past, but he also found a community of people on the 23andMe message boards that shared the same haplotype.  Through the online community, he’s been able to meet others like him and trade stories and information.
Francisco has now completed his conversion process to Judaism.  While he was going through the conversion, he met his current partner, who is Jewish too.
“I finally felt whole,” he said.

23andMe Helps Uncover Hidden Jewish Ancestry

For Valentine’s Day, we analyzed data from 15,298 real-world couples who had children together and found that people paired with others who were more like themselves than they were different.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-20325 alignright" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-522x1024.jpg" alt="02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4" width="300" height="589" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-522x1024.jpg 522w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-153x300.jpg 153w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-768x1507.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-448x880.jpg 448w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4-601x1180.jpg 601w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/02122014_ValentinesDayPost_4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Opposites, it turns out, may not attract after all
<h2>What Couples Have in Common</h2>
According to our data, partners tend to be about the same age, share the same education level, have a similar Body Mass Index, and even tend to be apologetic.
Athletes tended to pair with other athletes, downhill skiers with downhill skiers, hikers with hikers, and weightlifters with weightlifters. We also found that punctual people paired with others who were on time, and vegetarians tended to get together with other non-carnivores.
These are accurate correlations, but it is important to note that a correlation <a href="http://xkcd.com/552/">does not imply causation</a>.
Since correlations can be misleading in other ways, one of 23andMe’s computational biologists, Aaron Kleinman, looked a little deeper. Aaron computed the effect size of an individual&#8217;s phenotype on their spouse&#8217;s phenotype, controlling for age and ethnicity. Even when the effect size is strong, it is still important to note that that doesn’t indicate causation either. We don’t know why couples share some of these phenotypes.
And this doesn’t give us any unique insight into why people fall in love. It could be that they share interests in common, but those shared interests could also come after they become a pair. For example, we found strong odds ratios for people who were former smokers being coupled together. Maybe overcoming their shared history of kicking the habit brought them together. Maybe not. We also found individuals who frequented drive-through food establishments paired with others who did the same,   and we found individuals who could speak a second language paired with partners who also spoke a second language. Some of these correlations seem to make intuitive sense to us. For example, if you’re with someone who goes to drive-through food places, odds are you’ll likely go too.
It is also important to note what we did not find. There is no way to determine if two individuals are a couple just by looking at their DNA. Still, we found a lot of correlations.
<h2>Birds Not of a Feather</h2>
So what about opposites?
We did indeed find that opposites appeared to attract in a few ways. Our data shows that a night person is likelier to get together with a morning person. Those who attract mosquitoes end up with those who don’t, and luckily, people with a good sense of direction appear to pair with those who don’t have one.
However, another of our researchers, Emma Pierson, found more data showing that these cases of opposites attracting were the exception to the rule. Emma found that couples who had similar BMIs reported that they were happier. However, she didn’t find any effect for height, so no need to break up with your basketball player hubby.
Happy Valentine’s Day.

