<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-18448" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/unlocking-the-code-logo-300x248.jpg" alt="unlocking the code logo" width="300" height="248" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/unlocking-the-code-logo-300x248.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/unlocking-the-code-logo.jpg 326w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Sixty years after Crick and Watson showed us the double helix structure of DNA, the Smithsonian opens the exhibition<a href="http://unlockinglifescode.org/"> “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code,”</a> showing us all how the genetic revolution continues to change our lives, our health and our understanding of the human story.
The exhibition – just opened at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – includes a rich collection of exhibits that explain the basics of genetics, as well as offer insight into the genetic secrets being unlocked by scientists now.
“Most people won’t know what ‘genome’ means when they walk into the building, but they will when they leave,” said<a href="https://www.genome.gov/">  National Human Genome Project,</a> Director Dr. Eric Green.
Back in April in comments he made on DNA Day, Green said that the exhibition would trigger curiosity about genetics and inspire people to think and ask questions about the science, ethics and societal implications surrounding what many have dubbed the era of the “genetic revolution.”
The exhibition, which is presented in collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute as well as with contributions from other private foundations and companies, including 23andMe, also looks at the impact genetic science has on individuals. One of the exhibits includes a collection of stories from 23andMe customers.
<div id="attachment_9522" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9522" class="size-medium wp-image-9522" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-200x300.jpg" alt="Neil Schwartzman" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-587x880.jpg 587w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s.-787x1180.jpg 787w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/neil-s..jpg 900w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />Neil Schwartzman</div>
“I’m pleased as punch,” said Neil Schwartzman, who found his biological sister, mother, father and half brother using 23andMe. “I just wish my adoptive parents were alive so that they could come and see it.”
<a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/2/">Neil’s story</a> –as well as the stories of eight other 23andMe customers – is included in a portion of the exhibit that looks at how individuals have used DNA to discover something new about their ancestry and where in the world they can trace their roots. Researchers working with the Smithsonian also interviewed each of the individuals to learn more not just about what they discovered but what those insights meant to their own sense of self.
Neil, who was adopted, spent years trying to find out about his family. It wasn’t until he tested with 23andMe and found his sister Jolie that he got answers. The testing also informed him about his Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, as well as ancestry that he can trace back to Scotland and parts of Eastern and Northern Europe.
For Miguel Aguilera, another 23andMe customer, it was hard to top having his own story included in a Smithsonian exhibit.
“It’s really exciting,” said Miguel, who plans to travel to D.C. and attend an opening ceremony.
“I think this is probably the closest I’ll come to ever being famous.”
Miguel, along with several other 23andMe customers, will attended an opening ceremony this week.
Miguel’s story is familiar to many immigrants. He came to the U.S. from Mexico, and his ancestry reflects the rich mix of cultures there. When he tested with 23andMe, he was able to see a visualization of the vivid mix of his own ancestry: European, Native American and African. He expected to find Native American ancestry, and ancestry traced to Spain and France, but Miguel said he was surprised to also learn that he had a smattering of ancestry from Africa, Sardinia and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
“I was surprised by that,” he said.
23andMe customer Monica De Armond, also participated.
She too has a rich mix of ancestry. Her mother is Mexican-American and her father is African American. She wanted to explore her DNA mostly out of curiosity.
For Monica, the experience showed her the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=wZpox7_7k1c#%21"> surprising interconnections</a> between people of different ancestry, blurring some of the lines that sometimes divide people.
“It really opens up your notion of identity,” she said.
This Smithsonian exhibition was developed and produced through a partnership between the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the National Institutes of Health National Human Genome Research Institute, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The plan is to have the exhibition run through September 1, 2014, followed by a traveling exhibition over the next four years.
The rapid advancement in the science has outpaced many people’s understanding of genetics.
The exhibition is meant to help people understand how the DNA inside every living thing on earth holds a complete set of instructions needed for that organism to grow and function. The intent of the exhibition is to explain that most basic kind of information as well as illustrate how scientists have identified thousands of genetic variants that contribute to disease, including different cancers and rare illnesses. The exhibit will show how the science is making health treatment more personalized and offering more insight into the human story – how our ancestors’ came out of Africa and populated the world.
For more information visit <a href="http://unlockinglifescode.org/">http://unlockinglifescode.org/</a>.
23andMe is intended for research and educational purposes only.  23andMe’s services are not a substitute for professional medical or diagnostic advice.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

