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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23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

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.

23andMe Studies Healthy Behavior Change

By Amanda McCorquodale
When I ordered my 23andMe kit, I thought genetic health information was simply another version of family health history gathered by doctors at every wellness visit. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Email-Icon.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-24279" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Email-Icon.jpg 168w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Email-Icon-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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<h6>My Results Are In </h6>
Yet when the email arrived indicating that my results were ready, I was suddenly terrified to read them. 
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After all, learning that your body may have a hidden risk is tough to stomach. Heck, even James Watson, one of the scientists who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, refused to find out whether he carried the genetic variant that would put him at a higher risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. 

<h6>Do I Want to Know?</h6>
23andMe makes sure to put certain health results —the report that looks at your potential risk for late-onset Alzheimer&#8217;s disease for instance — behind many locked doors, so to speak, giving users the option to open them or keep them closed if they wish. Even if you decide to open these locked reports, 23andMe requires you to go through a tutorial to ensure you understand the reports before you open them. 
<div id="attachment_27955" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27955" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-300x267.png" alt="" class="wp-image-27955 size-medium" width="300" height="267" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-300x267.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-768x684.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-1024x913.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-880x784.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh-1180x1052.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/mutyh.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />There is an additional opt-in process for viewing four of the Genetic Health Risk reports.</div>
Genetics is not deterministic, and 23andMe doesn’t diagnose anything, I reminded myself. They are pretty clear that even if you have a genetic variant that puts you at a higher risk for certain conditions, it’s only one of many factors that could lead to developing the condition or disease. Often, the genetic test only identifies a small set of variants associated with the disease – so even if no variant is detected, you still may be at some genetic risk for the condition. 
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<h6>Information About Me</h6>
23andMe has more than a dozen different reports on Health Predispositions, including genetic health risk reports. You have to opt-into viewing those reports. There are also four of the reports — the Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Health Risk report*, the genetic health risk report on Parkinson’s Disease,* the BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Genetic Health Risk report*, and the MUTYH-associated Polyposis Genetic Health Risk report* — that require an additional opt-in to unlock those results. Before doing that 23andMe has you review a tutorial, to ensure you carefully consider whether or not you actually want to see the results. After reviewing the tutorial, I decided to unlock those reports and face my genetic health information head-on.
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I learned that I have three genetic variants that may influence my chances of <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">developing certain health conditions</a>. I have a slightly increased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).* I was not surprised as I knew of relatives who had developed this late in life, but I was disappointed to learn I had inherited this genetic predisposition to vision loss. 
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The results put my genetic risk in perspective, however. There are things I can do to decrease the chances of developing AMD. I learned that making changes to my diet, and other lifestyle choices like not smoking play a major factor in my overall risk. 
<h6>Mitigating Risks</h6>
My risk for developing AMD is also something I could pass onto my kids, but knowing about it now allows me and any of my family to make lifestyle changes that could help mitigate those risks over time. 
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My results also revealed that based on my genetics I have about a 35 percent chance of developing <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a> at some point in the next 40 years, which is considered a typical likelihood for someone of my ethnic background. Having developed gestational diabetes twice myself and knowing multiple family members with diabetes, I was surprised that my genetic likelihood wasn’t higher.
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More surprising is that I carry one of the two genetic variants associated with <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency/">alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency</a>, a genetic condition I had never heard of that can lead to lung and liver disease.* According to my results, having just one of the variants is not associated with an increased risk. Yet, I wondered if having one variant could impact my health at all, so I made a note to ask my physician at my upcoming physical.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-300x173.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27974" width="300" height="173" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-300x173.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-768x444.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-1024x592.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-880x509.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SERPINA1-1180x682.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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Looking at these different reports, I learned that I can take simple actions to mitigate my chances of developing these conditions. Genetics is important but often a small part of my overall health. 
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The results also put my long-term wellness in focus, and I found I was that much more motivated to pursue healthy habits such as eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercise regularly.  
You can read the first post on this three-part series <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-and-you/23andme-how-to/taking-the-leap-into-my-dna-part-i/">here</a>.
Amanda McCorquodale is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in Gourmet, Miami Magazine and Mental Floss. She previously worked as an associate editor at the Huffington Post and as an Arts and Culture Editor at the Miami New Times. She lives in New York with her family.
*The 23andMe PGS test includes health predisposition and carrier status reports. Health predisposition reports include both reports that meet US FDA requirements for genetic health risks and the 23andMe Type 2 Diabetes health predisposition report which is based on 23andMe research and has not been reviewed by the FDA. The 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 and reporting carrier status. 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’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. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if you have two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell you anything about your risk for developing a disease in the future, the health of your fetus, or your newborn child&#8217;s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. Warnings &amp; Limitations: The 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) is indicated for reporting of the 185delAG and 5382insC variants in the BRCA1 gene and the 6174delT variant in the BRCA2 gene. The report describes if a woman is at increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and if a man is at increased risk of developing breast cancer or may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The three variants included in this report are most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and do not represent the majority of BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in the general population. The MUTYH-Associated Polyposis Genetic Health Risk Report is indicated for reporting the Y179C and G396D variants in the MUTYH gene and an increased risk for colorectal cancer. The two variants included in this report are most common in people of Northern European descent. These reports do not include variants in other genes linked to hereditary cancers and the absence of variants included in these reports do not rule out the presence of other genetic variants that may impact cancer risk. The PGS test is not a substitute for visits to a healthcare professional for recommended screenings or appropriate follow-up. Results should be confirmed in a clinical setting before taking any medical action. For important information and limitations regarding other genetic health risk reports and carrier status reports, visit  <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/">https://www.23andme.com/test-info</a>.

