While fatherhood is about more than just biology, looking at how DNA connects you with your birth father and seeing the traits you share can be illuminating, and for those who have never known their birth fathers before connecting for the first time, it can be transformative.
&#8220;It was like that missing piece was finally there,” Tyler told his local news station after meeting his birth father.
<h2>A Special Connection</h2>
Like Tyler, we’ve<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/5-heartwarming-stories-people-finding-144843986.html"> heard from many customers</a> connected with their birth fathers through 23andMe. As we gear up to celebrate Father’s Day, we wanted to share a few of those stories of customers preparing to celebrate their first Father’s Day with their newfound birth father.
Last year, we brought together sons and daughters celebrating their<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/happy-fathers-day-4/"> first Father’s Day</a> with their birth fathers. Emotions abound as the situations are often complicated, but many felt lucky to establish a relationship that wasn’t there before.

<h2>Making up for Lost Time</h2>
Tyler, 23, was fortunate to grow up with loving adoptive parents and a supportive father. He always knew he was adopted, but he wanted to know more. Using 23andMe, he found an uncle who connected him to his biological father, Jonathan, who never knew about Tyler’s birth. His first emotion on discovering he had a child unbeknownst to him was guilt that he hadn’t been there for his son.
“Nobody said a word, no one told me anything,” Jonathan said. &#8220;I had no idea at all. It was a little bit of a shock. You don&#8217;t expect that, and you feel like you missed something or left somebody behind.”
But Jonathan, who has another son and a daughter, said he was relieved to learn from Tyler that his adoptive parents were so loving and supportive. And now he wants to make up for the lost time.
<h2>Finding Similarities</h2>
When Jaime Lee, a 38-year-old from upstate New York, found her birth father, she told<a href="https://www.syracusewomanmag.com/2019/05/01/special-feature-dna-kit-connects-woman-with-father-she-never-knew/"> Syracuse Woman Magazine</a> that he felt distraught he hadn’t been there for her growing up. He never knew of Jaime Lee’s birth. When they finally met and learned about her rough childhood and the years of abuse she suffered, he was distraught.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27148" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1-660x880.jpeg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1-885x1180.jpeg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jaime-Lee-1.jpeg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />
“He just feels very sad because he never knew, and he knows what I went through, and he feels that he could have helped,” she said.
After connecting on 23andMe, Jaime Lee traveled to Puerto Rico to meet him in person, spending 11 days there and getting to know him and her extended family, saying she “had the best time of my life.”
“We’ve already seen the similarities,” she said. “We have a lot of the same things, hands, feet, face. We look very much alike.”
Check out more stories like Tyler’s and Jaime’s by visiting 23andMe’s YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOO4NU_zagw&amp;list=PLFvkfbvHpp1kU9nvguZrZ2Y7nYc8_swVA">here</a>. Happy Father’s Day from 23andMe.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

