Check out <a title="Three Degrees of Genetic Separation" href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-2/three-genetic-degrees-of-separation/">this post</a> for an illustration of the three degrees of separation between guests on Finding Your Roots.
When we learn about our ancestors, who they were, and where they came from, the discoveries become part of how we define ourselves and understand ourselves as unique. The PBS series Finding Your Roots has taken this further, showing us how much we share with others and how interconnected our stories are.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-13441" title="MikeandSkpforBlog" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeandSkpforBlog-300x250.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="250" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeandSkpforBlog-300x250.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeandSkpforBlog.jpg 393w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />23andMe Scientist Mike Macpherson going over connections between guests with Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and a Finding Your Roots producer.
<h2>Finding Your Roots</h2>
This has been a theme of the 10-part series, something that the show’s host, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has repeatedly repeated—that despite our differences, whether racial or cultural, Americans are more interconnected than we know.
It isn’t just that our stories share parallels but that the connections run deep and can be seen in our DNA. It’s ironic that as the world’s population has grown exponentially in the last 500 years – from about half a billion to now seven billion – we are closer and more connected.
During the show&#8217;s filming, Professor Gates visited 23andMe and talked to scientists Mike Macpherson and Joanna Mountain, both of whom served as consultants.
<h2>Connecting People</h2>
At one point, Macpherson taped up photographs of the roughly two dozen guests who appeared in Finding Your Roots. Then, he sketched out the genetic connections that linked this seemingly random collection of people.
This was the first time someone demonstrated the genetic connectivity of any two people on Earth. Macpherson made some surprising links that connected, for example, Martha Stewart to Samuel L. Jackson and Barbara Walters to the Imam Yasir Qadhi.
Unlike previous examples that relied on social connections – friends of friends of friends – this connection is through cousins matched within 23andMe&#8217;s database of over 150,000 people.
<h2>Social Connections versus Genetic Ones</h2>
This wasn’t just a parlor game. Indeed, Stanley Milgram first wrote about the notion that any two people—a cop in New York and a street vendor in Mumbai, say—could be connected through five other people based on experiments he conducted in the late 1960s. It’s a little more complicated than Milgram theorized, but he got the gist right.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13443" title="MikeInterconnection" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeInterconnection.jpg" alt="" width="414" height="167" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeInterconnection.jpg 414w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MikeInterconnection-300x121.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px" />23andMe scientist Mike Macpherson sketching connections between the guests on Finding Your Roots as Prof. Gates looks on.
These previous theories of connectivity focused on social connections, the idea that we are all – all seven billion of us – linked to each other by six degrees of separation.
This connectivity theory even spawned a game named after one of Gates’ guests,  <a href="http://oracleofbacon.org/">“Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”</a> The game links any actor to Kevin Bacon by five other performers. Bacon – whose wife Kyra Sedgewick was also on the show – said for a long time he<a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/video/#%21/news/business/Kevin-Bacon-Explains-Six-Degrees-Story/131838958"> hated that his name was the punchline for a joke</a>. But he has since embraced it and is using the idea of social connections <a href="http://www.sixdegrees.org/">to link people to worthy causes</a>.
More recently, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/technology/between-you-and-me-4-74-degrees.html?_r=3&amp;scp=1&amp;sq=4.74&amp;st=cse">Facebook</a> and LinkedIn have shown that just four “connections” could link any two people together.
Macpherson connected the Finding Your Roots guests via a much shorter genetic chain. Any two people are connected through just one or two other individuals.
<h2>Why is this a revelation?</h2>
It’s new because this isn’t the notion that you are connected to someone else because of who you know. It’s the notion that you are connected to someone because of who you are related to.
This is a manifestation of human history and human migration over the last 500 years. 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-zRXHAo4-U" width="420" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>
People are no longer isolated by geography and so the differences between people are smaller than in the past .
Perhaps in no other place has the convergence of people of different cultures and histories been as dramatic as the Americas. And while the clash of cultures and histories has been both painful and brutal at times, it is what forged our history more than anything else, Gates argues.
“I’ve always thought that it was that story of America,” said political commentator Linda Chavez in the last episode in the series.
People came here from all over the world, some voluntary and some involuntary, and mixed, she said, “and that’s made us stronger.”
This post by 23andMe Content Editor Scott Hadly and 23andMe Senior Director of Research Joanna Mountain first appeared last week on <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PBS&#8217;s Finding Your Roots website</a>. It was one of a series of posts by 23andMe. Dr. Mountain was a consultant for the the 10-part series.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Make That Three Degrees of Separation

