We’re all about the science here at 23andMe, and that’s what makes <a href="https://www.genome.gov/dna-day">DNA Day</a> so special for us here. 
Established back in 2003, DNA Day was meant to commemorate two big milestones — the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953; and the decoding of the human genome 50 years later. DNA Day has become more than just a day to commemorate those milestones, but also a day to educate. 
So here’s a quick primer on those two milestones.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="711" height="400" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28852" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY.jpg 711w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2DNADAY-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Watson and Crick</h6>
James Watson and Francis Crick published their description of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12667029?ordinalpos=18&#038;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum">structure of DNA</a> on April 23, 1953, in the journal Nature. In 1962, the pair, along with Maurie Wilkins, won a Nobel prize for their work. It is still considered one of the most significant scientific contributions of the last century. 
Left out of that recognition was <a href="http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/KR/">Rosalind Franklin</a>, whose x-ray images of DNA were critical to solving its structure. She passed away in 1958. You can learn about her career and her contributions at “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/">The Secret of Photo 51,</a>” which was put together for the PBS program NOVA several years ago.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="600" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna.png" alt="" class="wp-image-25152" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna.png 600w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/dna-574x574.png 574w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Human Genome Project</h6>
Over 13-years, the <a href="https://www.genome.gov/10001772">Human Genome Project</a> mustered resources from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health with the goal of mapping the human genome. A massive team of scientists worked to identify all the more than 20,000 genes in human DNA and determine the sequence of the three billion base pairs that make up the human genome. They completed the work in 2003. 
For a much more detailed look at the history and accomplishments from the project go to the National Human Genome Institute’s <a href="https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project">Human Genome Project</a> page, or to take a look at the data go to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/guide/human/">NCBI Human Genome Resources</a> page.
<h6>23andMe</h6>
23andMe formed just three years after scientists sketched out that first rough draft of the human genome. Our mission remains to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. 
Now 15 years on, 23andMe opened up personal <a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/">discoveries</a> for millions of customers, offering consumers direct access to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">genetic testing</a> without the need of an intermediary. 23andMe has also become a tool for people to learn about and explore genetics and participate in important genetic <a href="https://research.23andme.com/">research</a>.
As our CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki once said about 23andMe:
“We’re not just a genetics company. We’re not just a health company; we’re not just ancestry; we’re all of these things. We want to tell you about you.”
Find out more <a href="https://www.23andme.com/about/">here</a>.

A image of double helix showing a variant

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

DNA Day 2021

For many people, sniffling, sneezing, and rubbing itchy eyes is a rite of spring.
Pollen wafting through the air from budding trees, grasses, and flowers during spring triggers allergy attacks for millions of people worldwide. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/7/e2013284118">A recent study</a> indicated that climate change might be making the situation even worse for some due to the lengthening of the pollen season in North America.
Susceptibility to allergies — not just from pollen but also to things such as insect bites, dander from dogs and cats, or mold — is in part genetic. One&#8217;s environment also plays an important role in developing allergies. One silver lining of the last year is that mask-wearing during the pandemic appears to help lessen allergy symptoms in some, according to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7467086/">recent research </a>done in Israel.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="678" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1024x678.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26180" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-300x198.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-768x508.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-880x582.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze-1180x781.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Sneeze.jpg 1259w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Researching the Genetics</h6>
Allergic reactions themselves happen when a hypersensitive immune system mistakes a normally harmless substance for a harmful one. When the immune system detects these so-called allergens, it triggers an immune response meant to protect the body. Research indicates that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16083793/">about half</a> of those living in the U.S. are sensitive to at least one common allergen. While most allergic reactions are mild, some contribute to asthma or eczema and can be very serious and even life-threatening.
23andMe scientists and our collaborators have identified many genetic variants associated with allergies over the years. We also published studies on the genetic <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0157-1">pathways for allergic rhinitis</a>, genetic associations between <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3985">allergies, eczema, and asthma</a>, and the age of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1008725">onset</a>. That work allows us to understand not just the underlying causes better, but also offers researchers potential new targets for treatments. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="264" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-1024x264.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-28847" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-1024x264.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-300x77.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-768x198.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001-880x227.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dog-Cat-.001.jpeg 1055w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Cats and Dogs</h6>
People with allergies to dogs or cats react to the proteins found in animals’ saliva, their skin cells (also called &#8220;dander&#8221;), or urine. Those allergens trigger a response of the body&#8217;s immune system leading to sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and itchy skin. In some cases, people with dog or cat allergies may experience asthma symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or wheezing. For people with dog or cat allergies, lifestyle modifications and other treatments, including medications, can help ease symptoms.
It is estimated that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5809771/">10 percent-to-20 percent of people</a> are allergic to dogs or cats worldwide.
For 23andMe customers who want to explore a little deeper into their genetic likelihood of having certain allergies, we offer <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership">23andMe+</a>, an annual membership with 10+ exclusive reports and features delivered to you throughout the year‡.
Those reports are powered by 23andMe research and include new Wellness reports on cat allergies and on dog allergies. Both use statistical modeling that utilizes thousands of genetic variants, as well as a customer&#8217;s ethnicity and sex to estimate the likelihood of developing a dog or cat allergy.
<h6>Pets and Pollen</h6>
For those with pet allergies, preventing reactions isn&#8217;t as simple as you&#8217;d think. It&#8217;s not just about avoiding dogs and cats because pet allergens can travel easily through the air. They can stick to clothing and other surfaces, quickly spreading from place to place. In the United States, about half of households <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28694047/">own a cat or a dog</a>. Yet, studies have shown that detectable levels of pet allergens can be found in almost all homes, even ones that don&#8217;t own pets. High levels of pet allergens have also been found in public places like schools, offices, buses, and trains. To prevent reactions, experts recommend washing hands and clothes frequently.
Allergies to cats and dogs and allergies to pollens are alike in some ways. They are very similar in how they make their way into the body, what symptoms they cause, and how you treat them, for instance.
<h6>Finding Out More</h6>
Find out more about 23andMe&#8217;s Health + Ancestry Service or 23andMe+ membership <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao">here</a>.
‡10+ reports and features will be added annually from January to December.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="536" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1024x536.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28846" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-300x157.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-768x402.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-880x461.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2-1180x618.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1200x628-2.png 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>