The Smithsonian Opens New Genetics Exhibit

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-18433" alt="23andMe Portraits" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-210x300.jpg" width="210" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-210x300.jpg 210w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-768x1097.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-717x1024.jpg 717w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-616x880.jpg 616w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011-826x1180.jpg 826w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23andMe-Andy-0011.jpg 1434w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px" />Earlier this week 23andMe<a href="https://mediacenter.23andme.com/?p=1182"> appointed</a> Andy Page as company president.
Andy brings to the job incredible business experience as well as a long history with 23andMe. He has watched the company closely since its founding and he has served on the board of directors since 2012. &nbsp;During that time Andy has seen 23andMe grow and articulate its business model. He is both very familiar with what 23andMe does and what it needs to do to continue to be a leader &nbsp;in the personal genomics sector.
He also jumps on board just as 23andMe has hit a period of rapid growth. As president of 23andMe Andy will oversee not just our business strategy, but also our operations. He will report to CEO and Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki, who will lead 23andMe’s research organization and continue to shape the long-term vision of the company.
After talking to employees earlier this week, Anne put Andy’s new position into perspective in a press release.
“Today’s announcement broadens the management team and reflects both our extraordinary growth and future ambitions,” Anne said this week. “Several months ago, we announced a goal of attracting one million customers by the end of 2013. I believe this goal is a stepping-stone for empowering even more individuals to take greater control of their health through personal genetics. Looking to 2014 and beyond, I see the need to focus on this vision for the future as well as our business strategy to ensure the company scales effectively.”
For his part, Andy sees a lot of potential for the business.
“This company can be transformative on a global scale, making personalized medicine and real-time research a reality,” Andy said. “The company has made significant progress in achieving its potential, and working with Anne and the rest of the 23andMe team I look forward to building a successful company that improves health care and &nbsp; advances the understanding of the human genome.”
Check out our press release<a href="https://mediacenter.23andme.com/?p=1182"> here</a> for more about Andy.

23andMe Appoints Andy Page President

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18384" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Vulvodynia-Graphic.jpg" alt="Vulvodynia Graphic" width="704" height="457" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Vulvodynia-Graphic.jpg 704w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Vulvodynia-Graphic-300x195.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" />For the live-updated, fully-labelled, interactive version of this graphic, <a href="http://curetogether.com/vulvodynia/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
By Alexandra Carmichael, Co-Founder of CureTogether
Nearly two years ago, CureTogether released a <a href="http://curetogether.com/blog/2011/07/26/9-most-effective-vulvodynia-treatments/">list of the top patient-rated treatments for vulvodynia</a>, a common form of female reproductive pain that makes regular activities like wearing jeans or having sex extremely painful.
A staggering 20 percent of women will experience vulvodynia at some point in their lives, so we at <a href="http://curetogether.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CureTogether</a> decided it would be helpful to repeat the analysis and release an updated list of treatments rated by women living with the condition.
People in the study said they found that non-drug interventions like physical therapy, ice and wearing loose-fitting clothes were effective treatments. Conversely, those in the study said some treatments like NuvaRing, Replens, Capsaicin cream, and Lanacane actually made the condition worse.
These are all treatments suggested and reported by patients, so some redundancy in the terms used is to be expected. In addition, the term “treatment” in this study refers to anything patients describe using to help them feel better whether it is an officially prescribed medical treatment or not. 

<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 200px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
Most Effective Rated Treatments for Women with Vulvodynia 
1. Wear loose-fitting clothes 
2. Ice 
3. No underwear 
4. Physical therapy 
5. Avoid sex 
6. Rinse with water after urination 
7. Trigger point therapy 
8. Mysofascial release 
9. Avoid bicycling 
10. Osteopathic manipulation
</div>
<a href="http://curetogether.com/vulvodynia/symptoms/">Vulvodynia</a>  is a very common kind of female pain, but it is rarely talked about because many women are embarrassed by it. CureTogether is a free resource owned by 23andMe, and it allows people to share information about their health and treatments. In turn they can learn from others dealing with the same conditions.
CureTogether’s study compiled responses   over four years from 1,969 people with vulvodynia, who rated the effectiveness of 120 different treatments. We’d like to thank those who participated. And just as they shared their experience with treatments, we’re freely and openly sharing the results of the vulvodynia study. We hope this will help raise awareness and let people feel like they’re not alone.
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 vulvodynia. Thank you!