Amanda McCorquodale

Taking a Leap Into My DNA: Part II

By Andrew Todhunter
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Thomas Johnson was curious. How much Native American ancestry did he have? A software developer and former US Army medic from Stockton, California, he grew up in the northwest corner of Indiana. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_1529-scaled-e1580857298484-300x258.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-27948 size-medium" width="300" height="258" />

“Where I grew up, there’s a belief that everyone from that part of the country has some percentage of Native American ancestry,” he said. 

Born in 1971, Thomas grew up with a single mom and never knew his biological father. Whenever he asked his mother about that side of the family, he got nowhere. 

“I thought this was a mystery that I’d never solve,” he said. 
<h6>A DNA Relative Match</h6>
In January of 2017, he bought a 23andMe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">DNA test kit</a>, mailed it in, and waited.  When he received the email that his reports were ready, Thomas logged in one afternoon at work. After opting in to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">23andMe’s DNA Relatives</a> feature, he learned that his DNA had matched with a close genetic relative: Edwina Kimble. A name he’d never heard before. The test estimated that Edwina was his paternal grandmother. There at work, staring at the screen, Thomas started to cry. 

He immediately began to search for his grandmother online, and soon came upon her obituary. She had passed away less than two months before he submitted his DNA test, at age 94. 

After decades without answers, the timing stunned him. “I just missed her,” he said. 
<h6>Becoming a Baby Brother</h6>
He found the names of her six children in the obituary—one daughter and five sons. One of those men, he knew, must be his biological father. He soon found a cousin on his father’s side who shared a mutual friend. One connection led to another, and finally, he reached his grandmother’s descendants. 

“The brothers knew right away I was Tommy&#8217;s boy,” he said. “They knew he had dated my mother, and they welcomed me right into the family.”

Thomas learned that he had an older sister named Charnell, who is four years older than him. 

“She later told me she’d always wanted a baby brother,” he said. 
<h6>Connecting</h6>
Their father’s only children, Thomas and Charnell grew up in the same neighborhood. They went to the same private elementary school and the same high school, but the four-year age gap was just wide enough to keep them from overlapping. After he’d made contact, Thomas communicated almost daily with his family in Indiana. In their conversations and video chats, Charnell noticed that Thomas had the same laugh and many of the same mannerisms as their father, even though the two had never met.

“When I first called my Dad on the phone,” Thomas said, “we just laughed. Since then we’ve met in person&#8230; A few months ago, he called me ‘son’ for the first time.”