More 23andMe Father’s Day Connections

This week, 23andMe is hosting its third annual Genome Research Day, a meeting focused on human genomics research happening in and around the Bay Area. This event will also allow 23andMe scientists to explain some of our latest research. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-27142 size-full alignright" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nilanjan_orig.png" alt="" width="350" height="329" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nilanjan_orig.png 350w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nilanjan_orig-300x282.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />
Among the many presentations, we’ll highlight some of our work around polygenic risk modeling. We asked Johns Hopkins University statistical geneticist Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ph.D., a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics and Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, to help us put into context the work being done around the world on risk modeling. 
Chatterjee is a noted expert in developing risk prediction models, particularly around cancer. As more genetic data becomes available, polygenic risk models are increasingly being used to help calculate the cumulative risk of not just a few genetic variants but the many hundreds or even thousands of variants that convey risk. In addition, these new models can also include other factors  — such as lifestyle and environmental influences — to offer a clearer picture of disease risk.
<h2>Bigger and Getter GWAS</h2>
Thank you for chatting with us, Dr. Chatterjee. Can we start by asking why we are hearing so much about polygenic risk scores now, even though they have been around for a while? 
Dr. Nilanjan Chatterjee: My guess is that because the sample size for genome-wide association studies has increased by leaps and bounds, this has led to much more improvement (polygenic risk scores). In particular, PRS is now providing meaningful risk-stratification for several common diseases like breast cancer, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. I anticipate the power of (these models) for risk-stratification will continue to increase as the sample size for GWAS grows, especially for non-European ethnic groups where the data have been lacking in the past.
There are many different kinds of non-genetic risk models to estimate risk. How are polygenic risk score models different, and is that important?
Dr. Chatterjee: Well, that is an interesting question that does not have a simple answer. At one level, all models are trying to produce an estimate of &#8220;risk,&#8221; which is a single number. It does not matter whether this is being driven by genetic or non-genetic factors as long as the overall model performs well. But at another level there are important pros- and cons- for using genetic and non-genetic factors. It can be simpler for people to feed in information on simple factors like BMI, smoking history, and family history through filling out questionnaires. While one-day, genetic information, including PRS, may be part of routine clinical care, we are not there yet.
On the other hand, lifestyle factors and other non-genetic factors, including various biomarkers, change over time, and they may have limited value for long-term risk prediction based on a single measurement. Information on inherited DNA needs to be collected only once in a lifetime. We often see that genetic predisposition leads to risks that remain throughout an individual’s lifetime, and non-genetic risk factors act in a multiplicative fashion on the background of that stable genetic risk.
Complicating the future use of polygenic risk models is a huge issue related to our confidence in the systems in place to protect the security of our genetic information. But setting aside the confidentiality issue, I feel future risk models should include both genetic and non-genetic information. It’s important to understand risks associated with lifestyle because that is something we can do something about it. At the same time, genetics is an important determinant of our background risk, and even if it cannot or should not be modified, it can help us make decisions regarding strategies for risk reduction through lifestyle changes, medication, and screening.
<h2>Non-Genetic Factors</h2>
We focus a lot on how polygenic risk scores can include many more genetic variants associated with risk. Still, they can be extended to also use non-genetic variables and environmental factors. What is the significance of this, and do you see some good examples of risk modeling that include these different types of data?
Dr. Chatterjee: Coronary heart disease and breast cancer are two fields that have historically been ahead in the development and validation of risk models for clinical application. In both fields, I see considerable effort going toward the integration of polygenic risk scores with other types of information, such as rare, high-penetrant mutations and non-genetic risk factors. 
For example, the BOADICEA model that uses extensive family history information to predict the risk of breast cancer has recently been extended to include polygenic risk scores and non-genetic risk factors (Lee et al., Genetics in Medicine, 2019). In our own work, we have recently put a lot of effort into integrating polygenic risk scores for breast cancer (Mavaddat et al. AJHG, 2019) with information on a set of classic risk factors for breast cancer. We’ve validated these models across a variety of cohorts encompassing 6 different countries (ongoing work).
How far are we from incorporating polygenic risk scores into day-to-day health care?
Dr. Chatterjee: We still have a while — perhaps 10 years —  to sort a few things out before polygenic risk scores can become part of routine care. There are a lot of questions we need to address. First, how much will it cost, and who will pay for it? Beyond the costs, what kind of data do we need to convince insurance companies and employers of the value of polygenic risk scores in healthcare? Also, how do we reassure the public that the information will not be misused? Finally, how will the information be communicated so that it does not create either a sense of false alarm or reassurance? These are just a few thoughts that come to my mind.
<h2>Actionable?</h2>
Do you think these risk models offer people actionable information in the current state?
Dr. Chatterjee: Yes, I do think some well-validated models could generate useful information now to guide preventive action. That said, given the current popularity of PRS and risk models in general, I am also wary that many risk models out there are not correctly validated and could generate misinformation.
What are your thoughts about 23andMe’s use of polygenic scores for Type 2 Diabetes?
Dr. Chatterjee: I am somewhat familiar with 23andMe’s Type-2 diabetes report. The underlying methodology used is sound, and the data, as well as other data, shows that a PRS for type-2 diabetes can provide meaningful risk stratification for individuals, especially given that it&#8217;s a relatively common outcome. In the future, more effort is needed to improve the performance of PRS using additional GWAS studies, specifically for non-European populations. 
What are some strategies for including more data from non-Europeans to make polygenic risk models more broadly applicable?
Dr. Chatterjee: Well, of course, we need more GWAS for non-European populations. Nevertheless, in most cases, complex diseases have many shared genetic backgrounds across different ethnic populations. So, we should do everything possible to exploit available data across multiple ethnic groups to develop polygenic risk scores optimized for other ethnic populations. More research is needed to develop methodologies in this area. 
Dr. Nilanjan Chatterjee, Ph. D., is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biostatistics and Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Chatterjee’s opinions expressed here are his own and not those of Johns Hopkins University. In addition, 23andMe has not compensated him for his participation in this interview, and he has no other financial interest in 23andMe.