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13429" title="ASCO image" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ASCO-image.jpg" alt="" width="557" height="102" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ASCO-image.jpg 557w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ASCO-image-300x55.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px" />
Starting today cancer researchers will be gathering in Chicago at the meeting of the<a href="http://www.asco.org/"> American Society of Clinical Oncology</a>.
Researchers and doctors at the annual meeting – the world’s largest oncology conference – will hear about the most promising drugs being developed to fight cancer. They’ll spend five days learning about the new science around a vast array of cancers, and discuss the newest therapies as well as the latest and most innovative clinical trials. They’ll wrestle with broader issues on ethics and hunt out presentations about the most successful cancer prevention.
But this year we hope that a few will also take notice of a new approach to cancer research being pioneered by 23andMe.
Along with our scientific advisors – who include <a href="http://doctors.dana-farber.org/directory/profile.asp?dbase=main&amp;setsize=16&amp;pgt=George+D%2E+Demetri%2C+MD&amp;picture_id=0000273&amp;grouptype_typeid_data=1&amp;gs=c&amp;nxtfmt=r&amp;display=Y&amp;lookup=Y&amp;oldurl=Y&amp;pict_id=0000273">Drs. George Demetri</a>, Robert Maki, Judy Garber, and Mark Robson, – our very own Dr. Kim Barnholt, the Research Project Manager for both our<a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/"> Sarcoma</a> and<a href="https://www.23andme.com/mpn/"> Myeloproliferative Neoplasms</a> (MPN) research communities, is attending. Kim will be presenting some of the highlights of our 23andMe’s work on sarcoma.
We’ve been able to recruit almost 1,000 people with these cancers that develop in bone and soft tissue, making our sarcoma research cohort one of the world’s largest. Sarcoma, which strikes about 14,000 people each year, is not one kind of cancer, but many different ones.
The complexity of what turns out to be dozens of subtypes of sarcomas makes treating and studying them difficult. But using web-based tools allows for both quick recruitment and efficient large-scale genome-wide studies of the disease. It also gives people with sarcoma, who might be geographically isolated or far away from cancer research centers, or too sick to travel, an easier way to participate in research.
Kim is most encouraged by the engagement of the community with more than 80 percent of participants having completed important surveys. &nbsp;Last summer, she put together an<a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/videos/"> evening gathering</a> for the community giving patients a chance to directly interact with her and other scientists at 23andMe, as well as with sarcoma researchers and advocates.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-6395 size-full" title="sarcoma-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/sarcoma-large.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="289" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/sarcoma-large.jpg 350w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/sarcoma-large-300x248.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />
“It’s important for researchers to meet patients,” Kim said recently. “It gives more meaning to what we do. There’s more than just numbers in research. Understanding the personal stories and each person’s journey gives what we do more relevance and meaning, but it also gives us a better picture of the disease. It all goes back to the quality of measurement in research. If you can talk and interact with patients and they have a voice and that is part of the data collection, it improves the what we do. I know it does for my work.”
Kim plans to present some preliminary data in Chicago and report back over the next few days on some of the most interesting presentations.