For her part, Charnell embraced her role as big sister. “She was all in my business about my love life,” Thomas said, laughing. “She was an only child and she told me, ‘I want nieces and nephews from you!’”
<h6>Getting Some Help Finding His Valentine</h6>
Charnell and their cousin Anita started matchmaking for Thomas remotely and set up a profile for him on a dating app for those seeking long-term relationships. At first, nothing came of it, but in July of 2017, he found Maria Vejar.
<div id="attachment_27951" style="width: 289px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27951" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_1592-1-scaled-e1580857362382-279x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27951 size-medium" width="279" height="300" />Thomas gets down on his knee to ask Maria to marry him.</div>
Maria had a beautiful smile and they shared many interests, including family, faith, hiking, and the importance of helping others. Thomas reached out, and Maria responded. They communicated online for two weeks, then moved to conversations by phone. When they first met in person, said Thomas, everything felt right. They grew steadily closer, and Thomas proposed at a 23andMe event called DNA Day. They’ve set the date for November of 2020. 

“Maria is so giving,” said Thomas. “She’ll always do for others before she does for herself. I’ve never met anyone like her. She told me, ‘I haven’t known love like this, ever.’ And I feel the same way.” 

<h6>A Growing Family</h6>
Maria comes from a large, tight-knit family in California, and has two children of her own—20-year-old Samuel and 18-year-old Mariah. In his new life with Maria, Thomas is gaining another big family he never expected. 
<div id="attachment_27953" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27953" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_1637-scaled-e1580857587951-300x261.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27953 size-medium" width="300" height="261" />Maria said yes.</div>
And the curiosity about his percentage of Native American ancestry, that led Thomas to take the DNA test in the first place? Those results came back too. He’s only a fraction Native American, at 1.7 percent, but he has a doting older sister and cousins and nieces and nephews and a father he thought he’d never find.

“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I just became an uncle twice, and I have three godchildren. I have family birthdays all over my calendar. When I was younger, more family was the one thing I wanted most that I didn’t have. When I joined the military, they became my family. Later, the church became my family. Now I have real family.”

And here on Valentine’s Day, he and Maria have each other.

<a href="http://www.andrewtodhunter.com/about">Andrew Todhunter</a> is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and lecturer at Stanford University. The author of three books, including the PEN USA Literary Award-Winning A Meal Observed, his journalism includes dozens of articles in publications such as National Geographic, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal.

Andrew Todhunter

Thomas Finds Family, and then His Valentine

Five short stories about the genetic history of Western Europe — from the Celts to Charlemagne.



You probably have some Celtic ancestry (but don’t dig out your bagpipes just yet)



<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<h6>Did you know?</h6>
<code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><code style="display: none;"> 
</code><a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/french_german/">French &amp; German</a> ancestry doesn’t only reflect ancestry from France or Germany. It also represents ancestry from one of the predominantly French or Germanic- speaking countries of Europe, including: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Switzerland.
</div>



Near the dawn of European written history, Greek scholars recorded the existence of the Keltoi, or <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/celt/">Celts</a> — advanced Iron Age tribes with roots near the headwaters of the Rhine and Danube rivers in the Alps.



In the 19th century, finely wrought gold, bronze, and iron artifacts from an early Celtic society were discovered in the Austrian Alps. These artifacts hint at wealth and a facility with metalworking that may have aided in the rapid expansion of the Celts across Europe.



By the <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/celt/">3rd century BCE</a>, there were Celtic-speaking peoples from the British Isles to the Black Sea.&nbsp;



So, you probably inherited some Celtic-like DNA even if your family never lived in the British Isles, but it’s old&#8230;really old.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="276" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg" alt="Map of Celtic Origins in Europe" class="wp-image-28132" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion-300x162.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>







<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nbsp">&nbsp;</h6>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-europe-belonged-to-caesar">When Europe belonged to Caesar</h6>



After fending off frequent attacks from the Celtic tribes of Gaul (the heart of which is now France and Belgium), Julius Caesar and his Roman legions decided to remove this Celtic threat for good.&nbsp;



In 58 BCE, Roman troops led by Caesar began a series of devastating military campaigns to subjugate the Celtic tribes and secure the western bank of the Rhine River—a natural barrier against the restless Germanic tribes to the east. By 51 BCE, Gaul fell to Caesar.