A Conversation with Nilanjan Chatterjee

By Eloycsia Ratliff, MPH, 23andMe Medical Education Project Manager
We know that diet and exercise play an important role in a person&#8217;s likelihood of developing <a href="http://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a>, but what role does genetics play?<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-199x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27136" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-768x1156.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-680x1024.jpg 680w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-585x880.jpg 585w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-784x1180.jpg 784w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/©Piter2016-23andMe-MichaelMulthaup-022-scaled.jpg 1701w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />
That’s a question 23andMe researchers have been investigating, and at a meeting of the American Diabetes Associations (ADA) Annual Conference on June 10th in San Francisco, 23andMe’s Senior Product Scientist, Michael Multhaup, Ph.D., will be presenting some of what we’ve learned in a presentation titled “Polygenic Risk Score Predicts Type 2 Diabetes Susceptibility in a Diverse Consumer Genetic Database.” 
<h6>Polygenic Score</h6>
Dr. Multhaup’s presentation comes on the heels of the release of 23andMe’s Type 2 Diabetes report (T2D)*  that is currently available to eligible customers who have opted into receiving health reports. The T2D report calculates a polygenic score based on more than 1000 genetic variants. A polygenic score quantifies how an individual’s genetics may contribute to developing a complex disease, such as T2D. For the T2D genetic susceptibility study, 23andMe researchers generated a polygenic score based on more than 1200 variants discovered using data shared by more than 600,000 consented research participants who self-reported if they had been diagnosed with T2D.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-300x138.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26911" width="300" height="138" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-300x138.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-768x354.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-880x406.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image-1180x545.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/T2D-Image.jpg 1950w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> 
Our researchers then tested the performance of the polygenic score in separate sets of participants to cover five different ancestries — African-American, East-Asian, European, Latino and South Asian. Based on the results, 23andMe researchers were able to make associations between an individual’s genetics and their likelihood of developing T2D. Researchers categorized results into “increased likelihood” and “typical likelihood,” where an “increased likelihood” result means the likelihood of developing T2D from genetics alone exceeds the likelihood of developing the condition due to being overweight. 
<h6>Presentation of Findings</h6>
At the conference, Dr. Multhaup will present findings from this study and he will discuss the use of genetics as a screening tool to inform cost-effective interventions that could be used by both healthcare providers and their patients.
In addition to Dr. Multhaup’s scientific session presentation, 23andMe will host a booth in the exhibit hall (booth #1340) to engage directly with healthcare professionals over the three day conference from June 8th to June 10th. At the meeting, 23andMe plans to discuss with healthcare providers the impact of 23andMe’s health predisposition reports, such as theType 2 Diabetes report, on medicine and routine patient care. It is important for healthcare providers to understand the consumer experience and motivations, as well as available tools and resources, so they are prepared for patient encounters around direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
23andMe believes knowledge about genetic information has a role in improving health outcomes. Our goal in providing consumers with access to their genetic information is to provide insights into their likelihood of developing a condition, like T2D, before they develop that condition. Early access to this information has the potential to motivate individuals to be more proactive in changing health behaviors — a goal 23andMe wants for their consumers.
If you are attending the ADA conference in San Francisco and would like to learn more about the findings from 23andMe’s T2D research study, come to Dr. Multhaup’s presentation at Scientific Session 304-OR, Monday, June 10th 2:30 – 2:45pm. Also, look for us on the exhibition floor at booth #1340!
To stay up to date on health report releases and resources available to healthcare professionals, visit our 23andMe for healthcare professionals site at  <a href="https://medical.23andme.com/">https://medical.23andme.com/</a>.
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*The 23andMe Type 2 Diabetes report is based on 23andMe research and incorporates more than 1,000 genetic variants to provide information on the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.  The report does not account for lifestyle or family history and has not been reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration. Visit <a href="http://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes">23andMe’s Type 2 Diabetes landing page</a> for additional important information.
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Eloycsia Ratliff

23andMe Data on the Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes

Formally launched last year as one of several initiatives to expand diversity in genetics research, 23andMe’s<a href="https://research.23andme.com/populations-collaborations/"> Populations Collaborations Program</a> supports researchers working with understudied populations from locations as wide-ranging as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Honduras.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-300x199.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27128" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-768x511.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-880x585.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/iStock-91697992.jpg 1256w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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“We’re encouraged by the interest we’ve seen from researchers working with these populations,” said Anjali Shastri, Ph.D., a 23andMe Research Project Manager. “We believe this program can provide critical support for academic researchers working with groups traditionally understudied in genetics research. We hope this ultimately will help improve our understanding of the richness of human genetic diversity and expand the benefits of genetics research to all populations.”

<h6>Populations Collaborations</h6>
The<a href="https://research.23andme.com/populations-collaborations/#requirements"> program</a> — which is soliciting another round of proposals due July 31, 2019 — offers qualified researchers genotyping of samples from understudied populations around the world. 23andMe is particularly interested in populations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. 

The Populations Collaborations Program adds yet another dimension to 23andMe’s efforts to further equity and diversity in genetics research, while ensuring that the work among these groups is<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01163-0"> just and equitable</a>.
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The program includes a grant to support project costs, such as  transportation and local staff support. Typically the projects selected under this program involve researchers who are partnered with local institutions with ties to the communities that are being studied to ensure research is conducted in culturally-sensitive ways and benefits serve community needs. 
In addition, successful applications typically include provisions for returning to the communities to share the research results when possible. 23andMe gives preference to studies that engage local researchers and community members in the project, and we provide additional support for community investments. Proposals are evaluated both for their scientific merit, as well as how the work may benefit the people being studied. Importantly, the work is overseen by ethics review boards in both the U.S. and the country where the work is done, and researchers must obtain informed consent from participants.
<h6>23andMe&#8217;s Research Diversity Efforts</h6>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-300x300.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25983" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-768x768.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-880x880.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01-980x980.png 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1080_double_icon_wtext_01.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The Populations Collaborations Program is one of more than half a dozen initiatives 23andMe has launched over several years to help improve representation in genetic research. From our<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/roots-into-the-future/"> Roots Into the Future project</a> launched in 2011, to our recently completed<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/african-american-sequencing-project/"> African American Sequencing Project</a>, the goal of these efforts has been to expand the diversity within our database and in genomic research. 
It also complements 23andMe’s <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/fast-recruitment-for-23andmes-global-genetics-project/">Global Genetics Project</a>, which is an ongoing effort to recruit individuals to participate in 23andMe research from communities in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, who are not currently well represented in genetic research.  
This program will not only improve the ancestry and health experiences of our customers, but will also help facilitate novel discoveries within understudied communities. In the case of the African American Sequencing Project, the reference data panel created from that work will be made available to qualified researchers conducting important health studies through an NIH database.
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Interested researchers can find out more about this opportunity <a href="https://research.23andme.com/populations-collaborations/">here</a>.