23andMe at Oncology Conference

During the series <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/finding-your-roots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.</a> &nbsp; on PBS, The Blog &nbsp; featured posts from 23andMe’s Ancestry Ambassadors. This is the last of their own stories about using DNA to dig into ancestry.
By Tim Janzen, M.D.
For over 30 years I have been trying to determine the ancestry of my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Youngman (b. ca Aug 1823, d. 24 May 1903).
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-13392 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jacob-Youngman-214x300.jpg" alt="" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jacob-Youngman-214x300.jpg 214w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Jacob-Youngman.jpg 353w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" />Jacob Youngman 
I used traditional genealogical research techniques for much of that time, but not long ago I realized that DNA testing at 23andMe could help me solve this decades old puzzle. No one in our family knew who Jacob Youngman’s parents were, but his son Charles Youngman (b. 1872) left a tantalizing clue in his autobiographical sketch that was published in the book &#8220;History of Harrison County, Missouri.&#8221;
Charles Youngman said that Jacob Youngman&#8217;s father &nbsp;lived in &nbsp;Kentucky, &nbsp;moved first to Indiana, and later settled in central Missouri where he died. &nbsp; Not too many Youngmans fit this description. In the past two years, I have developed a theory that Jacob Youngman’s father was John Youngman (b. ca 1793), who is listed in the 1840 Census in Clay County, Missouri but is not listed there in the 1850 Census.
I know that my ancestor Jacob Youngman is listed in Shelby Co., Indiana in the 1850 Census but the man I presume to be his father, John Youngman isn’t. &nbsp; Instead, I recently discovered that John Youngman didn&#8217;t die prior to 1850, but instead moved to Denton Co., Texas where he is listed in the 1850 Census with his younger children.
This genealogical puzzle is 
complicated by the fact that John Youngman was married 3 &nbsp;times and was divorced from his second wife Elizabeth Reeves, his first wife had apparently died by 1822.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-13394 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Youngman-graveston1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Youngman-graveston1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Youngman-graveston1.jpg 461w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Photograph of the gravestone of Jacob Youngman (b. ca Aug 1823) and his second wife Rachel Cart.
Census records from 1820, 1830, and 1840 indicate that he had children by all three wives, but only his 5 youngest children who were living with him in 1850 are named in the census records.
Another clue is that Jacob Youngman’s granddaughter Louise Youngman (1893-1988) said that her grandfather often referred to “Uncle Stacy Reeves”, suggesting that Jacob Youngman’s mother could have been Elizabeth Reeves, the second wife of John Youngman. &nbsp; A Stacy T. Reeves (b. ca 1823) is listed near Jacob Youngman and his family in the 1860 Census and may be the “Uncle Stacy Reeves” that Louise Youngman was referring to. By the fall of 2010 I had many promising hints, but I still hadn’t solved the puzzle and then I established contact with several other Youngman researchers, Debbi Youngman and Susie Brewer. Both are related to descendents of John Youngman by his first and third wives. I decided to pursue confirmation of my theory that Jacob Youngman was a son of John Youngman by his second wife Elizabeth Reeves through autosomal DNA testing done by 23andMe. Troy McCoy, a great-grandson of John Youngman and his third wife, was the person most closely related to John Youngman who was tested. &nbsp; Below is a summary of the DNA data showing the amount of autosomal DNA in centimorgans (cMs) that Troy McCoy shares in common with each of the five great-grandchildren of Jacob Youngman who have been tested by 23andMe. &nbsp; The comparison between Troy McCoy and Jacob Youngman’s great-grandchildren is the most important because in theory they should share the most autosomal DNA in common since they are the most closely related among all of the Youngman descendents in the project. &nbsp; A centimorgan is a unit of crossover frequency used to measure how often DNA segments are split up by recombination as they pass through the generations. The proper way to analyze this data is to create an average of the amount of DNA shared between Troy McCoy and Jacob Youngman’s five great-grandchildren. (See table 1.)
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 275px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
John Youngman and Family Reconstructed
John Youngman (b. ca 1793 in Kentucky) married his first wife Elizabeth Marton (b. ca 1798 in Kentucky) on 23 Feb 1816 in Campbell Co., Kentucky. Elizabeth Marton appears to have died ca 1821. John and Elizabeth had three children: 
1. John M. Youngman (b. 10 Jan 1818 in Kentucky) 
2. William Youngman (b. ca 1818 in Kentucky) 
3. Susanna Youngman (b. ca 1821 in Kentucky)
John Youngman (b. ca 1793) married his second wife Elizabeth Reeves (b. ca 1802 in Kentucky) on 20 Jul 1822 in Campbell Co., Kentucky. They were divorced on 29 Apr 1830. They had two children: 
1. Jacob Youngman (b. ca 1823, KY) 
2. Unknown female (b. ca 1825-30)
John Youngman (b. ca 1793) married his third wife Priscilla Clark on 10 Jun 1830 in Clermont Co., Ohio. They had seven children: 
1. Sarah A. Youngman (b. ca 1830, IN) 
2. Nancy Catherine Youngman (b. ca 1832,IN) 
3. James C. Youngman (b. ca 1835, IN) 
4. Mary Jane Youngman (b. 1835, IN) 
5. Louhany Youngman (b. 1843, MO) 
6. Thomas Jefferson Youngman (b. 1844, AR) 
7. Joseph Youngman (b. ca 1844, AR)
</div>
It is reasonable to assume that all of the matching segments over 5 cMs in length came from a shared common ancestor. &nbsp; A threshold of around 4 to 5 cMs is necessary since it is common for random people of European ancestry to share segments that are less than 4 cMs in length even if they don’t have any ancestry in common in the past 300 years. We would expect that on average half third cousins should share about 27.8 cMs of DNA. &nbsp; The above averages support of &nbsp;my theory that Troy McCoy’s great-grandmother Mary Jane Youngman (b. ca 1836) was a half sibling to my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Youngman (b. &nbsp;ca Aug &nbsp;1823).
It is reasonable to assume that all of the matching segments over 5 cMs in length came from a shared common ancestor. &nbsp; A threshold of around 4 to 5 cMs is necessary since it is common for random people of European ancestry to share segments that are less than 4 cMs in length even if they don’t have any ancestry in common in the past 300 years. We would expect that on average half third cousins should share about 27.8 cMs of DNA. &nbsp; The above averages support of &nbsp;my theory that Troy McCoy’s great-grandmother Mary Jane Youngman (b. ca 1836) was a half sibling to my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Youngman (b. &nbsp;ca Aug &nbsp;1823).
A Stacy T. Reeves (b. ca 1823) is listed near Jacob Youngman and his family in the 1860 Census and may be the “Uncle Stacy Reeves” that Louise Youngman was referring to. By the fall of 2010 I had many promising hints, but I still hadn’t solved the puzzle and then I established contact with several other Youngman researchers, Debbi Youngman and Susie Brewer. Both are related to descendents of John Youngman by his first and third wives. I decided to pursue confirmation of my theory that Jacob Youngman was a son of John Youngman by his second wife Elizabeth Reeves through autosomal DNA testing done by 23andMe. Troy McCoy, a great-grandson of John Youngman and his third wife, was the person most closely related to John Youngman who was tested.
Below is a summary of the DNA data showing the amount of autosomal DNA in centimorgans (cMs) that Troy McCoy shares in common with each of the five great-grandchildren of Jacob Youngman who have been tested by 23andMe.
The comparison between Troy McCoy and Jacob Youngman’s great-grandchildren is the most important because in theory they should share the most autosomal DNA in common since they are the most closely related among all of the Youngman descendents in the project. &nbsp; A centimorgan is a unit of crossover frequency used to measure how often DNA segments are split up by recombination as they pass through the generations. The proper way to analyze this data is to create an average of the amount of DNA shared between Troy McCoy and Jacob Youngman’s five great-grandchildren. (See table 1.) &nbsp; It is reasonable to assume that all of the matching segments over 5 cMs in length came from a shared common ancestor. &nbsp; A threshold of around 4 to 5 cMs is necessary since it is common for random people of European ancestry to share segments that are less than 4 cMs in length even if they don’t have any ancestry in common in the past 300 years. We would expect that on average half third cousins should share about 27.8 cMs of DNA. &nbsp; The above averages support of &nbsp;my theory that Troy McCoy’s great-grandmother Mary Jane Youngman (b. ca 1836) was a half sibling to my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Youngman (b. &nbsp;ca Aug &nbsp;1823).
It is reasonable to assume that all of the matching segments over 5 cMs in length came from a shared common ancestor. &nbsp; A threshold of around 4 to 5 cMs is necessary since it is common for random people of European ancestry to share segments that are less than 4 cMs in length even if they don’t have any ancestry in common in the past 300 years. We would expect that on average half third cousins should share about 27.8 cMs of DNA. &nbsp; The above averages support of &nbsp;my theory that Troy McCoy’s great-grandmother Mary Jane Youngman (b. ca 1836) was a half sibling to my great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Youngman (b. &nbsp;ca Aug &nbsp;1823).
<table border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Comparison</th>
<th>4 cM threshold</th>
<th>5 cM threshold</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Frederick Mock and his 1/2 3rd cousin Troy McCoy</td>
<td>16.2</td>
<td>12.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Raymond Youngman and his 1/2 3rd cousin Troy McCoy</td>
<td>5.1</td>
<td>5.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Marilyn Bannister and her 1/2 3rd cousin Troy McCoy</td>
<td>4.6</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Darryl Youngman and his 1/2 3rd cousin Troy McCoy</td>
<td>72.4</td>
<td>67.9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Norman Youngman and his 1/2 3rd cousin Troy McCoy</td>
<td>71.6</td>
<td>67.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average:</td>
<td>34.0</td>
<td>30.5</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Expected amount if the relationship is a half 3rd cousin: 27.5 

