Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified three genes associated with heart failure, a devastating condition that affects an estimated 23 million people worldwide.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/heartman-300x223.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2759" width="300" height="223" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/heartman-300x223.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/heartman.jpg 350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
&nbsp;
The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14843-7">study</a>, the largest to date genome-wide association study on heart failure, also found shared genetic associations between heart failure and known heart failure risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation. The scientists also found strong associations with pulmonary conditions and musculoskeletal traits.

<h6>New Insight</h6>
The study offers researchers new insight into the underlying biology of heart failure, something that is still poorly understood, according to lead author Dr. Marios Arvanitis, a postdoctoral clinical and research fellow at Johns Hopkins University­ Division of Cardiology.
&nbsp;
As their heart gradually weakens, people with heart failure often end up with health problems. Those include difficulty breathing, fatigue, and swelling of the legs and abdomen. These effects often lead to other issues, and the condition is the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States. Scientists have long established that there is a genetic component to heart failure. Estimates are that the heritablity of heart failure is about 26 percent. But the biological underpinnings of why it develops is poorly understood.
<h6>Three Genes</h6>
This study identified three variants associated with the condition in three different genes. One of those genes is involved in the regulation of muscles in the heart. Two of the genetic variants are newly associated with heart failure. The third has been previously identified. The three strongest associations were in the genes PITX2, ACTN2, and ABO.
&nbsp;
To identify these genetic associations, researchers first used data from almost half a million individuals, including about 10,000 people with heart failure. This data came mainly from the UK Biobank. The researchers also pooled data from several other studies as part of a meta-analysis. After identifying the three strongest associations, the researchers then replicated their findings. They used data from more than 1.6 million 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research. The 23andMe dataset included data from more than 27,000 individuals with heart failure.
<h6>Shared Genetics</h6>
The study also looked at the shared genetics between heart failure and several other conditions. Researchers found shared genetics between heart failure and pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal conditions.
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“This is another illustration of 23andMe’s research model,” said Adam Auton, Ph.D., 23andMe’s principal scientist in statistical genetics. “By collaborating with expert researchers outside of 23andMe, we are able to use projects such as this to advance biomedical genetic research.”
The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14843-7">Nature Communications</a>.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

New Genetic Associations Identified for Heart Failure

To be honest, we&#8217;re still reading a lot about the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-27/u-s-identifies-first-coronavirus-case-without-ties-to-outbreak">coronavirus</a>. We&#8217;re nervous. But we didn&#8217;t want to risk repeating ourselves, so here are a few stories that caught our eye this week. 


<h6>Sweat, Tears &amp; Saliva<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22305" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-300x234.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="234" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-300x234.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-768x600.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-880x687.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-1180x921.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></h6>
Meaningful pieces of information and possibly very private information can be gathered from not only your DNA but also samples of your sweat, tears, saliva, and dental plaque. Genes &#8220;are blind to what you eat, how you exercise, how safe the place you live in is, how you unwind at the end of the day and which god you worship,&#8221; writes The Economist in a recent article.
Research is growing in the field of metabolites, or collections of molecules that you come into contact with as you go about your day. These molecules have a lot to say about your private life and behaviors. There are concerns about the lack of legal restrictions around the interpretation of metabolite patterns. These patterns could tell an employer, insurers, or the police specific details of your life, such as whether you go to church because of traces of incense on your clothes.
<h6>No Insurance, No Problem (Probably)</h6>
No health insurance means many people in the U.S. go without care. Some go south of the border to Mexico for medical treatment. Reading this guy&#8217;s <a class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink" href="https://gen.medium.com/my-journey-through-tijuana-for-the-best-surgery-2-000-can-buy-be51f1bfcffd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$2,000 surgery experience</a> offers a visceral testament that maybe the U.S. healthcare system still needs some fixing.
<h6>Glass Slippers</h6>
An analogy dictionary for technological terms called the <a class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink" href="https://sidewaysdictionary.com/#/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sideways Dictionary</a> is our new obsession. Using Cinderella as a way to explain, <a class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink" href="https://sidewaysdictionary.com/#/term/2-factor-authentication" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Two-Factor Authentication</a> answers the questions you might be embarrassed to ask your tech-savvy co-workers.