Alexandra Carmichael

What Patients Say Works for Vulvodynia

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-18413" alt="labtechs" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1-300x208.png" width="300" height="208" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1-300x208.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1.png 455w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Curiosity. The desire to be informed and healthier. The need to know ourselves and our histories better.
Whatever your reason is for joining 23andMe, we make it pretty simple. Order a kit, create an account, spit in a tube, and mail it back.
In just a few weeks, you log on to the website and learn what your DNA says about your health, ancestry, and traits. But how do we get all of that information from just a little bit of spit?
A lot goes on at the lab to turn the contents of that tube into the genetic data you see on the screen. Technicians inspect your tube to check for obvious problems like leaks. Then they extract the DNA out of cells in the saliva and make sure there’s enough DNA to analyze. (If there isn’t, you’re given another kit to spit again.)
Once the DNA is out, it’s broken up and “amplified” &#8212; a little bit of DNA becomes a lot of DNA. That DNA is then spread onto a custom chip that allows us to read out your genetic data at hundreds of thousands of places in the genome, places that contain information about our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">health and ancestry</a>.
For a behind the scenes look at what happens at the lab, check out our video:
<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6cYGPlQCeLA" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Behind the Scenes at the Lab

By Amick B.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-18399 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mug_drinking.png" alt="" width="507" height="407" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mug_drinking.png 507w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mug_drinking-300x241.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px" />
There are many studies that look at the health impacts of drinking coffee, but you’d be forgiven if you weren’t clear about whether it’s good for you.
Research has found consuming coffee could potentially prevent heart disease, type-2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and liver cancer, but the results are often conflicting. Beyond that, other variables can potentially negate any benefits from drinking a cup of Joe.
<h6>Variables</h6>
Whether you like your coffee black or with a bit of cream and sugar, for example, makes a difference for your health.
How much you drink and even the kinds of filters you use to make coffee could also have an impact.
All the conflicting information is enough to keep non-coffee drinkers from lining up at Starbucks, while those who indulge are left scratching their heads about whether they need to cut back or keep on imbibing.
<h6>Love Coffee</h6>
But there’s one area where the science seems certain:   Some of us are just more genetically wired to like coffee. A number of studies have identified certain genetic variants associated with <a href="http://www.23andme.com/topics/wellness/caffeine-consumption/">caffeine consumption</a> and metabolism, which helps us know why some of us choose coffee, and others don’t.
Recently, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21876539" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a> found some additional genetic variants associated with a tendency toward java enjoyment, including one near NRCAM, a gene implicated in vulnerability to addiction.   The study looked at nearly 8,000 Caucasian coffee drinkers and found significant evidence of gene association at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) near NRCAM.
Using coffee consumption as a model, this new research may help scientists better understand genetic problems with addiction and how to treat them.
<h6>Metabolizing Caffeine</h6>
The recent study also looked at two SNPs that lie in the region between CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 genes — CYP1A1 is known to metabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are important constituents of coffee, whereas caffeine is primarily metabolized by CYP1A2. The study confirmed previous studies and added a new SNP, to the list of those associated with consumption of coffee and metabolism of caffeine.
23andMe looks at a variant that affects how quickly a person  metabolizes caffeine based on preliminary research of the SNP. People with and the slower version of the CYP1A2 enzyme who also drank at least two to three cups of coffee per day had a significantly increased risk of a non-fatal heart attack, according to the research, while, according to the study, fast metabolizers could actually reduce their heart attack risk by drinking coffee.
<h6>A Look Back</h6>
Additionally, in a 2011 blog post, 23andMe discussed <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/snpwatch/coffee-i-must-have-coffee/">two studies</a> that found an association between coffee and caffeine consumption and SNP variants near the CYP1A1 and AHR genes, helping us know which genes influence the amount of coffee people consume.   One study found the SNP near CYP1A1 had a fairly consistent effect – people with the T version were prone to drink about a quarter cup more of coffee a day — and the other showed that people with two copies of a T at near the AHR gene drank  about a third of a cup of coffee more each day than those without any copies.
To find out whether genetic variants influence their caffeine consumption, 23andMe customers can look up their data for and using the Browse Raw Data feature.
Amick Boone is a freelance writer who&#8217;s written about health and life sciences for nearly 10 years.  When she&#8217;s not at her computer, she&#8217;s usually in motion &#8211; doing yoga, riding her bike or traveling.