23andMe+ new Cat and Dog Allergy report release

The Genetics of Allergies

When it comes to her health, there is no bliss in ignorance for Kelly Anderson.
&#8220;For me, I&#8217;ve always wanted to know. I&#8217;ve always wanted to know what&#8217;s happening or what&#8217;s coming, so I can plan,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;I&#8217;m a planner.&#8221;
It&#8217;s what made receiving 23andMe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">Health + Ancestry Service</a> for her birthday such a perfect gift, she said. It offered her a chance to explore how genetics might affect her health, she said. 
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="769" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-769x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28844" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-769x1024.jpg 769w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-768x1022.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-661x880.jpg 661w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2-887x1180.jpg 887w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Kelly-A-2.jpg 1160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Wanting to Know </h6>
Kelly&#8217;s reports indicated that she had genetic variants that put her at a slightly increased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).* AMD is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in older adults. The disease causes damage to the central part of the retina, or the macula, impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces.
23andMe&#8217;s report looks at two of the most common variants associated with increased risk for AMD. Kelly learned she had two copies of one of those variants.
&#8220;After I saw my report, I began reading more … and talking to my family,&#8221; she said.
<h6>Being Diligent</h6>
Kelly learned of a few relatives who had AMD. During her next check-up, she talked to her doctor, who suggested she discuss it in more depth with her optometrist. When she met with her optometrist, he told her it was good to know about this kind of risk early. 
&#8220;He added the information to my eye chart,&#8221; she said.
Her optometrist told her that he will regularly check for any early signs and symptoms. 
&#8220;I also plan to continue reading up on discoveries about AMD so I can remain informed,&#8221; she said.
For Kelly learning about the risk and then being able to act upon that information felt empowering. Giving her a clear-eyed view on managing her health. She plans to keep reading up on AMD and to be diligent about her annual check-ups.
&#8220;If there&#8217;s something I can do … I want to know,&#8221; she said. 
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*The 23andMe PGS test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person&#8217;s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. The Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) genetic health risk report is indicated for reporting of the Y402H variant in the CFH gene, and the A69S in the ARMS2 gene and describes if a person has variants associated with an increased risk of developing AMD. The variants included in this report are common in many ethnicities but are best studied in people of European descent.