Sweat, Tears and Tijuana Doctors — What We’re Reading this Week

23andMe is boosting the way you see your family connections with a new feature. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tree-Overview-e1582841796172-300x183.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-28065 size-medium" width="300" height="183" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tree-Overview-e1582841796172-300x183.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tree-Overview-e1582841796172.jpg 708w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The feature, Family Tree, will automatically start your tree based on your list of DNA Relatives. With a new algorithm, 23andMe’s Family Tree predicts how you might be connected to your genetic relatives, so you don’t have to start from scratch.

“23andMe’s service strives to help customers explore their family ties, known and new,” said Hilary Vance, Family Tree product manager at 23andMe. “We hope our new Family Tree will make understanding your relationships easier than ever, so our customers can focus on what’s important — connecting with family.” 

<h6>Quickly see the big picture</h6>

According to a recent study conducted by 23andMe researchers, more than 50% of respondents wanted to learn more about their family history and family tree from a DNA test. Despite the high awareness and interest in family trees, very few people play an active role in developing their own tree, as 52% of respondents cited difficulty to create and not knowing where to start as the main barriers to creating one. 

With <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/ancestry/family-tree/">23andMe’s Family Tree</a>, users can see at a glance how family members are related to each other, with very little initial manual work.

To start your Family Tree, opt into DNA Relatives to see and be seen by your genetic relatives on 23andMe. Then, the Family Tree’s algorithm populates a tree in one go with your predicted genetic relatives, so you can get a head start figuring out whether cousins and other relatives are on your mom’s or dad’s side of the family.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/tree@2x-1024x354.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-27798" width="1024" height="354" />
<h6>How to edit relationships and add family members</h6>

The Family Tree algorithm offers a best guess at what your family tree could look like, but it’s only a starting point.

For example, upon first look, a second cousin may be in the wrong spot by a generation. If you see an unexpected relationship on your tree, we provide resources to help you understand the available DNA evidence and edit the prediction if needed.

Using different editing tools, you can move individual people and groups of relatives elsewhere in the tree. If a relative hasn&#8217;t participated in 23andMe&#8217;s services, you can still represent them by adding information about additional relatives to your tree.

Fill in your story by adding details about your ancestors, such as a name, photo, and place of birth. You can send a message to a relative on 23andMe, who may offer you more information to fill in the gaps.

<h6>More on the way </h6>

In the coming months, customers will see improvements and updates to the Family Tree. 

&#8220;Throughout 2020, our team will be hard at work bringing new Family Tree features to make building your family story easier than ever,” Vance said.

The joy of genetic testing is that it can introduce people to new relatives. But sometimes it can be challenging to determine how, specifically, they’re related. Take some of the guessing out of building your family tree, and let 23andMe get you started. 
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Want to see your Family Tree? Check it out on the Family &amp; Friends page of your account, or <a href="https://store.23andme.com/en-us/cart/">buy a kit</a> to get started.
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23andMe’s Latest Feature Automates Genetic Family Trees

Editor&#8217;s note: This post first appeared in the Michael J. Fox Foundation <a href="https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/behind-scenes-largest-dataset-parkinsons-patient-reported-outcomes">blog</a>. We&#8217;re reposting it here to highlight the work we are doing with the MJFF and Fox Insight.
 People with Parkinson’s can experience variable symptoms over the course of the disease, have different responses to treatment, and often progress at distinct rates. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-300x93.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25820" width="300" height="93" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-300x93.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-768x239.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-1024x319.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-880x274.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Fox-Insight-e1509055580622-1180x367.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Traditional in-person clinical studies don’t include a diverse range of patients, limiting our understanding of the disease. 
A new paper published today in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0401-2">Scientific Data</a>, a journal from Nature Research, explains how The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and 23andMe are tackling this gap in understanding. 