23andMe Couples Correlated

For some of us up past midnight pecking away at the computer, apparently, life is less than beautiful.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-17852 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed-285x300.jpg" alt="An empty bed." width="285" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed-285x300.jpg 285w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Empty-Bed.jpg 675w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px" />As part of our research, 23andMe asks customers all sorts of questions. Some of those concern life satisfaction, but we also ask customers about the consistency of their earwax, the color of their hair, and if they’re extroverted.
While our researchers are looking for interesting genetic associations, sometimes they find associations that have nothing to do with genetics at all.
Recently, one of our researchers – Emma Pierson, a 22-year-old who’ll be studying computational biology at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar soon – noticed something. Customers up late at night and filling out surveys were different than others who answered surveys in the daytime.
Those people who said they were less satisfied with life tended to answer surveys after midnight – 1 a.m. was a particularly low point.
<h6 dir="ltr">Late Nights</h6>
This isn’t a cause and effect. This is simply an association between how people answered these specific survey questions and what hour of the day they responded. As any scientist will tell you an association doesn’t imply causation. In other words, if you start staying up late it doesn’t mean you will suddenly feel less satisfied with your life.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20307" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-300x194.jpg" alt="Life Satisfaction _ Sleepless" width="300" height="194" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-300x194.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-1180x764.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-768x497.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Life-Satisfaction-_-Sleepless-880x569.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
But the association was numerically significant. Emma tested it to see if the association might be masking another connection. For instance, she noticed that men tended to answer late at night. So could it be that men simply felt less satisfied by life?
<h6 dir="ltr">A 24-Hour Clock</h6>
Emma adjusted for that and found that the association between how you feel about your life and when on a 24-hour clock you filled out the survey doesn&#8217;t hinge on whether you are a man or a woman. People who answered between midnight and dawn just didn’t feel as good about life as those who answered at other times.
Emma, who also has a blog about statistics called <a href="http://obsessionwithregression.blogspot.com/">Obsession with Regression</a>, also found several other associations related to when you fill out a survey. People filling out the surveys late were more likely to have said they experienced mania. Those who filled them out during the day were more likely to have children.
<h6 dir="ltr">Sleep and Health</h6>
While we might not want to make rash conclusions about this association, it does beg the question about what is behind it.
We know that there are well-established connections between sleep and health. We may all need different amounts of sleep. The average American gets just under seven hours a night.
But when we don’t get enough sleep, our health suffers. Lack of sleep is associated with higher blood pressure, as well as increased risks for diabetes and depression. There are new studies that have looked at the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/for-sleep-january-is-the-cruelest-month.html">evolution of circadian rhythms. </a> Others have found that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/opinion/sunday/rethinking-sleep.html">continuous sleep is overrated</a> and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/12/science-of-sleep-trouble-with-snooze-buttons.html">snoozing is bad for you</a>.
We also know that your genetics may determine whether you’re an<a href="http://www.rcinet.ca/english/daily/interviews-2012/10-50_2012-12-20-are-you-an-early-riser-or-a-night-owlr-check-your-dna/"> early riser or a night owl</a>. So at the very least, it’s worth analyzing these associations. Meanwhile, you should probably get some rest.

23and Sleepless

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-20269" alt="Depression infographic" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Depression-infographic.jpg" width="690" height="447" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Depression-infographic.jpg 690w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Depression-infographic-300x194.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px" />
For the live-updated, fully-labeled, interactive version of this infographic, <a href="http://curetogether.com/depression/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity">click here</a>.
By Alex Carmichael, Co-Founder of CureTogether
The top treatments for depression are simple lifestyle changes, according to patients who contributed to a new study by CureTogether, a free resource owned by 23andMe that allows people to share information about their health and treatments.

Participants in the study said they found that interventions like exercise, spending time with pets, and listening to music were the most effective for them in treating their depression. Conversely, some popular treatments such as alcohol, Paxil, and caffeine were among the least effective, according to the participants in the CureTogether survey.

Depression is the number one condition among participants in CureTogether, with 11,443 members contributing data on what works and doesn’t work for them. While many people feel sad from time to time, depression is a serious mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It often goes untreated, according to the National Institutes for Health. The participants in the CureTogether survey may not be diagnosed with clinical depression. They are self-reporting that they have depression and the associated symptoms. There are a number of causes and treatments for the condition. In this survey, participants pointed to stress and social isolation as the most common <a href="http://curetogether.com/depression/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">causes of their depression</a>. 
study.

<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 200px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">Top-Rated Treatments for Depression in Survey
1. Exercise
2. Spend time with a pet
3. Play outside
4. Music with exercise
5. Music therapy
6. Daily aerobic exercise
7. Daily sunlight exposure
8. Art therapy
9. Psychotherapy
10. Psychotherapy
*For a list of all the treatments listed in the survey go <a href="http://curetogether.com/depression/treatments/ae/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</div>

Participants in this survey also did not rank some of the most commonly used drugs for treating depression in their list of the top 25 effective treatments. But among the medication that many participants listed as effective were SSRIs, Xanax and  Low Dose Naltrexone.
Where did this data come from? This is the result of a five-year CureTogether study on <a href="http://curetogether.com/depression/treatments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">depression,</a> in which people suffering from the condition shared information about their symptoms and treatment effectiveness.
We’d like to thank those who participated. And just as they shared their experience with depression treatments, we’re freely and openly sharing the results of the Depression 
This is part of a regular series of CureTogether <a href="http://curetogether.com/blog/category/research-findings/">research findings</a>. CureTogether’s research findings are different than <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/factoids/">those made by 23andMe</a>, which look at genetic associations with illness, traits and drug response. But as we continue our work with the CureTogether community, 23andMe hopes to incorporate more of this kind of self-reported information into our own research. CureTogether present its findings just as they are — patient-reported data — to stimulate discussion and generate new insights for further research.


