Equipped with pipe cleaners, pom poms, and a PowerPoint presentation on basic genetics, members of the 23andMe Education team headed back to school last week.

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The team was at Hoover Community School in Redwood City, to impart the basics of genetics to 6th and 7th graders, who are part of an <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-25262" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-256x300.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-256x300.jpg 256w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-768x902.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-872x1024.jpg 872w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-749x880.jpg 749w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/23andEdu_8Dec2016-70-11-1005x1180.jpg 1005w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px" />after school program. It’s the kind of extracurricular learning that’s not always available for these students, said David Cruz, who helps with the after school program and is the manager of development and corporate partnerships for the Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.


“It is important that low income students at the Boys &amp; Girls Clubs receive these types of unique experiences to explore topics of ancestry and genetics, too often they are not presented with these opportunities at home or at their schools,” Cruz said.


The students also taught our team from 23andMe a few things about having fun.
The afternoon started with the students playing a little game meant to illustrate how genetics influence physical traits like hair texture, eye color, freckling and tongue rolling ability in a population. Some of the funniest moments centered on an activity meant to  figure out who could roll their tongue. It involved students sticking out their tongues, and seeing who could roll their tongues and who couldn’t. The fun continued with students  examining their ears, checking to see who had  attached or detached earlobes, another inherited trait.


The education team gave a brief presentation on the basics of DNA, followed by some additional interactive activities. Applying lessons learned from the presentation, students wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets in four  different colors to represent their As, Cs, Ts, and Gs — the four DNA bases that are the building blocks of DNA. Using what they learned in the lesson about complementary base pairing rules, the students paired with their complimentary color to form their own parallel DNA sequences and  simulate the DNA replication process.

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To illustrate how DNA is constructed and how the nucleotide bases pair with one another, the students created a double helix ladder using pipe cleaners as the sugar-phosphate backbone, and small fabric pom poms, or pony beads, as color-coded base pairs.
Then it was on to diagramming inheritance on paper using something called Punnett squares, which are used by biologists to determine the probability of an offspring having a particular genotype.
In this case the  students also used Easter eggs to illustrate the process, cracking open two one for mom and one for dad. Each egg contained a random combination of alleles for the genes that code for hair texture, eye color, and lip thickness. Students completed Punnett squares to determine the traits for the offspring of the eggs. Using the inheritance model as a guide, students decorated trait balloons with markers to illustrate the eye color and lip thickness, and yarn to simulate hair texture. For one student, the exercise   helped her understand why her aunt and uncle have brown eyes, but her cousin,their child, has blue eyes!


The most popular activity was a brief guessing game on the length of DNA inside a single human cell, using a piece of yarn to physically show the length. Before revealing the full section of string, students offered hypotheses ranging from a few inches to two football fields. Most were surprised at the actual length: approximately 6 feet!
Although we were there to inspire interest in science and genetics, we also left inspired by the level of enthusiasm and curiosity among the students.
Many asked thoughtful questions, like:
How does genetics influence cancer?
Can we use DNA to clone humans?
What do genes have to do with diabetes?
Can genes make someone do bad things?


This last question led to a broader discussion about the interplay between genetics and environmental factors, a conversation we weren’t exactly expecting from middle schoolers.  But the surprises didn’t stop there, with one student schooling us on CRISPR-Cas9.  He noted  that in using this   “novel” gene editing method,  “mistakes will be made.”
And then quoting Einstein he added: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”


At times, attention briefly veered off course. It’s tough to focus on genetics for a full three hours, especially after a full school day. Balloons were popping, pom poms were flying, and during a brief moment in one classroom after several unsuccessful attempts to restore attention, one student near the back was able to focus the entire group when upon finishing his model, he gave an excited shout and held up a perfect pipe cleaner double helix.


The afternoon finished with fun gifts for everyone: each student received a complimentary Tech Museum ticket (thanks to Barry Starr at the Tech Museum), candies, stickers, and pins. Each teacher received a genetics-themed T-shirt and each classroom received two free You Share Genes with Me and The One and Only Me books.
The afternoon built on a similar event 23andMe participated in last year, visiting students at the Boys &amp; Girls Club adjacent to Hoover for a program affiliated with the school. This year’s program doubled in size with 70 participating students and teachers, said Cruz.
“The majority of our students are youth of color and it is empowering for them to learn how certain traits and physical characteristics help form their identities,” Cruz said. “23andMe not just taught our students about the basics of DNA, they opened up a new career pathway in the bio tech industry for our youth to explore.”