<h6>Data Available for Researchers</h6>
The paper outlines the data being collected through Fox Insight, an online longitudinal study of people with and without Parkinson’s disease sponsored by MJFF. It’s the largest study of patient-reported outcomes in Parkinson’s, with more than 44,000 current participants and plans to recruit thousands more. Interested volunteers can learn more on the <a href="https://foxinsight.michaeljfox.org/">foxinsight.org</a>. De-identified data from Fox Insight is available to qualified researchers through the <a href="https://foxden.michaeljfox.org/insight/explore/insight.jsp">Fox DEN platform</a>.
&nbsp;
“In this new data descriptor paper, we explain what is available, how it was collected, and from whom,” said <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-michael-j-fox-foundation-launches-2020-fox-trot-5k-runwalk-series-across-the-united-states-to-raise-1-2m-for-parkinsons-disease-research-301009899.html">Luba Smolensky</a>, MJFF’s Director of Research Data and Analytics and the lead author of the study. “The patient-reported outcomes in this dataset are critical to the advancement of new Parkinson’s therapies, and we want the research community to understand and use this important resource.”
<h6>Types of Data</h6>
Fox Insight integrates three types of data: 
<ul>
<li>demographics and patient-reported outcomes from validated instruments assessed at routine intervals, </li>
<li>information from one-time surveys on Parkinson’s-related issues such as economic burden and use of complementary therapies</li>
<li>genetic data collected through collaboration with 23andMe. </li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Both the content and timing of questionnaires are dependent on participant self-reported diagnosis. Fox Insight was also designed to support adjustments to multi-modal data collection as Parkinson’s research evolves. 
&nbsp;
23andMe researchers see the potential that this rich collection of data offers to better understand the factors that influence Parkinson’s disease progression among different patients, and, in turn, drive insight into new disease-modifying therapies.  
&nbsp;
“The data offers new opportunities to gain important insights into Parkinson’s disease,” said 23andMe’s Parkinson’s disease program manager, Paul Cannon, Ph.D. “Because MJFF is making this data available to other qualified researchers through the Fox Den platform, it enables the research community  to accelerate the pace of this important research and better understand the unique patient experience, and that is at the core of our mission.”
The goal of Fox Insight is to provide Parkinson’s researchers with a rich dataset combining patient experiences with genetic risks and modifiers that can be used for discovery, validation, and reproducibility. Qualified researchers are invited to explore and analyze the data through the study’s data platform, <a href="https://foxden.michaeljfox.org.">Fox DEN</a>.

Behind-the-Scenes of the Largest Dataset of Parkinson’s Patient-Reported Outcomes 