Over the next 500 years, Latin became the lingua franca in Gaul, and Celtic languages found refuge along the Atlantic fringe of Europe.&nbsp;



Despite this massive cultural shift, genetic <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26387712">evidence</a> suggests the Romans from Rome didn’t leave much DNA behind in Gaul.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="237" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Roman-Empire-300x237.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27965" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Roman-Empire-300x237.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Roman-Empire.jpg 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-german-tribes-go-south">German tribes go South</h6>



Ever heard of “Francia”? The “Frankish Kingdom”? The “Franks”?&nbsp;



It’s fine if you haven’t, but you might have a genetic connection to them.



After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, the Franks — a federation of Germanic tribes led by Clovis I — wrested control of Gaul from the Romans and Visigoths, marking the founding of Francia (the Frankish Kingdom) and the beginning of the Merovingian Dynasty.&nbsp;



Germanic-speaking precursors to the Franks and other Germanic tribes are thought to have originated in southern Scandinavia over 3,000 years ago, expanding further and further south into formerly Celtic and Roman territory. Recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26387712">studies</a> found evidence that the widespread migrations of Germanic peoples between the 4th and 6th centuries (called the “Migration Period”) had a more significant impact on northwestern and central Europe’s DNA than did the expansion of the Roman Empire. 



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27967 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FrenchGerman.png" alt="" width="512" height="216" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FrenchGerman.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FrenchGerman-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></h6>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-spirit-of-francia">The Spirit of Francia</h6>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-know-nbsp">Did you know?&nbsp;</h2>



23andMe’s “French &amp; German” ancestry falls roughly within the historical bounds of the Frankish Kingdom—Francia—as it existed in the early 9th century under Charlemagne.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="365" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Francia.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27968" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Francia.jpg 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Francia-300x214.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>







And, speaking of Charlemagne&#8230;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-you-could-be-descended-from-charlemagne-king-of-the-franks-nbsp">How you could be descended from Charlemagne, King of the Franks&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Charlemagne.png" alt="" class="wp-image-27969" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Charlemagne.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Charlemagne-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<h6>Fast Facts</h6>
• Approximately 1 million 23andMe customers have a majority French German Ancestry, while over 5 million customers possess at least 1 percent of this genetic heritage
• Today, Frenchand German Ancestry is widespread across central and western Europe, with particularly high concentrations near the Upper Rhine River, where France, Germany, and Switzerland converge.
• “French and German Ancestry is most prevalent among 23andMe customers from Switzerland, with an average of around 64 percent.
</div>



The authors of a recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23667324">study</a> estimated that every European who lived over 1,000 years ago — and left descendants — is very likely the ancestor of every ethnically European person alive today. And Charlemagne, King of the Franks, was particularly prolific, siring around 20 children.



Suppose you go far enough back in time. In that case, your pedigree is actually “collapsing” repeatedly, with many of your ancestors showing up on multiple branches of your family tree.



So, if you have European ancestry, you’re probably descended from Charlemagne.&nbsp;

What is French and German Ancestry?

As we celebrate <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/african-american-scientists/">Black History Month</a>, we want to raise awareness about some of the conditions 23andMe reports on that are more common in people of African descent. 
 
<h6>Sickle Cell Anemia<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2-231x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-27924 size-medium" width="231" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2-231x300.jpg 231w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2-768x996.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2-790x1024.jpg 790w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2-679x880.jpg 679w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sickle-Cell-fact-452x586_x2.jpg 904w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px" /></h6>
About 1 in 13 African Americans have the genetic variant in the HBB gene that causes sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is characterized by anemia, episodes of pain, and frequent infections. Being a carrier does not mean you have the condition. A person must carry two variants in the HBB gene to develop this condition.
  