Clear-Eyed About A Risk for AMD

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. It also marks the 12th anniversary of 23andMe’s groundbreaking Parkinson’s Research community, which is now the largest <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/">genetic research</a> cohort for Parkinson’s disease in the world.
But the power of that research engine wouldn’t be possible without Anne Bossman and thousands of other people like her who have consented to participate in 23andMe research. Anne, a 62-year-old personal trainer living in Colorado, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two and a half years ago.
<div id="attachment_28836" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28836" class="wp-image-28836 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-300x300.jpg" alt="A photo of Anne Bossman near her home in Colorado." width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-768x768.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-880x880.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405-980x980.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IMG_5405.jpg 1705w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Anne Bossman near her home in Colorado. </div>
<h2>Participating in Research</h2>
It hit her hard.
“After my diagnosis, I cried,” she said.
But it wasn’t for long.
“I knew Parkinson’s was not going anywhere, and the sooner I accepted this and plowed forward, the sooner I could have good days,” Anne said.
First, she learned as much as she could about the disease. She used the vast resources of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and then she was introduced to 23andMe and joined our Parkinson’s Research community.
“I was very happy for the opportunity to participate,” Anne said.
Her participation and the participation of thousands of others in 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Research community have helped fuel insights published in 17 papers, <a href="https://research.23andme.com/publications/#publications">four of them</a> last year alone. That research has always been about using genetic insights to search for better ways to diagnose and treat Parkinson’s disease and possibly make discoveries that could help lead to a cure.
<h2>Staying Active</h2>
For Anne, the most important thing is to stay active.
“(Parkinson’s disease) is known but not understood by almost everybody until it touches their lives directly,” Anne said.
Being active is vital for Anne, and she feels fortunate to have always been an athlete and outdoorsy. Her symptoms include stiffness, but she can overcome some of that by keeping moving, exercising, riding horses, balancing exercise, and lifting weights.
“I feel better the more exercise I get,” Anne said.
She hopes to be able to show others a way through her example.
“It’s not how often I get down,” she said. “But how quickly I can pick myself back up.”
You can learn more about 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Research program <a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/">here</a> or view another 23andMe Parkinson’s research participant <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1gjNUzABAY">Claudia’s story</a> about participating in the program.

Raising Awareness of Parkinson’s Disease

It’s not a superpower, but the genetics behind being what some call a “supertaster” might make for a pretty good argument against eating your broccoli.
Supertasters have the good fortune, or misfortune, of having highly refined taste receptors. And that discerning palate is genetic.<code style="display: none;"></code><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-19352" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo-238x300.jpg" alt="A woman tasting from a spoon." width="238" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo-238x300.jpg 238w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Tasting-Photo.jpg 617w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px" />
<h2>Technicolor Taste</h2>
Supertasters, who make up about a quarter of the population, live in a kind of high-definition technicolor world of taste. For most of the rest of us, it&#8217;s a more monochrome world of flavors. That can be both a good and a bad thing. Supertasters’ refined palate means that they have a heightened bitter taste perception, for instance. Their heightened tastes make salty foods seem saltier, and sweet foods sweeter.
There are a few things going on.
For one, studies have shown that supertasters actually have more fungiform papillae. These are the mushroom-shaped projections on which our taste buds lay. On those taste buds are receptors that specialize in detecting five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, a savory, meat-like taste. Scientists think some people may be unable to detect certain chemicals based on what taste receptors they have.
<h2>Bitter Taste</h2>
Along with more taste receptors crowded onto their tongues, genetics is at play. Supertasters also tend to have a variant in the<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18209019/"> TAS2R38 gene</a> that enables them to perceive the bitterness of the chemical called &#8220;PTC.&#8221; PTC isn&#8217;t usually found in the human diet, but it is similar to chemicals present in vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts.
23andMe’s Bitter Taste trait report looks at a customer’s likelihood of tasting bitterness.
A small study published several years ago in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked specifically at individuals who were called “moderate tasters.” Scientists looked at how the expression of their TAS2R38 genes related to their perceptions of bitterness. Bitter taste perception correlated with the amount of TAS2R38 gene expressed in the subjects’ taste buds, according to the research. The gene expression also correlated with self-reported caffeine consumption, though not as strongly.
For the quarter of people who are supertasters, a coffee, or an IPA beer might be harshly bitter. But about a third of the population who have very low taste perception, may not notice any bitterness at all. Most of the rest of us fall somewhere in between. Such stark differences in how we perceive taste are programmed into our DNA.
<h2>Learn More</h2>
23andMe customers can find their Bitter Taste trait report. Not yet a customer? Find out more<a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/?sub=ver2&amp;cabt=nao"> here</a>.

Tasty Genetics of a Supertaster

Myriam Raber, a dentist in northeastern Ohio, is often mistaken for what she is not.