23andMe’s Populations Collaborations Program Supports Research in Understudied Groups

Your DNA offers much more than just insights into your origins, it may help you map out your next travel itinerary.
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23andMe and Airbnb are teaming up to offer customers a new way to connect with their heritage, by showcasing homes and <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/#ancestry-airbnb-travel">heritage travel experiences</a> based on a customer’s DNA.
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“We empower 23andMe customers to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">learn about themselves and their ancestry</a> through their unique genetic code,” said 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki. “Working with Airbnb, a leader who is reimagining travel, provides an exciting opportunity for our customers to connect with their heritage through deeply personal cultural and travel experiences.”

<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AIRbnb-3.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-27124 size-full" title="Heritage Travel" width="977" height="434" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AIRbnb-3.jpg 977w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AIRbnb-3-300x133.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AIRbnb-3-768x341.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AIRbnb-3-880x391.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 977px) 100vw, 977px" />Heritage Travel</h6>
23andMe’s pioneering Ancestry Composition allows customers to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">discover where their DNA is from</a> out of 1000+ regions worldwide, while Airbnb offers travelers a way to immerse themselves in the local communities and cultures through enriching experiences. The collaboration, which allows customers to more easily find homes and experiences inspired by their DNA, also offers users the ability to delve into locales even with which they have no genetic ties.
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The new integration also comes as more and more 23andMe customers use insights from their <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">Ancestry Composition</a> to connect to their cultural roots and map out their own Heritage Travel. And this trend goes beyond 23andMe customers. Since 2014, Airbnb has seen a 500 percent increase in the number of guests traveling specifically to explore their heritage.
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In a recent national survey, almost two-thirds of respondents said they thought that heritage based travel offered more valuable experiences. The survey, commissioned by Airbnb, showed that within the last five years 51 percent of those surveyed said they were much more likely to travel to a country of their heritage. And when looking at Airbnb customers that interest jumped to 62 percent. In a recent survey conducted by 23andMe, 53 percent of buyers of genetic kits say they decided to take a test because they want to know information about their ancestry and the ancestry of their family. For those who hadn’t yet taken a test, 73 percent of survey respondents said knowing their heritage by exploring personal DNA made them more likely to take a test.
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“At Airbnb, we believe that authentic travel experiences help you connect with local cultures and create a sense of belonging anywhere in the world &#8212; and what better way to do that than traveling to your roots,” said Joe Gebbia, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “We’re proud to team up with 23andMe, the leader in helping people learn about their genes and ancestry, to make it easier for travelers to plan trips as unique as their DNA.”
<h6><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Airbnb-4.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-27125 size-full" title="Heritage Travel" width="977" height="433" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Airbnb-4.jpg 977w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Airbnb-4-300x133.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Airbnb-4-768x340.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Airbnb-4-880x390.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 977px) 100vw, 977px" />Finding Inspiration</h6>
Through this collaboration, both 23andMe and Airbnb customers will be able to find inspiration for their next trip based on their heritage. On <a href="http://www.23andme.com/airbnb">23andMe</a>, once a customer receives their ancestry reports, they will be able to click through to their ancestral populations and find Airbnb Homes and Experiences in their native countries. For example, if a 23andMe customer has Southern Italian ancestry, they might be able to find <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/53243">a trullo in Puglia</a> as a home base to explore their heritage. Or someone with Mexican roots could find an <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/166854">experience in Mexico City</a> to learn ancient techniques of natural dye as part of their heritage vacation. Additionally, Airbnb now has <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/heritagetravel">dedicated pages</a> that correspond with 23andMe’s genetic populations, so that travelers coming to Airbnb’s site will be able to easily plan an end-to-end heritage trip. 
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According to 23andMe, some of the top places in which its customers have recent ancestry outside of the United States and Canada are the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Mainland China, Spain, Nigeria, India and Russia. Most 23andMe customers have at least five populations within their Ancestry Composition report, which presents many opportunities for one to explore heritage travel. 
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But connecting to your roots doesn’t require buying a plane ticket. Through <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences">Airbnb Experiences</a>, you can connect with your ancestry by finding culturally specific activities in your hometown. In San Francisco, you could explore a <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/11056">Chinese calligraphy and tea tasting experience</a>, for example, to connect to your Chinese ancestry, or for those with connections to Japan you could learn to make traditional <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/61279?location=Bay%20Area%2C%20CA%2C%20United%20States&#038;currentTab=experience_tab&#038;federatedSearchId=eb974aba-4590-4d73-994a-75a77e4caa3e&#038;searchId=56ae8a06-6861-45a1-9007-b0fa46125e78&#038;sectionId=d3f07bb5-9537-4020-adce-06c951b034ac&#038;source=p2">Japanese ramen noodles</a>.
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Your DNA may offer more than just personal insight but a new way to map out your next journey, and a way to connect to people and cultures with whom you share ancestral origins. 
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Not yet a customer? Take the first step of your heritage trip by exploring <a href="https://www.23andme.com/airbnb">23andMe</a>, and visit Airbnb to find your next adventure.