<h6>G6PD Deficiency</h6>
About 1 in 10 African American men have<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/g6pd-deficiency/"> G6PD deficiency</a>. People with this condition usually don’t develop symptoms unless they are exposed to certain triggers, including certain food, medications or infections.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2-231x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-27925 size-medium" width="231" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2-231x300.jpg 231w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2-768x996.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2-790x1024.jpg 790w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2-679x880.jpg 679w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/G6PD-fact-452x586_x2.jpg 904w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px" /> 
<h6>Hereditary Amyloidosis (TTR-Related)</h6>
It is estimated that about 1 in 28 African Americans carry a variant linked to <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/a-new-23andme-genetic-health-risk-report-brings-to-light-underdiagnosed-condition/">TTR-related hereditary amyloidosis</a>. This little-known genetic condition is caused by the buildup of a protein called<a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/TTR"> transthyretin</a> (TTR). This protein buildup can damage the nerves, the heart, and other parts of the body. Because the symptoms vary widely, the condition is often misdiagnosed.
<h6></h6>
<h6>Beta Thalassemia and Related Hemoglobinopathies</h6>
<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/carrier/beta-thalassemia/">Beta thalassemia</a> is a genetic disorder characterized by anemia and fatigue as well as bone deformities and organ problems. Among those who are most impacted are people of North African descent. 
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">23andMe Health + Ancestry Service</a> customers can learn more about these conditions by viewing their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/health/">health reports</a>.* <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TTR-fact-452x586_x1-231x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright wp-image-27926 size-medium" width="231" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TTR-fact-452x586_x1-231x300.jpg 231w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TTR-fact-452x586_x1.jpg 452w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px" />
&nbsp;
African Americans continue to be underrepresented in genetic research, but 23andMe is working to change that with initiatives to improve the diversity in the science we do.  
 
Our mission has always been to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. We want to make sure that we&#8217;re doing that for all people. That means broadening the diversity and including populations that are not now well represented. 
&nbsp;
<div style="float: center; text-align: justified; width: 600px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<h6>Diversity in Research</h6>
 
For more than a decade now, 23andMe scientists have undertaken efforts to improve diversity in our research, particularly among African Americans and people of African descent. Some of those efforts include programs like our<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/announcements/roots-into-the-future/"> Roots Into the Future</a> study, the <a href="https://www.23andme.com/africa-project/">African Genetics Project</a>, and the recently completed <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/african-american-sequencing-project/">African American Sequencing Project</a>. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-27922" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AA-card-image-452x586_x4-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />23andMe now has one of the largest, if not the largest, cohorts in the world of genotyped and phenotyped African Americans who have consented to participate in research. This offers incredible potential to make new findings relevant to people with African ancestry. It has already allowed our scientists to conduct genome-wide association studies specific to people with African ancestry into such things as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00439-017-1836-1">uterine fibroids</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-018-0307-5">alcohol and tobacco use</a>. 
 
But we want to do more, so beyond the work, we and our collaborators have done, 23andMe is also working to improve research diversity more broadly.
 
Last year, we have made available the de-identified data from 23andMe&#8217;s African American Sequencing Project through the<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/"> National Center for Biotechnology Information’s</a> database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). Participants in this project were asked for an additional layer of consent beyond 23andMe’s normal research consent process. 
 
We’ve made great strides but we still have a long way to go. Learn more about 23andMe’s research <a href="https://www.23andme.com/research/">here.</a>
</div>
*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 and reporting carrier status. 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’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. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if you have two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell you anything about your risk for developing a disease in the future, the health of your fetus, or your newborn child&#8217;s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. For important information and limitations regarding other genetic health risk reports and carrier status reports, [visit  <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/">https://www.23andme.com/test-info/]</a> [click <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/">here</a>].

Raising Awareness

by Samantha Ancona Esselmann, Ph.D., product scientist at 23andMe
When 23andMe scientists added a “<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/filipino">Filipino</a>” population to our Ancestry Composition report two years ago, customers were excited to see their Filipino ancestry reflected in their results for the first time. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27890" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-300x211.png" alt="" width="300" height="211" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-300x211.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-768x541.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-1024x721.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-880x620.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map-1180x831.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Did-you-Know-Map.png 1440w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Only, there was a twist! Many customers with no known Filipino ancestors were getting 5 percent, 20 percent, even 50 percent or more of this ancestry, and were understandably confused.
In response to customer feedback, our team performed more analyses and confirmed that we were missing a big part of the story — or maybe a better way of saying it was that we were missing a big part of the human migration story.