Amick Boone

Craving Coffee Might be Genetic

Robin Smith, Health Content Scientist
Some scientists believe that lobsters could live virtually forever, barring injury, disease, or capture. They are among a select group of animals, including tortoises, clams, and jellyfish, that are &#8220;negligibly senescent.&#8221;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-17393 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Telomere_caps-300x236.gif" alt="" width="300" height="236" />
They don&#8217;t age much. So why aren&#8217;t we so lucky?
<h2>Consider the Lobster</h2>
Unlike lobsters, our cells cannot replicate and renew themselves throughout our lives. One cause of this limitation is our telomeres, which are DNA segments at the ends of our chromosomes that get shorter with each replication.
When a cell&#8217;s telomeres get too short, it can no longer replicate and eventually dies. A few cells—namely adult stem cells, sperm, and egg cells—are not limited by this process, though. These cells have a telomerase enzyme that can rebuild telomeres when they get too short. This process is hijacked by cancer cells, which become effectively immortal by turning on telomerase.
<h2>Telomeres and Aging</h2>
There are several indications that telomere length is a good predictor of longevity. In newborns, telomere length varies from about 8,000-13,000 &#8220;<a href="https://www.23andme.com/gen101/genes/#basics">base pairs</a>&#8221; (DNA letters) in length and declines by about 20-40 base pairs each year. Telomeres are also longer in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1196417/">women than men</a>, mirroring the difference in lifespan between the sexes. In elderly twins, the twin with shorter telomeres is roughly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=17925004">three times more likely</a> to die first.
The variability in telomere length between people of the same age is not random and has a genetic component that has interested scientists for decades. In a recent <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.2528">study</a> in the Nature Genetics journal, scientists identified multiple markers associated with either shorter or longer telomeres.
The strongest of these resides near a gene named TERC. Each copy of a “T” at this position is associated with an average 117 base pair decrease in telomere length, equivalent to having the &#8220;biological age&#8221; of a person about four years older.
<h2>Other Factors in Aging</h2>
A person&#8217;s genetic makeup is not the only determinant of telomere length; environmental factors such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=16112303">smoking and obesity</a> bring about premature telomere shortening.
Telomere length is also highly influenced by the father&#8217;s age at conception. Because sperm cells are one of only a few types of cells that maintain or even increase their telomere length over time, the trend is for older fathers to have children with longer telomeres.
This effect can even carry over to a second generation, including grandchildren. It&#8217;s interesting to speculate that trends in some societies towards delaying parenthood may have the unexpected benefit of boosting life expectancy. Any such benefit, however, would have to be weighed against the known <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/for-older-dads/">risks</a> of being an older dad.

Getting Long in the Telomeres

<div id="attachment_18329" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18329" class="wp-image-18329 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic.jpg" alt="" width="1070" height="930" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic.jpg 1070w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-300x261.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-768x668.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-1024x890.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-880x765.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px" />Mark Ackerley speaking about DNA Melody at the Cleveland Clinic&#8217;s Personal Healthcare Summit.</div>
Mark Ackerley speaking about DNA Melody at the Cleveland Clinic&#8217;s Personal Healthcare Summit.
Mark Ackerley, a composer and a member of 23andMe&#8217;s marketing team, recently spoke at a personalized medicine conference about his creation, DNA Melody. While there, a string quartet performed a composition he wrote inspired by Dr. Kathryn Teng&#8217;s DNA Melody. Dr. Teng is the director of the Center for Personalized Healthcare at the Cleveland Clinic. Below is a condensed version of his talk as well as an excerpt of the piece Mark composed called &#8220;A Celebration of Vitality.&#8221; 