Travel as unique as your DNA with 23andMe and Airbnb

By Rachael Rifkin
Buried in our DNA along with our health histories, is the story of our families. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27094 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-scaled.jpg" alt="A photo Shauna smiling." width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-587x880.jpg 587w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shauna-1-787x1180.jpg 787w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" />
Shauna tested to learn more about her health history, and found herself instead in the middle of the plot of a movie (The Delivery Man, to be exact). Thoughts about potential susceptibilities to diseases receded as she discovered first one, then eight, and now at least 29 donor siblings.
As someone who grew up as an only child and really owned that identity, receiving an email that began “It looks like we are related” was pretty disorienting.
“I remember looking at the email and thinking, ‘Oh my god, what is happening? What happened?’’ Shauna said.
<h6>Diblings</h6>
Shauna and her <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/lost-girls/">donor siblings</a> are “diblings”— siblings with different mothers, conceived using the same donor father. To ease the transition from only child or sibling to dibling, they created a Facebook group for themselves. One of Shauna’s half brothers even made a packet of information so that every time a new dibling is found. The packets ensures that there’s a ready source of answers for the most obvious questions. Still, Shauna and her brothers and sisters know it’s overwhelming at first, so once the basics have been supplied, they purposely give new siblings space, waiting on them to reach out for more contact.

At this point, Shauna has known about her brothers and sisters for over a year, but it never ceases to be a little weird. It’s also exciting to meet strangers with whom you share so much DNA. This is especially the case when you end up connecting deeply with new found siblings, as she has. For Shauna, the experience has largely been about identity and connection.
<h6>First Steps</h6>
She first began to reexamine her thoughts on identity at the age of 27 when she found out she was conceived through a sperm donor.
“I was having what now I think were stress-related health issues, and was asking a lot of questions about my blood type and genetic history,” Shauna said. “My mom wanted me to take the correct information to the doctors. So she had a conversation with my dad and they decided to tell me about the sperm donor.”
Her dad was a paraplegic but it never occurred to Shauna that he might not be her biological father. She points out that when you assume your parents are your biological parents, you don’t really want to question that.
So Shauna was shocked when during a visit with her mom and stepdad, her mom took her out for coffee and told her the news.
“It was mind blowing to me at the time,” Shauna said “I didn’t really fully absorb it; I don’t know that you ever fully emotionally absorb something like that. You think your parent is your biological parent and you have a relationship with them. Whether it’s a good relationship or a bad one—and my relationship with my dad was rocky—it’s still a piece of who you are. Your family is such a big part of who you are, how your personality is formed and how you navigate the world, and when you feel like part of that identity has changed, you can feel super disconnected from yourself.”
<div id="attachment_27096" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27096" class="wp-image-27096 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/0-1.jpg" alt="A photo of Shauna with five of her 29 donor siblings." width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/0-1.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/0-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/0-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/0-1-880x660.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Shauna, left, and five of her 29 donor siblings.</div>
<h6></h6>
<h6>Defining Family</h6>
Shauna had already redefined the way she saw family several times over the years. Her parents divorced when she was two and they both remarried. Her stepdad became the father figure she needed. She was naturally social, and thought of some of her friends as siblings and would call their parents Mom and Dad. She considers herself fortunate to have already had a fluid definition of family in place when she learned about being donor conceived.
It was years later, in 2013, that she tested with 23andMe and her Ancestry Composition showed she had Southern European, Native American, and Eastern European ancestry. Some of that did make sense. She already knew her mom’s side was Mexican, which explained the Southern European and Native American ancestry. But it was the Eastern European ancestry that was a bit of a mystery. Still she didn’t dive back into her results until May of 2017 when her stepdad mentioned that 23andMe had gotten FDA approval for some of their genetic health predisposition reports. This time, she decided to change her profile from anonymous to Shauna H., which made it easier for DNA Relatives on the site to connect with her.
<h6>Making the Connections</h6>
She got that first email from her brother the next day. After reading the email, she took a much closer look at what 23andMe had uncovered about her heritage. She found out she was 49 percent Ashkenazi Jewish, a discovery she had no cultural reference for as someone who wholeheartedly identifies with her Mexican side.
About a week or two later she met one of her new found sisters in person.
“She was the first one I met, so seeing how much we looked alike extra overwhelmed me,” Shauna said. “Because of what I do for a living, I’ve seen myself on video a lot and know what I look like when I talk. To watch someone else’s mouth move like my mouth moves was very weird. As an only child, I didn’t have a relative who was my age or who looked that much like me, and now I do.”
Next, she and three other siblings met up with a half brother who was in town from Israel. After that, the siblings kept rolling in. Many of them live in the San Francisco Bay area near the two clinics where they were conceived. Their largest gathering so far has included eight siblings.
<h6>Nature and Nurture</h6>
One of the most interesting and surreal parts of all this is the similarities among the siblings, Shauna said. One of Shauna’s brothers has a daughter who looks like another brother. And that same brother has a son who looks a lot like one of their youngest siblings. Beyond the physical similarities, there are also shared traits. For instance, quite a few siblings are engineers. Many have a dry and nerdy sense of humor. But as Shauna points out, it’s hard to attribute the similarities to nature or nurture. Many grew up in the same Northern California region that, as she says, “tends to be a very nurturing place for that kind of personality.”
She is closest to a sister and two brothers. They were all born the same year. In fact, Shauna and her sister are two and a half weeks apart. The two brothers are only two days apart. She talks to them frequently and they often get together to watch sports.
Another reason for the sense of familiarity and community between the siblings—their shared experience. They’re the only people in their lives who know what it feels like to suddenly gain many, many new siblings as an adult.
“There’s no guidemap for something like this. We’re just trying to figure it out,” she said.
<h6>Identity</h6>
For Shauna, this experience has really illustrated how connected we all are.
“There’s a connection we have because we share DNA,&#8221; Shauna said. &#8220;But there’s also a shared connection because we’re all human beings and we’re all more alike than we are different. People are from places they don’t realize, and we often go off of verbal history with no evidence. That is, until you actually have some evidence.”
She is currently writing a book on the role of the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/23andme-and-tribeca-studios-premiere-film-series/">self and identity</a> in who you are and how you navigate the world, including your health.
“We’re so disconnected from our bodies and who we are,&#8221; Shauna said. &#8220;And when something like this happens to you—when you find out who you thought you were is not who you are—it changes your identity, at least externally. I loved being an only child and never wanted siblings.&#8221;
But the universe had other plans, she said.
&#8220;It’s through being extremely connected to who I am internally, which for me is through my body and movement, that has allowed me to stay true to who I am,” Shauna said.
Rachael Rifkin&#8217;s work focuses on bridging the gap between generations, cultures and backgrounds. Rachael&#8217;s writing concentrates on our similarities and listening to each other&#8217;s stories. She helps people write their ethical wills and life stories. Her work incorporates family stories, and once recreated photos of eight of her relatives in order to highlight shared family traits and stories.