But I didn’t stop there. I also found results that are very close to the expected average for a comparison like the one shown above between Troy McCoy and six great-great-grandchildren of Jacob Youngman. &nbsp; Thus the DNA data suggest that Mary Jane Youngman and Jacob Youngman were half-siblings based on these comparisons. &nbsp; I am likewise seeing results that are very close to the expected average for the comparisons between two descendants of William Youngman (b. ca 1818), John Youngman’s son by his first wife, and the descendants of Jacob Youngman. &nbsp; The DNA
The DNA data, therefore, suggest that William Youngman and Jacob Youngman were also half-siblings based on these comparisons. In summary, autosomal DNA analysis has provided the key evidence to solving the genealogical puzzle of the parentage of Jacob Youngman.
I now feel confident that Jacob Youngman was the son of John Youngman and Elizabeth Reeves. &nbsp; This project demonstrates how autosomal DNA can be used as an adjunct to traditional genealogical research to confirm or refute theories about possible genealogical relationships.
Tim Janzen is a family practice doctor at South Tabor Family Physicians in Portland, Oregon. His interest in genealogical research goes back 35 years and he has particularly focused on Mennonite genealogy for the past 15 years. He has a web site that summarizes many different sources available for Mennonite genealogical research found at <a href="http://www.timjanzen.com/">www.timjanzen.com</a> and has given many presentations about Mennonite genealogy in the United States and Canada. He is the co-administrator of the Mennonite DNA project at <a href="http://www.mennonitedna.com/">www.mennonitedna.com</a>. He also serves on the ISOGG Y-DNA Haplogroup Tree Committee. Tim is married to Rachel Janzen and they have four children.