It was true that people with the highest proportion of “Filipino” in their ancestry estimates were actually of Filipino descent (over 90 percent on average), but this so-called “Filipino” ancestry reached an average of 75 percent in customers from Samoa, 71 percent in Tonga, 68 percent in Guam, 18 percent in Hawaii, and even 34 percent among customers from Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27891" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Filipinio-Ancestry-Map.png" alt="" width="600" height="304" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Filipinio-Ancestry-Map.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Filipinio-Ancestry-Map-300x152.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
Clearly, this update was not just identifying Filipino ancestry, but a shared genetic heritage that was spread across nearly two-thirds of the circumference of the globe.
Our ancestry scientists realized right away that this shared ancestry was a reflection of human migration and the major expansion of seafaring people who spoke Austronesian languages that began around 5,000 years ago near Taiwan and spread across a vast part of the world.
We renamed the population to “Filipino &amp; Austronesian,” and the population description was updated to shed light on this shared linguistic, genetic, and cultural history.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27892" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Expansion-Map.png" alt="" width="600" height="275" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Expansion-Map.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Expansion-Map-300x138.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
Here are our favorite stories about the “Austronesian Expansion,” from out-of-this-world navigation techniques to the gut bacteria that hitched a ride across the sea.
<h6>The Final Frontier</h6>
Around 5,000 years ago, Austronesians began a millennia-long expansion into the Pacific from Taiwan. They carried their knowledge of navigation and farming more than halfway around the world. They expanded through the Philippines and Indonesia all the way to Hawaii in the east and Madagascar in the west. During this <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21074440">expansion</a>, the Austronesians mixed with people they met along their way, including the indigenous Filipinos, Papuans (whose ancestors are thought to have arrived over 50,000 years ago), and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25137359">Southeast Asian</a> mainlanders.
Polynesian culture later emerged from Austronesian societies in Tonga and Samoa. It spread to the equatorial islands of the central Pacific — including French Polynesia — as recently as 1,000 years ago. Soon after, Polynesians settled the far-flung lands of Hawaii, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). This late, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21187404">rapid settlement</a> is thought to explain the remarkable similarities between the cultures and languages of the remote Pacific.
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27889" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Out-of-Taiwan-Map.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Out-of-Taiwan-Map.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Out-of-Taiwan-Map-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></h6>
<h6>Way-finders</h6>
Long before the European Age of Exploration, Polynesian voyagers were crossing thousands of miles of uncharted water, settling one uninhabited island after another. Almost all knowledge of traditional Polynesian navigation is lost to time, but their techniques likely included:
<ol>
<li>“<a href="https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2009.52">Wave-piloting</a>,” which involves sensing the reflections and refractions of ocean swells off of distant islands.</li>
<li> Following birds or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26857090">turtles</a> to land.</li>
<li> Spotting island-hugging bioluminescence.</li>
<li> Relying on memorized star maps as a guide — a skill highlighted in the 2016 animated film, Moana.</li>
</ol>
Only a handful of Pacific Islanders carry the traditional knowledge of wave piloting, but in 2006, researchers accompanied a Marshallese wave pilot on a journey between islands. To navigate the journey, the wave pilot relied only on his ability to read the ocean swells. In a test of the wave pilot’s skill, the researchers set the ship miles off-course while the navigator slept. But soon after he woke up, the wave pilot had the ship back on course, having correctly interpreted the pattern of waves reflecting off a nearby island.
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27888" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Way-Finders.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Way-Finders.png 750w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Way-Finders-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></h6>
<h6></h6>
<h6>Language on the move</h6>
Before DNA shed light on the origins of Austronesians, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19164742">studies of their languages</a> pointed to an Austronesian origin closely related to the indigenous people of Taiwan. A team of scientists in New Zealand built a database of simple words from 400 Austronesian languages, and by focusing on cognates (similar words that mean the same thing), the team was able to build a family tree of Austronesian languages — with indigenous Taiwanese Formosan languages at the root. Branching from there were the languages spoken in the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Fiji, and finally, the closely related Polynesian languages, such as Samoan, Maori, Tahitian, and Hawaiian.