Rachael Rifkin

29 Siblings and Counting

Put up your feet and check out two new 23andMe trait reports that look all the way <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/traits/toe-length-ratio/">down to your toes</a>.
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Using a statistical model and data from almost half a million 23andMe research consented participants, we report a customer’s predisposition toward having bunions or flat feet. No small feat, this new set of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/traits-never-looked-better/">trait reports</a> brings the total number of trait reports to more than 30 for 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service customers. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image-300x236.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27083" width="300" height="236" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image-300x236.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image-768x605.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image-880x694.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bunion-image.jpg 1114w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
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<h6>Bunions</h6>
Our Bunions report relied on data from 530,000 consented research participants. Using this data we identified 315 genetic markers associated with bunions. The condition is characterized by a sometimes painful misalignment in the joint at the base of the big toe that is often results in a bony bump. 
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Genetics plays a role in the condition, also known as hallux valgus. But other factors are also thought to play a role such as stepping out with ill-fitting footwear. The statistical model for the report takes into account age and sex. About 17 percent of customers who participated in research reported having had a bunion.
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<h6>Flat Feet</h6>
The new report on Flat Feet stepped it up just a bit, by looking at data from 530,000 consented research participants. We identified 414 genetic markers associated with flat feet, which are characterized by low arches. The statistical model used for this report also takes into account a customer’s age and sex to report back whether they are more or less likely than average to have flat feet. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image-300x245.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27082" width="300" height="245" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image-300x245.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image-768x628.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image-1024x837.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image-880x720.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Flat-Feet-Image.jpg 1098w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Genetics plays a role in the development of the raised structure of the foot, known as the medial arch. For some, that raised arch never fully develops or the arch may collapse later in life, possibly related  to injury or obesity. This in turn can lead to misalignment of the bones of the foot and foot pain. About a quarter of 23andMe research participants reported having flat feet.
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23andMe Health +Ancestry Service customers can stroll over to see these two new reports by visiting their<a href="https://you.23andme.com/health/trait/"> Traits dashboard</a>. 
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Not yet a customer? Hoof it over<a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/"> here</a> and learn more.
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23andMe Steps Out with Two New Trait Reports