The day was part of the 23andMe Education team’s mission to facilitate genetic literacy at all levels. Thanks again to the teachers, administrators, and most importantly the students at Hoover for welcoming us into their world for an afternoon. We learned a lot!

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

23andEducation

Robin Smith, 23ndMe Senior Scientist


When did that 2 percent Yakut ancestry make its way into your family tree?
The newest <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">23andMe Ancestry feature</a> may have the answer for you.
This feature is another first for 23andMe, which broke new ground by offering customers a detailed accounting of their genetic ancestry with the Ancestry Composition report. Customers who have connected accounts with a parent can also see what ancestries were inherited from each side of the family tree. The Ancestry Composition report also allows customers to dig deeper into their genetic ancestry with a genome map of their ancestry. (To learn more about this feature, see the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-and-you/23andme-how-to/meet-your-chromosome-painting/">Meet Your Chromosome Painting</a> blog post.)


Now, 23andMe has added a fourth analysis to the report, which we call <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">&#8220;Ancestry Timeline.&#8221;</a> This feature allows customers to go back in time and learn approximately when a particular ancestry entered their family tree.

Ancestry Timeline was made possible through pioneering work by 23andMe Research Scientist <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/a-conversation-with-23andmes-kasia-bryc/">Kasia Bryc</a>, whose previous <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/dna-usa-2/">research provided insights into the American melting pot</a>.
<div id="attachment_25230" style="width: 881px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25230" class="wp-image-25230 size-large" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-871x1024.png" alt="" width="871" height="1024" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-871x1024.png 871w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-255x300.png 255w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-768x903.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-748x880.png 748w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ancestry_timeline_sarah_antonio-1003x1180.png 1003w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px" />According their Ancestry Composition results, Sarah is about 25% British &amp; Irish and Antonio is about 20% Iberian. The Ancestry Timeline feature puts these results in a new context. Sarah likely had a recent ancestor (a grandparent, great-grandparent, or 2nd great-grandparent) who was 100 percent British &amp; Irish, while you have to go pretty far back on Antonio&#8217;s family tree to find someone who was 100 percent Iberian (5-8 generations ago.)</div>
23andMe determines your Ancestry Timeline by analyzing the pattern of ancestry in your genome. It looks at both the number and size of segments that derive from a particular ancestry as well as their distribution across your chromosomes. Large segments of ancestry in your genome that all come from the same population suggest a recent ancestor, while shorter segments suggest a more distant one.
An important caveat of the Ancestry Timeline feature is that it assumes that your ancestry from each population originally comes from a single (recent or distant) ancestor.
It also says nothing about where a particular ancestor was born—only their genetics. Therefore, a British &amp; Irish ancestor born in Philadelphia would look the same as one born in Dublin. Ancestry Timeline also has the same limitations as Ancestry Composition, in that it doesn&#8217;t report contributions by recently admixed populations (e.g. &#8220;Mexican&#8221; ancestry is reported as a mixture of European, Native American, and African ancestry) and trace ancestries (e.g. &lt;0.5 percent) should be taken with a grain of salt.


For a more technical explanation of how the Ancestry Timeline feature works, <a href="https://permalinks.23andme.com/pdf/23-14_admixture_date_estimator.pdf">read our white paper</a>.

23andMe’s New Ancestry Timeline

<div id="attachment_23961" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23961" class="wp-image-23961 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-240x300.jpg" alt="esteban-gonzalez-burchard" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-240x300.jpg 240w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-768x960.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-704x880.jpg 704w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard-944x1180.jpg 944w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/esteban-gonzalez-burchard.jpg 1157w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" />Genetic Ancestry Matters in Precision Medicine Webinar: 1/19/2017 11 am &#8211; 12 pm PT To register go here.</div>
It&#8217;s long been known that disease risk is different among different ethnic groups, and so too is the effectiveness of certain treatments, but we still don’t know exactly why that is.


UCSF medical researcher Esteban Burchard, MD, MPH, has focused his work on solving this puzzle and focusing more genetic research on under-represented Latino and African American communities to achieve that.


For example, his lab is working to identify the risk factors that predispose Latino and African American children and teens to higher risks for asthma. His team is exploring how these new genetic discoveries could lead to improved treatments for the condition.
In a webinar intended for healthcare professionals, educators and academic researchers, Dr. Burchard, will discuss the role of ancestry in advancing socially responsible scientific research to precision medicine in the clinic.

Genetic Ancestry Matters in Precision Medicine

If you think that opposites attract, you are likely mistaken, or at least that&#8217;s what the science says. Over a hundred years ago, researchers first discovered that couples are actually more alike than <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-17437" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AfricanAmericanCoupleHeart-200x300.jpg" alt="AfricanAmericanCoupleHeart" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AfricanAmericanCoupleHeart-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AfricanAmericanCoupleHeart.jpg 283w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />they are different.