Who Were the Parents of Jacob Youngman?

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-13375" title="macPC" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/macPC-300x239.png" alt="" width="300" height="239" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/macPC-300x239.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/macPC.png 541w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Last week we quizzed our readers on traits that differed between 23andMe customers who use Macs versus those who use Windows. Congratulations to Brenda, the winner of the quiz! She got all three answers correct and will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. So what were the correct answers? Read on…
Which of these personality traits is most strongly linked with being a Mac user? Openness.
If you had a tough time choosing which of these traits was most associated with being a Mac user, that’s totally understandable. All of them were. Yep, that’s right. Mac users were significantly more extraverted, assertive, full of ideas, and aesthetically-oriented, but where they most differed was on openness. Openness is a one of the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits">“Big Five” personality traits</a> (five aspects of personality thought to be found across all human cultures), and it’s linked with being curious, adventurous, unconventional, intellectual, and artistic. Does this confirm the stereotype, or just underscore the value of targeted marketing campaigns? We’ll let you decide.
Which is NOT true of Mac versus Windows users? About 40% of men are Mac users, but only 29% of women.
Actually, 39% of men are Mac users, and 38% percent of women. Definitely not a big difference! Of course, this means that all the other answers are true: Mac users were more likely to report being atheist or agnostic, more likely to drink alcohol, less likely to say they were exclusively attracted to the opposite sex, and more likely to have had braces. We thought the braces finding might be related to income, but Mac users were still significantly more likely to have had braces when we controlled for household income and childhood socioeconomic status.
Which of these is true? All of the above are true.
Mac users had significantly higher incomes, were more likely to have had mono (the so-called kissing disease), more likely to have taken medication to prevent malaria (perhaps a sign of adventurousness), and less likely to be politically conservative.
Do these differences jive with the <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2011/04/26/mac-vs-pc-people/">stereotypes of Mac and Windows users</a>? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Quiz Answers: Mac vs. Windows — Was Your Intuition Right?