This past week we&#8217;re continuing to read about the response to the coronavirus, and the efforts to develop a vaccine. But that intense focus hasn&#8217;t been to the exclusion of other interesting articles in our reading list this week. So here is what we&#8217;re reading.
<h2>Wash Your Hands</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28040" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CDC-Image-of-Coronavirus-300x168.png" alt="" width="300" height="168" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CDC-Image-of-Coronavirus-300x168.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CDC-Image-of-Coronavirus.png 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />More on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-coronavirus-contain.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-coronavirus&amp;variant=show&amp;region=TOP_BANNER&amp;context=storyline_menu">coronavirus</a> — estimates are that China has now imposed travel restrictions on more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage">10 percent of its population</a>! The outbreak has sharpened our focus on the public health response, as well as the need for rapid research required to create an effective vaccine. In the meantime, we are all becoming a little more diligent about things like washing your hands. On that note, here&#8217;s an illustration of the most often missed areas when washing your hands.
<h2>Glass Houses</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28039" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Real-Life-Book-Image-191x300.jpg" alt="" width="191" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Real-Life-Book-Image-191x300.jpg 191w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Real-Life-Book-Image.jpg 318w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px" />We often believe that working in the sciences is somehow more progressive than working in other fields. Still, Brandon Taylor&#8217;s book Real Life offers <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/brandontaylor/i-dont-miss-being-a-scientist-except-when-i-do">a different point of view</a>. As a gay black man, he often felt isolated, silenced and marginalized. &#8220;Science was the constant humiliation of wondering if I had justified my presence,&#8221; Tayor writes in this Buzzfeed piece. He wondered if he had &#8220;made it harder for the next black person to get admitted.&#8221; Ultimately it&#8217;s what drove him from the field.
<h2>The Food We Eat</h2>
We eat <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/13/how-ultra-processed-food-took-over-your-shopping-basket-brazil-carlos-monteiro">a lot of junk</a>, and that may explain why we&#8217;re getting so fat. We&#8217;re not just consuming processed food loaded with sugar, salt, and fat, but what are called &#8220;ultra-processed foods.&#8221; These are &#8220;foods&#8221; are what the Guardian calls &#8220;concoctions of concoctions&#8221; that resemble food. According to this Guardian story, now more than half the calories consumed in the United States and the UK are made up of these ultra-processed foods. Makes us think that <a href="https://michaelpollan.com/books/">Michael Pollan&#8217;s</a> diet advice, &#8220;Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.&#8221; And when he says &#8220;food&#8221; he means real food, not processed stuff.
<h2>Heavy</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28041" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-197x300.png" alt="" width="197" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-197x300.png 197w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-768x1169.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-673x1024.png 673w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-578x880.png 578w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book-775x1180.png 775w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Tommy-Tomlinsons-Book.png 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px" />It would all be so simple if we ate less and made better food choices, but it&#8217;s not so simple. There&#8217;s much more involved in what drives people to eat the way they do. We wish more people had read Tommy Tomlinson&#8217;s 2019 book, &#8220;<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Elephant-in-the-Room/Tommy-Tomlinson/9781501111617">The Elephant in the Room, One Fat Man&#8217;s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America</a>.&#8221; A great writer and one-time finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, Tomlinson brings his story and a lot of humanity to the struggles of people trying to lose weight and improve their health. Helping people to make those changes requires a more profound understanding, or we&#8217;ll never deal with the looming obesity crisis. &#8220;What I want you to understand, more than anything else, is that telling a fat person to &#8216;eat less and exercise&#8217; is like telling a boxer, &#8220;Don&#8217;t get hit,&#8221; Tomlinson writes. Understanding the emotional and psychological hurdles people often need to clear before taking the actions they already know they need to take to be healthy is essential. Tomlinson&#8217;s writing brings that home, just as he vividly describes his weight&#8217;s toll on his body. Read his book, now in paperback, or at least read the piece he wrote last year for the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/01/weight-loss-essay-tomlinson/579832/">Atlantic</a>.
<h2></h2>
<h2>Ghost in the Machine</h2>
More good stuff on <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/genetic-traces-of-mysterious-human-lineage-detected-in-people-living-in">Ghost DNA</a> finding but no name for this ancient human cousin until we get the bones. Scientists found <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/science/west-africa-ancient-humans.html">evidence of these ancient human cousins</a> in the DNA of modern living humans in West Africa. What we are learning is that it wasn&#8217;t just <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/features/neanderthal-dna-in-modern-human-genomes-is-not-silent-66299">Neanderthals, </a>or <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/ancient-dna-puts-face-mysterious-denisovans-extinct-cousins-neanderthals">Denisovans</a>, or even <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/08/news-homo-floresiensis-hobbit-genetics-dna-pygmy-flores-island/">Hobbits</a>, that interbred with early modern humans. Our ancestors were also mixing with other as <a href="https://theconversation.com/early-humans-in-africa-may-have-interbred-with-a-mysterious-extinct-species-new-research-131699">yet unidentified ancient human cousins</a>.

Junk Food, Viruses, and Ghosts — What We’re Reading This Week

By David Silverberg
During Christmas three years ago, when Doug Clarke and his wife exchanged 23andMe DNA kits as gifts, he had no clue his life would be irrevocably changed.
<div id="attachment_27957" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27957" class="size-medium wp-image-27957" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/PatriciaDoug-e1580924652355-300x231.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="231" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/PatriciaDoug-e1580924652355-300x231.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/PatriciaDoug-e1580924652355.jpg 666w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Doug and Patricia after meeting in Santa Cruz for the first time.</div>
The 54-year-old Lexington, Kentucky resident always long known he’d been adopted and he wasn’t searching for his birth parents. Rather, he took the <a href="https://www.23andme.com/en-ca/howitworks/">23andMe test</a> to find out if he was at risk for certain health conditions.
But when the results revealed that a relative lived in New York, Doug reached out to him and found out this man was his cousin. Doug’s newfound cousin told him, “My aunt, Patricia, is your mother.”