Please tweet, blog, or pass this along to anyone who can benefit or is interested in Depression. Thank you!

Alexandra Carmichael

What Patients Say Works For Depression

In honor of the <a href="http://traditions.cultural-china.com/features/horse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chinese New Year</a>, we’re taking one last look at the genetic milestones of 2013, with our 2013 year in review.
From a Supreme Court ruling on patenting genes, to Angelina Jolie’s bold revelations about her genetic risk for breast cancer, to the FDA ordering 23andMe to stop offering health results pending a regulatory review   – 2013, and the Year of The Snake was filled with notable news in genetics.
So take a look back at last year with us and prepare for another galloping year in the world of genetic science in this, the <a href="http://traditions.cultural-china.com/features/horse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Year of The Horse.</a>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-20283" alt="012814_YearInReviewSocial" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial.jpg" width="600" height="2173" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial.jpg 600w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial-83x300.jpg 83w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial-283x1024.jpg 283w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial-243x880.jpg 243w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/012814_YearInReviewSocial-326x1180.jpg 326w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />

23andMe Looks Back One More Time

Daniella had always pestered her father about details of their ancestry, but apart from a few bits and pieces he never gave her a clear picture of their family background.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20247" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-300x300.jpg" alt="Daniella" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella-980x980.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Daniella.jpg 1152w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
When he began his battle with terminal cancer, Daniella decided that it was time to learn more about their ancestry together using 23andMe.
Both Daniella, a co-host of a local TV show in Brooklyn, NY, and her father had always shared a love of science. Testing allowed them to bond over the science of DNA. It also allowed Daniella to learn more about her family.
What she knew about her family only went back two or three generations and that most of that information was hazy at best.
“I had been asking my Dad to write down what he knew of our family tree. The names he knew. The stories he knew. This foray into 23andMe was intended to supplement that and wake us all up to how connected we are to people we did not know and places we did not know and makes us all feel deeply that we are all woven into the human tapestry.”
Daniella saw 23andMe offered as a way to make her father feel that connection, so she shared her own results with him.
As a chemical engineer, the science behind genetic testing piqued her father’s interest. His 23andMe results came in just as the Christmas 
holidays were beginning.
“We are really good at being a family. I knew that we would all be getting together looking at some old Kodak slides. I just thought that 23andMe would just be another way for us to feel connected, for him to feel connected. It was pretty powerful.”
They went through the results together. Of course, they found his Italian heritage, which they knew, but there was a Middle Eastern line that ran through his DNA as well. They linked their accounts and compared their DNA. It was obvious what came from her Mom and where she aligned with her Dad.
“We always connected through science. Both of us loved new technology, the latest innovations and discoveries,” Daniella said. “It was a real intellectual connection and with 23andMe here was something we could really discuss and see how it would enlighten us.”
Going through their ancestral results prompted Daniella’s father to talk in detail about his childhood and family ancestors. The process had the desired effect &#8211; he could see himself in the bigger picture not just a man fighting cancer.
Even after the holidays as he would remember something more he would send her an email. One of his last correspondences included another treasured piece of family history shared &#8211; his great grandmother’s last name.
“The timing of getting the results was impeccable. I wanted to make him feel part of a really big family. And it worked. My mom said “You had a very special connection and this allowed you to find your own closure.”
Results not typical. Results vary due to unique differences in each individual’s DNA. On average, users receive at least one or two results that may help with proactively managing health. 23andMe’s services are not a substitute for professional medical or diagnostic advice.