“I let people label me sometimes,” Myriam said. “I go the hospital, and they look at my husband or my kids and then me and, without asking, they check ‘white.&#8217;”



An immigrant from Haiti, Myriam often butts up against the labels used in the US.&nbsp;



“I don’t feel like I have to fit in any one box,” Myriam said. “I think there are more and more people like me, and there will be even more people like me in the future.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="267" height="300" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Myriam-head-shot-267x300-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-33678" style="aspect-ratio:1;width:375px;height:auto"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dr. Myriam Raber, DDS</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-ancestry-and-your-health">Your Ancestry and Your Health</h2>



But Myriam also knows that there is a difference between how you culturally identify and what your genetics might say, and that difference could impact your health.



“I know what I am culturally — I’m Haitian,” Myriam said. “But genetically, I’m just a mix; I’m a Caribbean mix.”



While she isn’t bothered by being mistaken for being white, or Hispanic, or Jewish, she understands that, at least in medicine, it’s essential to know a person’s ethnicity. A person’s ethnicity plays a role in their risk for certain conditions or how they respond to certain medications.



Knowing about these differences is also the reason why she is participating in 23andMe’s research. Improving the diversity of research participants will help scientists learn new insights into conditions that affect people with African ancestry or mixed African and European ancestry, like Myriam.



“Obviously, I’m in healthcare, and I believe the future of healthcare is in DNA,” she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-covid-19-s-uneven-impact">COVID-19’s Uneven Impact</h2>



Everybody responds a little differently to medicines or illness. Myriam believes that a person’s genetics — along with things like their diet and exercise — holds the key for researchers trying to better understand those differences.&nbsp;



The impact of COVID-19 offers perhaps the most vivid example of that, Myriam said. African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus when compared to white patients. Poverty and access to adequate healthcare may explain some of it, but not all.



“I believe it’s probably in the DNA, and that’s the same for cancer or anything really,” Myriam said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-people-like-me">People Like Me</h2>



In dentistry, she has seen issues created by the lack of research among people of non-European ancestry. For example, during a lecture on tooth development when she was in dental school, the instructor told a class about when different teeth came into the mouth.&nbsp;



“Well, I knew that for a Haitian child, that tooth often comes in a whole two to four years earlier,” Myriam said. “This (data from the instructor) was more relevant for a white child from the midwest than a black child in Haiti. This has had serious consequences for many. I know it affected how Haitian children were being classified and processed by the United States immigration services.”



There were other examples, whether the timing for puberty or some medications were more or less effective depending on a person’s ethnicity. Myriam knew that the science was often incomplete for those with African ancestry, for instance, because those populations weren’t included in the research.



“So basically, there were no good studies for people like me,” she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-participating-in-research">Participating in Research</h2>



In 2018 researchers found that about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30231-4">78 percent of genome-wide association studies</a>&nbsp;were done in European populations alone. That means that these studies’ findings are often not as relevant for people of African or Asian or Latino or Indigenous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">ancestry</a>. Leaving those populations out of research also impedes a fuller understanding of the genetic architecture of disease.



For Myriam, it just makes sense to improve the diversity of research participants.



“As a mixed-race healthcare professional, I believe that medicine will rely heavily on genetics for custom-made preventive and curative programs,” she said. “Traditional research used to lump people into racial groups with minorities being underrepresented.”



For Myriam, changing that by participating in research may open up genetic discoveries that have the potential to benefit everyone and perhaps instill the same sense of wonder at the uncovered insights.

Research for People Like Me

A new study by scientists at 23andMe, the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), and the University of Toronto offers insight into how the nuclear genome controls the emergence of mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
Published in<a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/12/eabe7520/tab-article-info"> Scientific Advances</a>, the new findings will help researchers studying serious mitochondrial diseases.
&#8220;Mitochondrial diseases represent a very large spectrum, and many are fatal,” said Neal Sondheimer, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and Staff Physician in Clinical and Metabolic Genetics at SickKids. “With a better understanding of how mitochondrial variants emerge, we can explore new possibilities for the prevention or possibly the treatment of disease.&#8221;
<h6>mtDNA</h6>
We often refer to genetics as if each person has one genome, but we all actually have two genomes – the nuclear genome and mitochondrial genome.
The <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry">mitochondrial</a> genome (known as mtDNA) is uniquely inherited only from our mother. It operates under separate rules for inheritance and repairs to its structure. Mitochondria act like tiny cellular power plants in our bodies. Even though mtDNA represents just a small fraction of our DNA, they have outsized importance. Even small differences in mtDNA can cause serious mitochondrial diseases. Those differences may have a significant impact on such things as Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, aging, autism, preterm birth, and more.
<h6>Heteroplasmy</h6>
Mitochondrial function and DNA maintenance rely on nuclear genome-encoded components. The presence of mtDNA mutation leads to a phenomenon called heteroplasmy – an area of focus for this study.
Heteroplasmy occurs when two or more variants of mtDNA exist in the same cell. The study used data from almost one million 23andMe customers, who consented to participate in research, to calculate heteroplasmy and then identify regions of the nuclear genome that were associated with heteroplasmy. Two candidate areas in the nuclear genome associated with heteroplasmy are known to be involved in the replication of mtDNA.