By Meghan Mullins
Before joining 23andMe, I worked at a more traditional genetic research lab. Like virtually all research centers, we didn’t return genetic results to our research participants.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-13288" title="CancerInfographic" alt="" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic-300x254.jpg" width="300" height="254" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic-300x254.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic-768x650.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic.jpg 849w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
I occasionally thought about what that meant, that I knew more about an anonymous stranger’s DNA than he or she ever would. &nbsp;These people had variants that scientists had never seen before, but the research participants would never learn of this.
Last fall I moved back to the Bay Area and joined the research team at 23andMe. I suddenly found myself in a completely different environment — not only do we return data to research participants, but they play an active role in the research process. &nbsp;23andMe partners with patients who work side-by-side with us to dramatically accelerate genetic discovery.
We recently launched a 23andMe Research Ambassador program, where research participants have volunteered to help more formally spread awareness of and expand our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sarcoma</a>,<a title="Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN)." href="https://www.23andme.com/mpn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN)</a>, and <a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parkinson’s &nbsp;</a> research initiatives. In honor of National Cancer Research Awareness month, we asked some of our newly minted Sarcoma and MPN Ambassadors to share their cancer stories.
Each of these ambassadors – Tracy, Ruth Ann, Natalie, Greg, and Cheryl-Anne – describe the uncertainty he or she faced when being diagnosed with a rare cancer. &nbsp;Tracy says her doctors at first did not know if her tumor “was a chondrosarcoma or a chordoma. &nbsp;Apparently [it was] one in a million.” &nbsp;For many, the simple lack of information available feels like hitting a wall. &nbsp;Ruth Ann joined our Sarcoma Community because “having been so discouraged in my own journey with the lack of information about sarcomas, I was more than willing to sign up to start a project that might provide some real answers.”
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 200px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11373" title="researchrevolution-fist" alt="" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/researchrevolution-fist-173x300.jpg" width="173" height="300">
&#8211; Do you have sarcoma, or know someone who does? Learn how to join our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/">Sarcoma research community today</a>.
&#8211; Do you have an MPN, or know someone who does? Learn how to join our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/mpn/">MPN research initiative today</a>.
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Cheryl-Anne agrees, saying that “the more we know, the more we will be able to make sure the right patient gets the right drug at the right dose at the right time.” A sense of community and support also drew many to our research initiatives. &nbsp;Greg says that “connecting with others who have a similar interest in fighting sarcoma was my initial motivator in joining 23andMe.” &nbsp;When asked what advice he would give to someone who was just diagnosed, he said to “connect with others who have been in similar situations. &nbsp;Learn from their successes and mind their shortcomings.”
Our research Ambassadors also desire to look at the big picture when studying cancer risk. Greg notes that it’s currently unknown how different risk factors, like “radiation or chemical exposure, a virus or genetic factors,” interact to cause sarcomas. He wants “to help the scientists come closer to solving these questions.” &nbsp;Ruth Ann adds that “since it is so rare, there have to be many more factors than genetics alone that affect the occurrence of sarcoma. &nbsp;But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a genetic component.” &nbsp;23andMe wants to learn more about those different factors, too, so we combine our genetic data with survey responses to study all aspects of cancer risk.
Cheryl-Anne has enjoyed exploring her own 23andMe data, saying that “it is fascinating to learn about myself, my own biology. &nbsp;This is me, my chromosomes, my DNA, and it helps me to make better choices for myself.” &nbsp;Natalie’s advice to someone else with an MPN is to “get a 23andMe spit kit. &nbsp;Find out your risks, and go back to your doctor and share that information. &nbsp;You learn a lot about yourself. . . I am very glad that I went through with that decision.”
Tracy was able “to provide the raw data to a genetic counselor for hereditary cancer testing for a condition called Ollie&#8217;s disease, where tumors mutate into sarcomas.” &nbsp;Ruth Ann has “enjoyed filling out the surveys, and getting the results about ordinary things. &nbsp;Who knew there was an asparagus pee gene?” &nbsp;We also make sure to share new discoveries with our research participants who helped us find them. &nbsp;Greg is grateful for 23andMe’s “sincere partnership in making strides to identifying the root cause of this life threatening disease.”
Scientists may have the best in technology and theory at their disposal, but they cannot move forward without research participants who are willing to give their time and energy to scientific pursuit. &nbsp;Natalie hopes that scientists and those with rare disease can “help each other, hand in hand.” &nbsp;I feel so incredibly lucky to interact with these generous individuals on a daily basis, to see their desire to give back so that others do not have to face the fear and uncertainty that they felt.
23andMe is intended for research and educational purposes only. &nbsp;23andMe’s services are not a substitute for professional medical or diagnostic advice.
Meghan Mullins is a research assistant at 23andMe and works with our Research Communities. Meghan studied Human Biology at Stanford University. She spent a few years studying the genetics of obesity and diabetes in the Pima Indians as part of a NIH Postbaccalureate Intramural Research Training program, and played a key role in a large sequencing project that discovered several variants of interest in the MC4R gene.