The Ties That Bind

Scientists at the University of Washington’s Department of Genome Sciences, report that they can zero in on remnant Neanderthal DNA in modern humans.
They have identified specific regions in our genome where that ancient DNA resides, and they can do this even without access to actual Neanderthal DNA samples from fossilized bones.
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-20253" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Neanderthal_model.jpg" alt="Neanderthal_model" width="260" height="270" />Neanderthal Traits</h6>
The study published this week in Science promises to help researchers working not just in addressing questions about human evolution, but those investigating the underpinnings of human traits and complex diseases.
Up to this point, scientists using tools – like the one developed by 23andMe – could make estimates about the amount of overall Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, but this new technique could help researchers bore down on where in the genome that DNA resides.
That could give us greater insight into how the Neanderthals DNA changed modern humans, including what sort of traits and conditions they conferred onto Homo sapiens.
<h6>Evolutionary Success</h6>
There are many theories regarding the influence Neanderthal DNA had on modern humans. Some have pointed to Neanderthal DNA as a culprit in certain cancers, in autism and diabetes. But it is also likely that modern humans benefited from interbreeding and that Neanderthal DNA may have played a large role in<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-with-other-human-species-might-have-been-secret-homo-sapiens/"> our evolutionary success</a>.
Over the last few years, we’ve learned that most non-Africans carry some remnant Neanderthal DNA. But what that might mean – what characteristics, diseases or conditions that we modern humans carry with us because of that DNA – is still unclear.
<h6>Neanderthal Sequence</h6>
Just last month researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sequenced the full genome of a Neanderthal woman. They did this by extracting DNA from her 50,000-year-old fossilized toe bone found at a site in Siberia. The sequence was done at a quality comparable to what would be done for a living person. And the researchers were able to use the sequence to show how genes flowed between these populations.
This and other breakthroughs have only increased the pace of our changing understanding of early human evolution. As we learn more, our curiosity about those early cousins only seems to grow.
Take a look at these new illustrations of Neanderthals done for an exhibit called Britain. It&#8217;s called One Million Years of Human History and was put together by the National History Museum in the UK.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/znUvFxsrMOs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-14049" title="neanderthal icon" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/neanderthal-icon-96x150.jpg" alt="" width="50" height="77" />
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More Neanderthal

Working with researchers from Australia’s<a href="http://www.qimr.edu.au/"> QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute</a>, 23andMe scientists completed the first-ever genome-wide association study combining asthma and hay fever phenotypes.
<a href="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iStock_000003241516XSmall.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-5814" alt="inhaler_asthma" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iStock_000003241516XSmall-300x199.jpg" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iStock_000003241516XSmall-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iStock_000003241516XSmall.jpg 425w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />T</a>he susceptibility to both asthma and hay fever are known to often run hand-in-hand. But the study published this week in the<a href="http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749%2813%2901643-6/fulltext"> Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology</a> found 11 genetic variants that are associated with having both conditions.
In addition two of those variants found in the study had never before been associated with any allergic condition. 
<h6>New Associations</h6>
While the nine other genetic variants found in the study had been linked to different allergies in the past, this is the first time those associations were found to be associated with both asthma and hay fever.
“In this first-of-its-kind study, we’ve identified new genetic associations that can provide the means to identify people at risk for allergic disease with greater efficiency,” said David Hinds, Ph.D., study author, and 23andMe Principal Scientist in Statistical Genetics.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">Allergies of a Feather Flock Together 
People with allergies tend to be allergic to <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-9185" alt="allergy" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/allergy.jpg" width="139" height="123" />multiple things. Sometimes this makes sense – being allergic to cats and dogs for instance – other times the groupings make you scratch your head. Based on our research survey data, we found that if you are allergic to one insect’s sting, it is more likely that you’ll be allergic to another. But food allergies do not appear to be associated with other kinds of allergies. You can learn more about these associations<a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/factoid/factoid_allergies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> here</a>.</div>
About one in five American children have a respiratory allergy like<a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/allergic-rhinitis/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier"> hay fever</a>, and nearly one in 10 have asthma.
<h6>Serious Illness</h6>
While for many of us, allergic reactions are a mere annoyance, for others they can be life-threatening. We know that both environmental and genetic factors are involved in triggering asthma and allergies. But a deeper understanding of those causes will help in both identifying risks as well as potential treatments.
This new study – led by scientists at QIMR – included data from more than 15,000 23andMe customers who agreed to participate in research. The work also adds to the body of existing research already done by 23andMe on allergies and asthma.
<h6 dir="ltr">More Research</h6>
Last year, 23andMe researchers and scientists from the University of Bristol’s<a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/"> Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) i</a>n the UK, completed the largest genome-wide association study ever conducted on common allergies.<a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.2686"> That study</a> included data from more than 53,000 people. It also found new genetic associations for the conditions. The study added to our knowledge of the genetic link between common allergens and a person’s susceptibility to experiencing an allergic reaction
Researchers hope that these studies will improve their ability to detect genetic risk factors for allergies and asthma. In turn, this information can also shed more light on the biological underpinnings for the conditions.

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