<h2>A New Family Relationship</h2>
Within weeks, Doug was on a plane to Santa Cruz where his birth mother lived. It had been a tough year for Doug: he lost his father months before taking the DNA test, and the two had been very close growing up.
“To find my birth mother helped ease that sting of losing the father who raised me,” Clarke said in an interview.
Meeting his birth mother at a lighthouse near Santa Cruz proved to be the catalyst for a new relationship he never thought he would find.
“There’s literally no way I would have met my mother without 23andMe,” Doug said.
Patricia and Doug joined 23andMe for a special Mother&#8217;s Day event in 2018 where we chronicled their story in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaGUyrlp9ac">video</a>: 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XaGUyrlp9ac" width="966" height="543" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>Spending Time</h2>
But it’s the relationship that the two have formed since that initial meeting, that has been the true gift. Their story of building a bond that has only grown since that first meeting is something they both have worked at nurturing. Now they talk every week on Sundays and spend holidays together. They have merged their two families allowing them to gradually become acquainted.
It’s been a blessing for Patricia Johnson, Doug’s birth mother. For years she felt shame and guilt for giving her son up for adoption.
“I always wondered if my baby was going to be OK, if he was doing well,” Patricia, 79, said. “But now that I know him and have seen what a great man he’s become, I no longer feel that guilt.”
In fact, Doug has been there for her during unfortunate mishaps, like when she suffered a fall and endured a compression fracture in her spine in December 2019.
“And who was there to take care of me after the long plane ride from Kentucky? My son,” she said. “He did my laundry, cooked for me, and applied those IcyHot patches on my back.”
Patricia saw a lot of similarities between the two even at that initial meeting.
“Our eyes are the same for sure, and we make the same hand gestures,” she said. “Even our likes and dislikes with food and music are the same!”
<h2>What New DNA Relatives Should Expect</h2>
It’s not just Doug she’s bonded with but his family too.  Patricia is gradually getting to know Doug’s wife Lisa, his daughter-in-law, his sister, nephew, and brother-in-law. For his part, Doug is in touch with his half-sister and cousins, aunts and uncles from Patricia’s side of the family.
Doug cautioned that adoptees should temper their expectations if they reconnect with their birth parents via 23andMe or other methods.
“Don’t think the heavens will open and angels will start singing and you’ll have the perfect relationship,” he said. “Just go into it with an open mind. And if you don’t go through with it because you’re scared, you might have missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Patricia is often quick to share her story of reuniting with her long-lost son, so much so she even inspired someone randomly.
When her WiFi connection malfunctioned, a technician came into her home to fix it. The two began talking and Patricia said she:
“Got all blubbery and told him about Doug and what happened and what this DNA test gave me. He told me he is also adopted and just as he was walking out the door he said ‘I think I’m going try 23andmMe and look for my parents.’ And I said, ‘Honey, do it! It’s worth every cent you have!’”
David Silverberg is a freelance journalist and content creator who regularly contributes to BBC News, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and Gamespot. He is also a theatre artist and wrote about his Jewish heritage in his new solo show Jewnique. Find him at<a href="http://davidsilverberg.ca"> DavidSilverberg.ca</a>

A mother and Son Fostered New Relationship

23andMe is a proud co-sponsor of “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/gene/">Ken Burns Presents, The Gene: An Intimate History,</a>” a fascinating new PBS documentary detailing the revolutionary discoveries emerging in this new genomic age.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-237x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28010" width="237" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-237x300.jpg 237w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-768x971.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-810x1024.jpg 810w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-696x880.jpg 696w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical-933x1180.jpg 933w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Gene-Vertical.jpg 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px" />
 
The film is based on Pulitzer-prize winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book of the same name. Airing over two nights in April, the four-hour documentary looks at the past, present, and future of genetic science and its promise to improve the lives of millions of people across the globe. The film movingly details the stories of people saved by breakthrough genetic therapies. But the film also looks honestly at the ethical dilemmas this new era presents.
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“These revolutionary discoveries highlight the awesome responsibility we have to make wise decisions, not just for people alive today, but for generations to come,” said Mukherjee.