By Samantha Ancona Esselmann, Ph.D., a 23andMe Ancestry Scientist
Puerto Rican writer Aurora Levins Morales reflected on what it means to have mixed heritage in her poem, “Child of the Americas,” which concludes:
“I am not African. 
Africa is in me, but I cannot return. 
I am not Taína. 
Taíno is in me, but there is no way back. 
I am not European. 
Europe lives in me, but I have no home there. 
I am new. History made me. My first language is Spanglish. 
I was born at the crossroads 
and I am whole.”
In the poem, Levins Morales acknowledges her diverse roots—a combination of African, European, and Indigenous American—but chooses to celebrate and identify with her Puerto Rican identity.
Today, the Americas are a genetic crossroads, home to many people like Levins Morales, with identities forged by waves of migration and a fusion of cultures.
<h2>A New Feature Which Explores Latino &amp; Caribbean Ancestry</h2>
In our ongoing efforts to deliver a more intuitive and comprehensive 23andMe Ancestry Composition report, we’ve released a new feature called “Recent Ancestry in the Americas” for customers with ancestry from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. In tandem with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry/23andme-updates-ancestry-composition/">23andMe’s Ancestry Composition</a> report, this new feature enables these customers to explore their heritage in a more recent timeframe — following the mixing of historically separate populations that occurred in the Americas over the last few hundred years.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27091 size-large" title="Mexico and Central America" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-1024x366.png" alt="" width="1024" height="366" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-1024x366.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-300x107.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-768x275.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-880x315.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example-1180x422.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mexico-Example.png 1216w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
In addition, customers with ancestry from Jamaica, Haiti, and 10 other countries in the Caribbean may see an exciting new level of detail about places their ancestors may have lived. This is in the form of more granular maps. Over time, these maps will continuously update to reflect the growing size and diversity of 23andMe’s database.
<h2>What does the word “Latino” or “LatinX mean?</h2>
We use Latino or the gender-neutral term LatinX to broadly describe any person from, or with roots in, Latin America. That includes a vast area encompassing Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Sometimes, people use the word Hispanic, Latino, or LatinX interchangeably, but Hispanic is a little more specific. Hispanic includes anyone from a Spanish-speaking country in the Americas, but not, for example, someone from Brazil, a Portuguese-speaking country. It’s also important to note that being Latino could mean that a person has European ancestry, African ancestry, Indigenous American ancestry, or often a mix of the three.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
<h6>Recent Ancestry in the Americas 
</h6>
(new countries marked in green)
The Caribbean 
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago
Mexico &amp; Central America 
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
South America 
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
</div>
<h2>What’s included in this update?</h2>
In each of the three new reports, customers will see a brief genetic history of the region, a map highlighting sub-country regions where we have found evidence of their recent ancestry, and educational content to provide additional scientific and historical context. We’ve also included short stories that sample aesthetics, flavors, and traditions that may inspire customers to connect with aspects of their heritage.
We encourage customers to contribute ideas for future stories by leaving feedback at the link included in each Ancestry Detail Report.
<h2>How can I find these new Ancestry Detail reports?</h2>
If you have ancestry from one of these regions, this new section will appear below your percentages in your<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/"> Ancestry Composition</a> report.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27097 size-medium" title="Central American Food" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Vignette-mobile-282x300.png" alt="" width="282" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Vignette-mobile-282x300.png 282w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Vignette-mobile.png 485w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px" />
You can access these new reports through Ancestry Overview, the <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/all-reports/">all-reports</a> tab, or find them in <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/details/">Scientific Details</a>.
Not yet a customer? <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">Visit our store</a>!
Notably, “Recent Ancestry in the Americas” should complement your Ancestry Composition percentages. Together, both results should help you better understand your ancestry and how it may have changed over time.
<h2>A snapshot of genetic diversity in the Caribbean and Latin America</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27090 size-medium" title="Caribbean, Jamaican, Puerto Rican ancestry composition" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-240x300.png" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-240x300.png 240w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-768x960.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-819x1024.png 819w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-704x880.png 704w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile-944x1180.png 944w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Caribbean-mobile.png 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" />
<h3>The Caribbean</h3>
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The <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">Ancestry Composition breakdown</a> of 23andMe customers from countries in the Caribbean typically reflects southern European, West African, or Native American ancestry. While customers from Spanish-speaking islands generally have a combination of all three of these ancestries, customers from Haiti, Jamaica, Grenada, or other smaller islands have little Indigenous heritage and a much higher proportion of West African ancestry. This is a result of the large numbers of enslaved Africans transported to the Caribbean over nearly four centuries.
<h2>What is the Caribbean?</h2>
The Caribbean, sometimes called the West Indies, includes any islands and surrounding coasts of the Caribbean Sea. The more than 7,000 islands and islets form an arch that spans from the Leeward Islands to the west up through the tip of Cuba to the east. The region&#8217;s rich and diverse culture and history consists of a blend of indigenous, African, European, Indian, and Chinese influences.
</div>
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Did you know?
Native Caribbean ancestry — primarily from the Indigenous Taíino peoples who once called these islands home — is still found in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic (former colonies of Spain). But it is almost completely absent on the islands formerly claimed by Britain and France. On average, Puerto Ricans have around 12 percent of this Taíno ancestry, but over 60 percent of their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/maternal_haplogroup/">maternal-line</a> ancestry <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28912065">is of Taíno origin</a>.
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<h3>Mexico &amp; Central America</h3>
<div>
Customers from Mexico &amp; Central America often have a combination of Native American,<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27102 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x-248x300.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x-248x300.jpg 248w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x-768x929.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x-847x1024.jpg 847w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x-728x880.jpg 728w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mobile_avg_ancestry_mexico_central_america@3x.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px" /> southern European, and West African ancestry in their DNA. However, the breakdown varies throughout the region. Native American ancestry generally reaches its highest levels in Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. West African ancestry ranges from an average of 2 percent in Mexico to over 40 percent in Belize. Today, most 23andMe customers with Mexican or Central American ancestry have at least 1 percent African DNA. This reflects admixture many generations ago, early in the Transatlantic Slave trade.
Did you know? 
 Among 23andMe customers from Mexico &amp; Central America, the predominant African ancestry is Senegambian &amp; Guinean. The predominant African ancestry in much of the Caribbean and the United States of America is Nigerian.
</div>
<div>
<h3>South America<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-27100 size-medium" title="South American, Brazilian, Colombian, Venezuelan ancestry composition" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-196x300.png" alt="" width="196" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-196x300.png 196w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-768x1176.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-669x1024.png 669w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-575x880.png 575w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile-771x1180.png 771w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/South-American-mobile.png 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px" /> 
</h3>
23andMe customers from Ecuador or Peru typically have over 45 percent Native American ancestry. Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay customers tend to have less than 10 percent of this genetic heritage. Indigenous ancestry remains highest where there were once large agricultural civilizations. However, many factors likely contributed to the variable rates of Native American ancestry across the continent.
What about African ancestry?
For 23andMe customers from Colombia or Venezuela, the most common African ancestry is Senegambian &amp; Guinean. Customers from Brazil typically have more Angolan &amp; Congolese ancestry. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Portugal transported as many as five million enslaved Africans to Brazil. These enslaved Africans were primarily from Angola and the Congo River basin. Today, an African genetic signature peaks among 23andMe customers with roots in the east Brazilian state of Bahia.
</div>
Did you know? 
23andMe customers from Guyana and Suriname have high levels of African genetic heritage? The region is often considered more culturally and politically aligned with the Caribbean than the rest of South America.
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To learn more about these regions&#8217; genetic history and diversity, check out the educational modules near the top of each new report! 
<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/caribbean/">Caribbean Report</a> 
<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/central_american/">Mexican &amp; Central American Report</a> 
<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/south_american/">South American Report</a>
</div>
<h2>Explore Your Latino or Caribbean DNA</h2>
You can go directly to your ancestry reports overview to learn more. Not yet a customer? Check out everything you can learn about your ancestral origins using <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">23andMe’s Ancestry Service.</a>