Scientists uncover new information about how hard-to-treat genetic diseases are inherited

As a family medicine doctor Abayomi Jones has seen disparities in healthcare firsthand — the lack of access, or insurance, or poverty, or all of the above contribute to poor outcomes, but there’s also more to it than that.&nbsp;
“Yeah I see it and I understand why there’s mistrust in the (Black) community around research or science in general. It’s hard not to,” said Dr. Jones.
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 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="731" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1024x731.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28806" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-300x214.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-768x549.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-880x629.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/jones-abayomiPhoto-1180x843.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Unequal Outcomes</h6>
Racism plays a role, she said. Some of it is historical, such as the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. But some of it is happening right now, such as<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843483/"> how pain medication is administered</a> differently between Black and white patients. In other cases, it might be less obvious but even those subtle differences result in unequal outcomes.&nbsp;
And the pandemic has only “exposed the racism and equity gaps in healthcare that were already there, to begin with,” Dr. Jones said.&nbsp;
You see it in the vastly different outcomes for between Black and white patients with COVID-19, for example.
<h6>A Need for More Inclusive Research</h6>
But despite those problems with the current system, Dr. Jones sees value for her and other African Americans to participate in research. Right now, not enough <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/">genetic health research</a> includes people from the Black community, leaving them less likely to benefit from the insights of that research. She’s also seen this firsthand in daily medical interactions in the clinic.&nbsp;
For example, oftentimes doctors take BMI as a total number, instead of looking at body distribution and body types, she said. And they use this “average” as a general metric for all populations.
“That feels like an insult,” Dr. Jones said. “I don’t think people take it that way but the data that was used to derive that table was taken from people who do not look like me or that doesn’t take into account people who look like me.”
It’s the idea that so much of health research talks about the “average population” but that in many cases that average isn’t from all populations.&nbsp;
“And I think a lot of times in healthcare (average) is a synonym for “normal” and I think that’s the unspoken bias,” Dr. Jones said. “It’s that the average is ‘normal,’ but what if you are not a part of that average? What does that make you?”
<h6>The Motivation to Participate</h6>
That’s part of her motivation for participating in 23andMe research. She also believes that if more African Americans participate in research, whether with 23andMe, or the National Institutes of Health, there will be more relevant data around conditions that are so much more prevalent within the African American community.
“Which are all the diseases that have some of the highest mortality rates like diabetes, heart disease and weight-related conditions like hyperlipidemia,” Dr. Jones said.
Dr. Jones is also interested, not just in how the healthcare system treats people differently depending on their race, or how health research has left out the Black population, but in the health effects of racism itself.
“How stress affects your health, and the post-traumatic stress of racism specifically,” she said.
By participating in research Dr. Jones hopes to contribute to research that will benefit the Black community.
“The biggest thing is transparency,” she said. “I want to know who is profiting from this research and how will it be used? I think there is a lot of interest in how this research&nbsp; can help us and other people too.”