By Mark Ackerley
When I was in the fifth grade, I got to stay up late one night and watch the Arsenio Hall Show.   That night, Bill Clinton took the stage and proceeded to WAIL on the saxophone  – which blew my 10 year-old mind.   I decided that I had to be cool like this guy – I wanted to wail too.
So upon entering my music class in school, I told them I wanted to play saxophone, “preferably with dark glasses on.” The instructor responded with: “Why don’t we start you on clarinet…it’s just as cool, trust me.”   The teacher would not hear my cries of “but…I want to wail.”   So I got a clarinet, and over the course of the next year I firmly established myself as second to last chair in my class.   The girl in last chair never actually got her clarinet.   Thus began my illustrious career in music.
I hear people say so often “I used to play (insert instrument) but I quit when I was 13.   I wish my parents had made me continue.”
My response is always “It’s never too late.”   At 21, I had never taken music lessons (except my brief affair with the clarinet) and I didn’t know what middle C was or how to read a score.   Fast-forward eight years and I had a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from a major university, a Masters Degree in Music Composition from a major conservatory, and an opportunity to write a new piece for the Berkeley Symphony.   It’s never too late.
<div id="attachment_18332" style="width: 572px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18332" class="wp-image-18332 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody.jpg" alt="" width="562" height="161" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody.jpg 562w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody-300x86.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 562px) 100vw, 562px" />A Celebration of Vitality</div>
The fact is everybody plays a musical instrument.   In fact you play THE instrument that all others seek to imitate — one that is capable of more colors and qualities than any other in the world.   That instrument is the human voice, and you have been playing it since birth.   On top of that, before you were able to see, smell, taste, or feel — it was SOUND that shaped your world, and the cells that formed your body in its primal stages were (and still are) governed by a rhythm.   Your body is a musical instrument.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 250px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">MUSIC AND CULTURE 
I’d like to leave you with a question. But first, imagine ancient man. These people and their societies were preoccupied with the basic necessities of survival: food, water, shelter, and procreation. Music will not help you get any of these (trust me). And yet, every culture around the world and in every historical age there is evidence that music was practiced in some form. Music has never been pivotal to the success or failure of a society, yet it frames the most important aspects of our lives. We use music for war, weddings, and religious ceremonies, even funerals! I hear people say: “I want this song played at my funeral.” That is such a profound statement — that my lasting impression on my loved ones can be summed up in this piece of music. And conversely, it’s now commonplace to see a mother-to-be holding headphones to her stomach. It’s clear that music is one of the cornerstones of what it means to be human. My question is: Why? Why is this phenomenon so pervasive, when as I’ve demonstrated it has no utilitarian value? There is perhaps no one ‘right’ answer, but it is a question worth asking. The best I can do to answer is this:Just as DNA binds us all in a common thread, music fulfills the basic human desire to feel connected, and reminds us that we are not alone in the universe.</div>
My name is Mark Ackerley and I am a composer.   I write music.   I also work for 23andMe on the Marketing team.   I was recently invited to the Cleveland Clinic’s main facility in Ohio to share my creation, DNA Melody.   They asked me to present at the <a href="http://clevelandclinic.org/phcsummit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Third Annual Summit on Personalized Healthcare</a>, and to explain why it’s important to engage individuals who might be hesitant to approach the world of genomics.  DNA Melody seeks to do just that.   To help consumers understand their genetic information in a new and exciting way. Don’t get me wrong; DNA Melody is not a diagnostic tool, it won’t directly inform someone of his or her genetic conditions.   But it will shed some light on how genomics works, and how everyone can find it interesting and engaging.
DNA Melody works like this:   About 35 SNPs are arranged in an algorithm that translates genotypic information from an individual, to four different musical parameters.   Those parameters are rhythm, pitch, timbre, and key signature.   If we look at the SNP associated with eye color for example, you might have an ‘AA’ where I might have an ‘AG’.   The algorithm would insert a different rhythmic value based on that difference.   Expand this process over the other SNPs and your melody begins to take shape.
You may wonder if someone out there has the same melody as you.   Given the number of variables in the program, the odds that two people (assuming they are not identical twins) have the same exact melody is about 1 in 10^28.   In other words, anyone who signs up for 23andMe will get a totally unique melody based entirely on their personal genetic information.
To date, there are over 250,000 DNA Melodies.   Discover, download, share, and compare yours today.   You can find the DNA Melody feature in the Ancestry Tools section of your account.
<div style="float: left; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<img decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-12163" title="small_23andMe_logo" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/JRBgdIBXKIeVIdETJrxYIw_ttam_logo.jpg" alt="" width="24" />
Hear the music in you and create your own DNA Melody. Not a customer? <a href="https://www.23andme.com/store/cart/">Visit our store! </a>
</div>