Meghan Mullins

23andMe Partnering with Patients

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-10815" title="Anne black and white" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Anne-black-and-white.jpg" alt="" width="110" height="166" />
[Ed: A clarifying addendum has been added to the end of this post. &#8211; 6/01/12]
23andMe has a substantial research arm with more than 20 scientists dedicated to making meaningful discoveries that will improve the lives of all of us.  We’ve made a number of discoveries that we’ve <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000993" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> in <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1002141" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">peer reviewed journals</a> and on our website.
As we make these discoveries, we have often debated: what is the best way to make sure that genetic breakthroughs translate into real-world benefits?  We want to make discoveries that will impact your life and the lives of everyone on the planet.  We do not want our discoveries to just be an academic pursuit &#8212; we want to meaningfully improve lives.
Our patent, “<a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&amp;Sect2=HITOFF&amp;d=PALL&amp;p=1&amp;u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&amp;r=1&amp;f=G&amp;l=50&amp;s1=8,187,811.PN.&amp;OS=PN/8,187,811&amp;RS=PN/8,187,811">Polymorphisms Associated With Parkinson’s Disease</a>” is expected to issue on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. This relates to our discovery of a variant in the SGK1 gene that may be protective against Parkinson’s disease in individuals who carry the rare risk-associated LRRK2 G2019S mutation.  Our patent is an important step in ensuring that we’ve done all we can towards successful translation of this discovery.  If the follow up work we are now doing with the Scripps Research Institute and the Michael J. Fox Foundation looks promising and moves towards drug development, the patent will be important for a biotech or pharmaceutical company to pursue drug development.
We believe patents should not be used to obstruct research or prevent individuals from knowing what&#8217;s in their genome. We believe that everyone has a right to know their genomes &#8212; their sequence of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs &#8212; and should be able to access them should they want to.  This has been our guiding principle since day one, and 23andMe has pioneered the ability for individuals to have unfettered access to their genomes.
We recognize that patents are complicated and can be controversial. Patents were created to protect innovation. Is discovering the function of a gene an innovation?
The question of whether innovations related to genetics can be patented is in hot debate as evidenced by recent rulings related to <a href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-1150.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prometheus</a> and Myriad patents.
We want to emphasize that we are firm in our belief that individuals should have access to their own genetic data. We will continue to pursue patents that we believe will eventually benefit us all. The majority of our customers have opted to participate in research. Thanks to that community, we have been able to make an incredible number of novel discoveries. We want those discoveries to move from the realm of academic publishing to the world of impacting lives by preventing, treating or curing disease.
Addendum &#8212; June 1, 2012:
The patent announcement has generated a lot of discussion. In addition to reiterating our core beliefs I&#8217;d like to clarify a few points about our perspective:
23andMe will not prevent others from accessing their genetic data or its interpretation specific to our patents.
Other entities can present information about the genetic associations covered in our patents without licensing fees. As has always been the case, 23andMe customers can freely apply their raw genetic data to other interpretation tools whenever they wish.
23andMe is a business with a mission to improve lives.  
We sell a service to our customers and we conduct research, on our own and with partners, that we believe will lead to better treatments, diagnostics, and prevention of disease. We aim for these discoveries to benefit everyone.
Patents give organizations researching and developing new drugs confidence that their significant investments will be commercially viable.  
Developing new drugs and treatments costs time and money. A lot of time and money. Often the only way a company will even think about pursuing a drug lead is if they have assurance that they can recoup their investment. Having patent protection over the entire line of discovery gives a company confidence to invest in this resource-intensive process.
Many of you, <a href="http://blog.michaeljfox.org/2012/05/patent-23andme-step-meaningfully-improving-lives/">especially in the Parkinson&#8217;s community</a>, saw this as a major milestone and the first step in potentially having a meaningful impact on the lives of Parkinson&#8217;s patients. Our ultimate goal is to make discoveries that will benefit everyone.

Announcing 23andMe’s First Patent

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13198 size-full" title="whitebloodcell" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/whitebloodcell.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="260" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/whitebloodcell.jpg 350w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/whitebloodcell-300x223.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />Crohn’s disease develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own gut cells.
Although most people with European ancestry are pretty genetically similar, some sub-groups like Ashkenazi Jews have distinct genetic characteristics that carry important implications for health. For instance, people with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/detail-for-ashkenazi-ancestry">Ashkenazi ancestry</a> have higher rates of numerous rare genetic disorders like <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/carrier/tay-sachs-disease">Tay-Sachs disease</a> and are at increased risk for certain multi-gene conditions like Crohn’s disease.
The exact cause of Crohn’s disease isn’t known, but this inflammatory bowel disease may result from a case of mistaken identity – the immune system mounts a reaction to an invader and ends up attacking the body’s own cells, too. At least 12 genetic factors have been associated with Crohn’s disease in Europeans. Although researchers don’t know why people with Ashkenazi ancestry are two to four times more likely to develop Crohn’s disease, they suspect that the genetic “uniqueness” of this group may have something to do with it. 
 
To investigate this intriguing idea, a research team led by scientists at Columbia University and Mount Sinai carried out a study looking at nearly 2,000 people with Crohn’s disease and roughly 4,500 people without it, all of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/ashkenazi-ancestry-and-health">Ashkenazi descent</a>. The results, published in <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1002559">PLoS Genetics</a> earlier this year, replicate previously reported associations for people of European descent and also identify novel factors specific to those with Ashkenazi ancestry.
In the new study by lead author Eimear Kenny, individuals with the C version of and the G version of had slightly higher odds of developing Crohn’s disease. Two other factors seemed to be protective. People with the T version of and the G version of had slightly lower odds of developing Crohn’s disease. More research is needed to understand how these genetic variants influence the biology of the disease.
These new findings confirm that genetics likely has something to do with the higher rates of Crohn’s disease in people with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/detail-for-ashkenazi-ancestry">Ashkenazi ancestry</a>. All of the newly discovered factors appeared to be specific to Ashkenazi ancestry as they weren’t found in previous studies carried out with broader European study groups.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Read about <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/?p=13178">the “uniqueness” of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry</a> and how it’s important for health. Read more about Jewish ancestry in guest posts by 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Ambassadors, Tim Janzen,  CeCe Moore, and  Andrea Badger.