<h6>A Previous Collaboration</h6>
Along with writing books, Mukherjee is also an assistant professor of medicine at the Department of Medicine, Columbia University, as well as a cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center. 
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The film is the second collaboration between Mukherjee and Burns, who previously worked together on an Emmy Award-nominated adaptation of another of Mukherjee’s books, “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.” This new documentary is equally weighty, skillfully adding context to the mapping of the human genome, the most significant scientific breakthrough of a generation. 
<iframe loading="lazy" width="512" height="332" src="https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/3037830122/" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" seamless="" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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“For me, science, like history, is the exploration of what has come before and the promise of the future,” said Burns. “THE GENE untangles the code of life itself.” 
<h6>Gene Therapy</h6>
The episodes unfold with stories about the scientists and the people they have helped to save. One episode of the series details how gene therapy has saved the lives of two young children with a typically fatal genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy. 
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“I’d say each moment where there has been a dramatic success doesn’t just enliven the people who are working on the disease, it ripples across the field,” said <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director">Dr. Francis Collins</a>, the director of the National Institutes of Health, and a geneticist who helped discover the genes associated with cystic fibrosis. “It’s one more reason to believe that those decades of really hard slogging are finally beginning to yield up some remarkable events.” 
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The film was directed by Chris Durrance and Jack Youngelson, with award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman serving as senior producer. Burns and Mukherjee served as executive producers. With Burn’s distinctive style, the film also includes historical footage, photos, and interviews to document the history of genetic science.  
<h6>Ethics</h6>
Along with these stories and others that note how genetic science is deepening our understanding of health conditions, the series also explores the ethical implications surrounding the science of gene editing.
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The film wrestles with what happens now that the human genome is mostly readable. As in Mukherjee&#8217;s book about genetics, the series also delves into the ethical dilemmas raised by gene editing. This new technology allows scientists to modify the human germline to stave off deadly genetic conditions, or for less lofty purposes. 
Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate Story airs April 7 and 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on PBS member stations nationwide.
Find out more about the series and air times <a href="http://pbs.org/thegene">here</a>.
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The Gene: An Intimate History

<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="275" height="300" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-275x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27997" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-275x300.jpg 275w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-768x839.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-938x1024.jpg 938w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-806x880.jpg 806w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Jeremiah-1-1081x1180.jpg 1081w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px" /></figure>



“Where are you from?” 



It’s a question, Jeremiah struggled to answer most of his life. His home was in Oakland, California, but for Jeremiah simply saying “Oakland” wasn’t enough. All his life he longed to be able to say more about his African heritage.&nbsp;



“I was a tree without roots,” Jeremiah said.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-paper-records-fail">Where Paper Records Fail</h6>



Seeing his 23andMe results, gave him that extra bit of information about his African ancestry that he’d always wanted to know, said Jeremiah.



Paper records and family lore could take Jeremiah back only so far. Like most African Americans, the scourge of slavery meant he could never trace back to where in Africa his ancestors were stolen from before they were shipped off into bondage. His parents and grandparents were unsure about their ancestry beyond a few generations. An entrepreneur and motivational speaker, Jeremiah’s driving purpose is his teenage daughters, but despite how far he had come, he still felt like a stranger to himself. 



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="254" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/map_of_africa-300x254.png" alt="" class="wp-image-26483" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/map_of_africa-300x254.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/map_of_africa.png 697w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



That changed four years ago when he received his 23andMe reports. He hoped DNA testing would offer him some of the answers he’d been searching for most of his life. He also wanted to give his daughters a better understanding of their ancestry. He wanted them to have the confidence that comes with truly knowing who you are.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-connections-to-africa">Connections to Africa</h6>



Opening his results for the first time, “meant everything.” Jeremiah learned that he is a descendant of the Ghanaian people, with ancestors also in Nigeria, the Congo and other areas of Africa. In that one moment, he felt connected.



“I finally felt at peace with who I am,” Jeremiah reflected. “People often walk through life wanting to have others understand and know them, but they don’t always understand and know themselves. Getting to know the stranger within each of us will better arm us to assist the strangers we encounter in life.”



Jeremiah always felt an affinity with the rich cultural heritage of Ghana, so it thrilled him to learn of his ancestral connection to the region.&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sankofa">Sankofa</h6>



To capture what his discovery has meant, Jeremiah mentions the word, “Sankofa.” In the Twi language of Ghana, it means “to go back and get.” The phrase embodies the concept that for humans to better understand what’s happening now and what is possible in the future, they need to go back and comprehend what happened before. That’s what Jeremiah is trying to do, he said.



To mark the 400th anniversary of slavery in America, the government of Ghana sponsored in 2019 something called the Year of Return. An estimated half a million people who are part of the African diaspora visited Ghana. Jeremiah is determined to make his own pilgrimage there “to go back and get.”



There is a rite of passage in Ghana where African-Americans can return and surrender their American name to receive a new African name. Jeremiah was never given a middle name, so he plans to participate. Only he won’t be surrendering his American name. Rather he will “go back and get” the name Kwame as his middle name. Kwame is the name traditionally given to men born on a Saturday, just like Jeremiah was.