This language tree mirrors the genetic relationships of a number of other living things found throughout the Pacific — from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19164753">gut bacteria</a> to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26499243">paper mulberry</a> plants (used to make barkcloth). Researchers believe these different organisms originated in Taiwan and hitched a ride across the Pacific with the Austronesian voyagers.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27887" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Language-Tree.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Language-Tree.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Austronesian-Language-Tree-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
<h6>Melanesian Exchange</h6>
The ancestors of Melanesians — the indigenous inhabitants of Near Oceania — reached the islands of the western Pacific much earlier than the Austronesians. They arrived on these islands well over 50,000 years ago. Today this ancestry is common in populations from Papua New Guinea to Fiji, a distance spanning over 2,500 miles. But, the oldest human remains found on Vanuatu (an archipelago between New Guinea and Fiji) and on islands further East aren’t Melanesian. So when did the Melanesians reach Vanuatu and who was there before them?
A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29501328">recent study</a> of ancient human remains from Vanuatu showed that Austronesian settlers first reached Vanuatu around 3,000 years ago. Soon after, people with Melanesian ancestry began to arrive. Today, even though <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29487365">Vanuatuans speak primarily Austronesian languages</a>, they have mostly Melanesian ancestry.
It seems that early Melanesian voyagers halted their eastward migration in the Solomon Islands. They only ventured further into the Pacific after a new wave of voyagers — the Austronesians — passed through the region to settle Vanuatu, Tonga, and other remote Pacific islands. Today, almost all populations in the remote Pacific have more than 25 percent Melanesian ancestry. This is despite initial settlement by Austronesians.
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27886" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Vanatu-Ancestry-Timeline.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Vanatu-Ancestry-Timeline.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Vanatu-Ancestry-Timeline-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></h6>
<h6>Indonesian Melting Pot</h6>
Indonesia is genetically diverse. This is not particularly surprising for a 3,000-mile-wide nation made up of more than 17,000 islands.
Austronesian ancestry is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25137359">found throughout Indonesia.</a> But where the inhabitants of the large western islands have strong genetic ties to the Southeast Asian mainland, the inhabitants of the islands east of Bali have very little.
The most likely scenario is that a western group of Austronesian voyagers mixed with people in southern Vietnam or the Malay Peninsula. This mixed population likely continued on to settle western Indonesia. Eastern Indonesia, on the other hand, is home to people with a combination of primarily<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22396590"> Austronesian and Melanesian</a> ancestry.
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27885" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Migration-Heat-Map.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Migration-Heat-Map.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Migration-Heat-Map-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></h6>
<h6>The Malagasy Mystery</h6>
The Malagasy people of Madagascar speak an Austronesian language, but Madagascar is a world away from Southeast Asia. Malagasy people also have African ancestry. So who reached Madagascar first and where did they come from?
Although the African continent is much closer, there is cultural, genetic, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27247383">archaeological</a>, and linguistic evidence pointing to an initial settlement of Madagascar by Austronesian voyagers between 1,200 and 1,500 years ago. This was followed by the arrival of Bantu speakers from southern East Africa.
Linguistic and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15793703">genetic studies</a> showed that the Austronesian founders of Madagascar were most closely related to present-day groups living in central and eastern Indonesia (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27381999">1</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27188237">2</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25880430">3</a>). These studies also revealed that<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28716916"> African ancestry</a> is generally higher in Madagascar’s coastal lowlands. Austronesian ancestry reaches higher levels in the country’s central highlands.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27884" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Madagascar-Migration.png" alt="" width="600" height="360" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Madagascar-Migration.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Madagascar-Migration-300x180.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />Customers can see these stories on the <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/filipino/">Filipino &amp; Austronesian Ancestry Detail Report</a> page. Not yet a customer, find out more about 23andMe’s Ancestry + Traits service <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">here</a>.

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