Mark Ackerley

DNA Melody, Play it Again

By Robin Smith, Health Content Scientist at 23andMe
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-18305" title="Yasmina.Bounty" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Yasmina.Bounty.jpg" alt="" width="295" height="240" />Image courtesy of <a href="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Yasmina.Bounty.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>.
In January of 1790, a small band of mutineers from the HMS Bounty evaded capture by the British Navy and settled Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific.
The direct descendants of this crew (and their captive Tahitian &#8220;wives&#8221;) now number in the thousands on nearby Norfolk Island, where the colony relocated in 1856. Detailed records on Norfolk have been used to construct an elaborate family tree of 6,500 individuals spanning 12 generations, all originating from just 17 colonists.
<h6 dir="ltr">Bottleneck Populations</h6>
Bottlenecked populations such as this one are of great interest to geneticists, as they can be used to test ideas about the heritability of common diseases. Modern-day Norfolk Islanders are particularly susceptible to migraines: debilitating headaches that often occur only on one side of the head and can be accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and other vision problems.
Norfolk Islanders are more than twice as likely to suffer from migraines as Caucasians in Europe and North America (25.5 percent vs. 12 percent) and the condition is clearly inherited within families.
<h6>Migraines</h6>
Although migraines have been linked to environmental triggers such as caffeine withdrawal and monosodium glutamate (MSG) consumption, the genetic factors that influence them have only recently begun to emerge. The <a href="http://www.headachegenetics.org/">International Headache Genetics Consortium (IHGC)</a> reported a <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.2307">study</a> in the journal Nature Genetics in which a healthy cohort of 4,580 individuals was compared to 2,326 patients afflicted with the most common form of migraines. The IHGC study identified multiple risk regions encompassing genes that play key roles in the development of neurons and the formation of synapses in the brain.
The study found an association between the marker SNP and susceptibility to migraines. Each copy of a &#8220;C&#8221; at this position increases the odds of migraine by 20 percent.
<a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.856">Previous research</a> by the same group identified three SNPs associated with migraine susceptibility. These markers are thought to indicate the function of a sensor protein involved in neuropathic pain, as well as a gene that regulates levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate.
<h6 dir="ltr">A question of cause</h6>
The underlying cause of the migraines on Norfolk Island remains elusive. A recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22678113">study</a> in the journal Neurogenetics suggested a link with variants near genes that regulate serotonin levels. One of many neurotransmitters, serotonin is a messaging molecule produced by specialized brain cells and influences a wide range of human behavior, including appetite, sleep, memory, and mood.
The finding in Norfolk Islanders is consistent with studies showing serotonin imbalances in people suffering from migraines. Moreover, a class of drugs named triptans mimic serotonin and has proven useful in combating the acute effects of migraines. Further study of the unique population on Norfolk Island will hopefully shed more light on this pathway and help to discover new risk factors for migraines.

Robin Smith

Mutiny (and Headaches) on the Bounty

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1138" title="fundus" alt="" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/fundus-300x222.jpg" width="300" height="222" /> 
Genetics plays a big role in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans.
Luckily, there are ways to lower the risk through diet.
Recently the National Institutes of Health slightly<a href="http://www.nei.nih.gov/news/pressreleases/050513.asp"> changed its recommendations</a> regarding a combination of vitamins and minerals recommended to protect against AMD.
About two million Americans have advanced AMD and another eight million are at risk, according to the NIH.
Millions of Americans are already taking high daily doses of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and the minerals zinc and copper. Earlier studies showed that that formula – known as the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formulation – could significantly cut the risk for AMD.


Now the NIH is recommending replacing the beta-carotene with the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, both found in leafy greens such as kale, spinach and broccoli. This is based on a new study that found that making the change improved the protective power of the formula.


Looking at participants in the study, researchers found that the revised formula reduced the risk of AMD by about 18 percent compared to the previous formula. For those individuals who prior to the study didn’t get a lot of lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet, the change had an even greater beneficial effect, cutting the risk of AMD by as much as 25 percent.

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