“I’m looking forward to taking my daughters to Ghana so they can see for themselves where we come from,” Jeremiah said. “They’re still young so they don’t fully understand what I wrestled with for decades. We all have to figure out who we are, but I hope that knowing more about their Ghanain heritage will help them in that process.”



Not everyone will have the opportunity to travel back to where their ancestors came from, engage in the culture of their ancestors, and ensure their future generations know more than they did. For Jeremiah, his 23andMe kit wasn’t just enlightening, it was life-altering.&nbsp;



Now he knows where he comes from.



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Learning About Yourself With 23andMe

Every year, millions of us make New Year&#8217;s resolutions to improve our health. We pledge to eat better, go to bed earlier, or exercise more. And every year, most of us don’t follow through and make those healthy behavior changes. Typically, we&#8217;re giving up on our resolutions right about now.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27549 size-medium" title="Healthy Behavior change" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-300x132.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="132" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-300x132.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-768x337.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-1024x449.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-880x386.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock-1180x518.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Diet-Exercise-istock.jpg 1545w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
We start with great intentions, but most of us soon abandon them by the middle of February, according to the U.S. News &amp; World Report. It’s not because we don’t want to change. Many of us simply don’t know how to stick to it.
But what if we didn&#8217;t quit? What if we found a way to make resolutions around our health that we could stick to?

<h2>Small Changes with Big Health Results</h2>
A <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002981">recent study</a> revealed that a few simple changes to eating habits in the United States could save more than $50 billion yearly in treatment costs for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. If a mere 1 percent of smokers on Medicaid quit smoking, it’d save the program $2.6 billion each year, according to <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/medicaid-could-save-26-billion-within-year-if-just-1-percent-recipients-quit-smoking">research by UCSF</a>. If half of those smokers quit, annual savings would jump to $130 billion.
The lives saved by that kind of change are much more important than the money.
So how do we do it? How do we make clear, concrete and achievable health resolutions and stick to them?
<h2>Factors for Successful Healthy Behavior Change</h2>
From experience, most of us know what doesn’t work: we usually fail on resolutions that are too broad and impersonal or if we make resolutions that are too far beyond what is immediately possible. Intentions are important, but to make changes to improve our health, we need to set clear, precise, and achievable resolutions and find tools to help us get there.
At 23andMe, we’ve been studying genes and genetic variants associated with various health conditions and the actions people can take to improve their health. We’re seeing that learning about your genetics when combined with informed action, makes a potent recipe for positive change.
For the last four years, researchers at 23andMe have been looking at data around New Year&#8217;s Resolutions that are focused on improving one’s health. This work has informed some of what we’ve <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/genes-and-behaviors-associated-with-new-years-resolutions/">learned</a> about how your <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/data-shows-your-gender-diet-and-age-all-impact-exercise-frequency/">age,</a> where you live, and your genetics may influence whether you make resolutions and follow through with them. This yearly study has raised many new questions, not just about who makes and keeps resolutions but about what helps them actually reach their health goals.
<h2>More Data Needed<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27607 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-300x164.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="164" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-300x164.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-768x419.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-1024x558.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-880x480.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-1180x643.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-271x149.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-372x204.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-574x315.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social-980x539.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/social.jpg 1222w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></h2>
We want to know more, so we’re also looking at other data about healthy behavior change. We want to know whether some customers are already primed and ready to take action or whether there is something about our personalized health reports that nudges them toward <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/for-scientists/tipping-scales-participants-make-healthy-dietary-changes-response-direct-consumer-genetic-test-results/">healthier behaviors.</a>  We have some data indicating that <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/survey-finds-23andme-customers-make-positive-changes-to-their-health/">it may,</a> but we need to learn more.
This is important because influencing positive healthy behavior could have a big impact on public health. In the United States, we’re very good at monetizing illness, but not so good at prevention. We know a lot about developing drugs and marketing treatments for chronic conditions like Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but we haven’t figured out how to help people take actions that could stop them from developing in those conditions in the first place.
By 2030, the CDC predicts, the annual cost of cardiovascular disease in the US, in health care expenses and lost productivity, will exceed $1 trillion. Projections suggest that by <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1909301?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=4c3a6aae08-MR_COPY_12&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-4c3a6aae08-129845433">2030 half the U.S. population will be obes</a>e. The associated health impacts will be devastating. And yet, we know this is preventable with simple lifestyle changes.
The challenge is how to help people make lasting changes to improve their health.

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