Caribbean and Latin American DNA – Customer Reports

Last week, a few 23andMe customers came together for a special brunch and a chance to celebrate their first Mother’s Day with the birth moms they discovered, with the help of 23andMe.
<div id="attachment_27074" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27074" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-27074" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0040.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />From left, Amanda, her birth mother Julia, her mother Janice, and her biological sister Laura.</div>
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For Amanda, the event was sweeter because she was able to honor not just the mother who gave her life — Julia — but also her adoptive mom — Janice — who raised and guided her through her life.
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“I got to celebrate with both my moms,” said Amanda. “It was a beautiful event.”

<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xOO4NU_zagw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
For Jacob, the event was a chance to meet his birth mother, Natalie, in person for the first time. It was a meeting neither of them thought would be possible.
Jacob was raised by loving parents and always knew he was adopted. But the question of who his birth mom was always lingered, and he began searching years ago. Natalie, too, had been looking, even resorting to using a private investigator. Despite all their efforts neither Jacob nor Natalie were able to find each other.
<div id="attachment_27075" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27075" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-27075" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190501-0002.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Jacob, on the right, and his birth mother Natalie.</div>
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It wasn’t until Jacob used 23andMe and connected with a close relative that they were able to make a breakthrough. When Jacob finally got her contact information and called her, it was as if Natalie had been waiting by the phone just for his call. Almost immediately after he told her that he thought they might be related, Natalie asked him:
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“Are you my son?”
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Jacob thought he might be, so Natalie asked him if his birthday was November 24, 1990.
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“Yes,” he said.
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They both immediately burst into tears.
As mother and son were getting to know each other through emails and calls, Natalie sent Jacob a parcel that included several birthday cards  for the birthdays she’d missed since giving birth to Jacob and then placing him for adoption. The cards were also a way for Natalie to cope with missing out on her son’s life. 
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“I’ve always wanted to meet my biological mom,” said Jacob smiling after meeting her in person for the first time. 
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For Lorraine, the event was more than just a Mother’s Day celebration; it was more like a family reunion.
<div id="attachment_27077" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27077" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/unnamed-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-27077" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/unnamed-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/unnamed.jpg 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Lorraine, left, her birth mom Gail, and sister Valerie.</div>
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Lorraine was able to meet not just her birth mother, Gail, but also her birth father David, and one of her full biological sisters Valerie. When Lorraine was born, Gail and David did not think they could not provide for Lorraine and made the difficult decision to place her for adoption. 
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They later married and had two more children, but never forgot about their first child. It was David who used 23andMe, in his effort to find Lorraine. They first connected with Lorraine late last year and spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Lorraine and her husband, giving her a chance to meet her siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The Mother’s Day event offered Lorraine another opportunity to build family memories.
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“I’ve always been curious about where I come from,” said Lorraine, sitting with her birth mom and new found family members.
<div id="attachment_27078" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27078" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-27078" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260-1180x788.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/23-and-me-190502-0260.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />From right, Isaac, Julie, Ava, Michael, Dale and Sonia.</div>
As with Lorraine, the event for identical twins, Ava and Sonia, was much bigger than just a Mother’s Day brunch. It was the first time that Sonia and Ava were able to come together not only with their biological mother and father, Julie and Dale, but also with their twin brothers Isaac and Michael. Their story is a bit complicated.
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The twin sisters began searching for more information about their biological mother after learning a few years back that their mother, Carla, had used an embryo donor to conceive. Their biological mother, Julie, had been the donor. She and her husband had used IVF to conceive, and after becoming pregnant with their twins, Isaac and Michael, they decided to donate her leftover embryos to other women who were trying to have children.
In meeting their birth mother and father, Ava and Sonia marveled at some of their shared mannerisms and traits.
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“I can already start picking off the similarities between us with the laugh or the different smirks or mannerisms,” their brother Isaac said.
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<div id="attachment_27076" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27076" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-05-08-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27076 size-medium" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-05-08-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-05-08-1.jpg 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />We love mom genes. Happy Mother&#8217;s Day.</div>
Both their mothers, Julie and Carla, said they were happy that they have all connected.
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“Now,” their birth mother Julie said, “they have each other.”
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This Mother’s Day, we wanted to celebrate all kinds of mothers — adoptive moms, birth moms, even embryo donor moms. These four families, some of which who had never met before, are now bound because of DNA and through DNA. 
To see all our Mother&#8217;s Day stories go here.
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Have a <a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/">DNA story</a>? You can share it with us <a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/#form">here</a>.

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