Genetic Factors for Crohn’s Identified for Ashkenazi Jewish Ancestry

<img decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-13288" title="CancerInfographic" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic.jpg" alt="" width="625" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic.jpg 849w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic-300x254.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CancerInfographic-768x650.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px" />
23andMe is passionate about fighting cancer. We’re researching specific forms of cancer and treatments (see sidebar) and also learning more generally about cancer through our Cancer Family History survey (men’s version and women’s version). Personal experiences have the potential to fuel important research discoveries and by taking this survey customers can tell us how cancer has touched their lives.
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May is National Cancer Research Awareness Month
You can contribute to research on cancer by taking the Cancer Family History survey (men’s version and women’s version) and if eligible, participating in the following studies:
&#8211; Do you have sarcoma, or know someone who does? Learn how to join our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/">Sarcoma research community today</a>.
&#8211; Do you have an MPN, or know someone who does? Learn how to join our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/mpn/">MPN research initiative today</a>.
&#8211; If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, check out our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/invite-study/">innovative online study with Genentech</a>.
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Within just 2 months of launching the survey over 20,000 customers (9,700 women and 11,000 men) have completed it! Although we’ll likely need more data to be able to find interesting genetic and non-genetic associations for different types of cancer, what people are already telling us is very interesting:
<ul>
<li>Cancer is relatively common in the 23andMe database</li>
</ul>
About 20% of women and 16% of men had a diagnosis of some form of cancer (this included relatively common non-melanoma skin cancers). These numbers are higher than the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cancer.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">national adult average of 8.5%</a>, which may reflect the fact that 23andMe customers include individuals enrolled in our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/sarcoma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sarcoma</a>, <a href="https://www.23andme.com/mpn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MPN</a> and <a href="https://www.23andme.com/invite-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Metastatic breast Cancer</a> research communities. People with a strong family history of cancer might also be more interested in undergoing genetic testing and taking this survey.
<ul>
<li>Approximately 50% have a 1st degree relative with cancer</li>
</ul>
Just over half of respondents have a mother, father, child or sibling who had been diagnosed with cancer.
<ul>
<li>Many have parents who suffered from breast or prostate cancer</li>
</ul>
Nearly 10% of respondents (combined male and female) have a mother with breast cancer while just over 1% had a father with prostate cancer.

Cancer Touches Everyone

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-12716" style="border: 1px solid #ccc;" title="DNA USA.indd" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DNA-USA-197x300.jpg" alt="" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DNA-USA-197x300.jpg 197w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DNA-USA.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" />
Bryan Sykes, the evolutionary geneticist at Oxford University and the author of<a href="../2008/08/14/recommended-reading-the-seven-daughters-of-eve/"> The Seven Daughters of Eve,</a> is adding to his oeuvre of popular work on genetics with his new book,<a href="https://www.amazon.com/DNA-USA-Genetic-Portrait-America/dp/0871404125%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAIXFKFJI6IH6DO5KQ%26tag%3Dkirkus-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0871404125"> DNA USA, A Genetic Portrait of America.</a>
As with his previous work, Sykes breaks down some of the complicated aspects of genetics in ways that are easily understood. This book is both travelogue and a snapshot of the genetic melting pot that is the United States of America.  As Sykes writes America is the place “where the genes of the three great continents converge.”
The book offers some intriguing, although mostly anecdotal, observations. During his journey Sykes meets people who agree to have their DNA tested anonymously. He then creates DNA portraits of these individuals, using 23andMe to create ancestry paintings of each individual. From that he drew conclusions about early America and the rich mixing of European, Asian and African people in America. The book also offers Sykes a chance to discuss the history of the earliest Americans.
Last week, our own senior director of research Joanna Mountain – who along with 23andMe scientist Mike Macpherson acted as consultants for some of the genetics in the book – introduced Sykes at a lecture he delivered at Berkeley Arts &amp; Letters.
He got a good response from the audience and his book has some buzz including a<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bryan-sykes/dna-usa/#review%20http://www.oxfordancestors.com/"> thumbs-up</a> from the Kirkus Review. 
We’re offering two signed copies of the book &#8212; simply submit the form below for a chance to win!

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