Participating to Improve Representation in Research

By Elliot Aguilar, Ph.D.*
For nearly all its existence, America has not only been a multiracial nation but a nation of mixed-race people.
The truth is rarely acknowledged despite the evidence being easy to find. In the nineteenth century, famed antebellum diarist Mary Chesnut remarked on the mixed-race children in “everybody’s household.” At the same time, her contemporary, Fanny Kemble, made a note of some enslaved children who bore a striking resemblance to the white overseer of her husband’s plantation. From 1850 to 1920, the category of “Mulatto” appeared in multiple US Censuses.
And there are many other examples, from old newspaper advertisements for ‘bright mulatto’ runaway slaves to popular songs like The Yellow Rose of Texas, that celebrate the pivotal role of a mixed-race woman in the fight for Texan independence. Each is a testament to the truth of our country’s history.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-28805 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide-300x137.png" alt="" width="300" height="137" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide-300x137.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Diary-Feature-Image-Wide.png 395w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<h2>History is Personal</h2>
While the historical evidence can tell us that racial mixing happened, the advent of DNA testing from 23andMe and other companies has helped to bring to light America’s complicated racial history on an individual level. The science of population genetics now allows us to quantify—and appreciate—the scale of past mixing and its effect on the ancestry of contemporary Americans.
My own family&#8217;s recent origins are in Central and South America where racial mixing is a more openly acknowledged fact of our history.  As a population biologist and a first-generation American, I am fascinated by how science can teach all Americans about our shared, intertwined history.
However, this history will come as no surprise to many African Americans, whose family lore often retains the memory of interracial unions, as well as the often traumatic circumstances that gave rise to them. Even then, science is illuminating and validating those family histories. As poet Caroline Randall Williams, the author of the acclaimed NYT op-ed, My Body is a Confederate Monument, has put it, “the science has made it easier to…claim and reframe” those family traditions.
<h2>DNA Reveals</h2>
A 2015 study by 23andMe senior scientist and population geneticist Kasia Bryc and colleagues in the <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(14)00476-5">American Journal of Human Genetics</a> found that, on average, self-reported African Americans in a dataset of 23andMe customers had about a quarter European ancestry.  <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006059">Another study </a>— this one by researchers at McGill University published two years later — showed a lower, but still very significant average level of European ancestry, about 17 percent.
But both studies vividly illustrated not just the historical intermixing of people of African, European, and Native American ancestry, but also the regional differences of that mixing within the United States. Both studies also found a measurable number of self-identified European Americans had one percent or more African ancestry. Though far lower than the European contribution to African American genomes, these findings show that the direction of genes flowing between the groups was not exclusively one-way.
Another telling finding in both of these studies is that African Americans’ European ancestry was more often than not traceable to Northern Europe, the source of most early European settlers in colonial America. This finding points to intermixing from our nation’s earliest history.  It is also a testament to the centuries-long residence of African Americans in this country, stretching back long before the founding in 1776.
<h6>What that Means</h6>
The levels of European ancestry among African Americans can give us some idea of how often interracial unions — whether forced, coerced, or consensual — occurred. Using estimates from computer simulations of African American population history by anthropologist Jessica Gross based on g<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">enetic data and historical records</a>, I calculated that an African American, randomly selected from any point in American history, had a nearly 17 percent chance of having at least one white grandparent.
<div id="attachment_28800" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28800" class="wp-image-28800 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-225x300.jpg" alt="A photo of the writer Elliot Aguilar." width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Elliot-A-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Elliot Aguilar, PhD</div>
Put another way, if you could travel to any time between 1619 and today and poll an African American person randomly, there would be a one in six chance that he or she had at least one white grandparent. And this number is likely an underestimate as Gross’s models assumed that the European contribution per generation to the African American gene pool has been constant throughout American history. It was likely significantly higher during the time of slavery when some Americans held total dominion over the bodies of others.
<h2>Out of Many, One</h2>
The findings from these studies, and the results of individual genetic ancestry tests, undermine the long-held binary classifications of black and white.  This notion is the legacy of the so-called ‘one-drop rule,’ by which a person with a single known ancestor of African descent was considered black. This rule had its earliest origins in colonial-era legislation, but it wasn’t until the Jim Crow era that it became a fixed legal and social reality. The fact that race has been assigned according to laws and social definitions, as opposed to one’s actual ancestry, underlines the fact that race is a social construct and not a biological reality.
Ever since the 2000 US census allowed Americans to select multiple races, a lot of articles have been written about the increase of the country’s mixed-race population.  As the evidence above demonstrates, we have always been a nation with a sizable mixed-race population. What is new is that Americans can now claim their multiple ancestries without shame or discrimination.
America has endured centuries of social division based on race, despite our shared genetic ties. The challenge of our future is to make our famous motto ‘E Pluribus Unum’— out of many one — a social reality, just as it has been a genetic reality all along.
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*This post comes to us from a friend of 23andMe. Elliot is a scientific advisor for the Africa Center in New York City. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from City University of New York. He did post-graduate work in mathematical biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Elliot’s day job is as a data scientist with an e-commerce company.

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