One of the first things researchers noted was that tall people tend to partner with other tall people. Since then, studies of this phenomena – called &#8220;assortative mating&#8221; – have found strong correlations among couples for almost all traits, including behavior, personality, and disease risk.


There are  a lot of reasons for this. Love is complicated, and figuring out precisely why couples get together is tricky.
But a new study the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-016-0016">Nature Human Behavior</a> has identified genetic evidence for assortative mating, reporting that, at least for one trait, height, there is a strong correlation between the genetic variants that influence height in one partner and the actual height of the other.
In this  study, researchers from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, the University of North Carolina, 23andMe and dozens of other institutions, were able to look specifically at genetic factors by using a new design and analytical approach that allowed for them to carefully control for non-genetic influences. 
Isolating all the different cultural and social influences involved in why people partner up, isn&#8217;t easy, however. We may be attracted to our partners for any number of reasons. For instance, partners might have similar BMIs because people are attracted to individuals with a BMI that resembles their own. Or, they might choose a partner who is culturally similar. Alternatively, their BMIs might converge over time due to shared environment.


To isolate some of those kinds of influences the researchers in this study used data from more than 24,000 couples, including 11,908 from 23andMe, and compared an individual’s genetically-predicted height and BMI to those of their partner. Because genetics are determined at birth, these shouldn’t be correlated if partners become more similar only after meeting each other.
The researchers also controlled for population, to remove the effects of shared cultural background.
They found a strong correlation between people’s genetic predisposition for height and the actual height of their partner. The findings showed that similarity in couples’ heights can be largely explained by people selecting mates who are like them. Tall people, it seems, are attracted to other tall people.
But the findings were not as strong for BMI, where there was a weaker correlation between people’s genetic contributions to BMI and the actual BMI of their partners.
One possible implication of this is that “mate choice” may, in turn, affect the genetic architecture of traits in humans as well. Assortative mating may increase the odds of parents passing on a trait, like height, to their children.


“These results have implications for the interpretation of resemblance between relatives and for estimates of genetic parameters in populations,” the researchers said.
You can find the paper in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-016-0016">Nature</a>.

Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans

Just before we kick off another year of blogging, it’s worth taking a moment to look back and single out what for us were some of the big stories, breakthroughs or findings in genetics from last year. 
Here is our top five.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-4565 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/iStock_000004751590XSmall.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" />
<h6>Diversity</h6>
For a very long time, medical research in general has focused largely on people of European ancestry and that is even<a href="https://www.nature.com/news/genomics-is-failing-on-diversity-1.20759"> more apparent with genetic research</a>. Less than five percent of genetic research on disease includes people of African ancestry. In fact most genetic research is focused on people of European ancestry, meaning that we risk missing key scientific discoveries that could benefit people of all ancestries. Last year 23andMe launched two separate efforts meant to help alleviate some of these disparities. Both are NIH-funded studies but they approach the diversity issue in different ways.
Kasia Bryc, a senior scientist and population geneticist at 23andMe, is leading one of the studies that will use<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/news/announcements/23andme-scientists-improving-diversity-in-genetic-research/"> admixture mapping</a> to identify genetic variants associated with disease in under-represented populations. This leverages 23andMe’s existing database, which includes a large number of African Americans and Latinos who have mixed ancestry. The second study is the African American African American Sequencing Project that is being lead by Adam Auton, a 23andMe senior scientist and statistical geneticist. This project will help address health research disparities by creating a genetic resource for health research in African Americans that could improve the understanding of diseases in minority populations.
Gene Editing, Again
This is the third year in a row we’ve singled out the innovative technique for specific bits of DNA, called CRISPR. It is a simple and quick way of snipping out deleterious sections of DNA and stitching in “corrected” sections. This offers huge potential for treating diseases or other deleterious conditions. It has already been used to treat<a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v539/n7629/full/nature20134.html"> sickle cell anemia</a> and<a href="https://www.nature.com/news/chinese-scientists-to-pioneer-first-human-crispr-trial-1.20302"> lung cancer</a>. But CRISP also presents some serious ethical issues about tampering with human DNA, and there are other issues.
For instance, researchers working on treating HIV found that the virus could quickly develop mutations that resist editing. The findings by researchers at McGill University in Montreal were<a href="https://www.nature.com/news/hiv-overcomes-crispr-gene-editing-attack-1.19712"> published back in April.</a> It illustrates the complexity of creating gene therapies with CRISPR. But even with this kind of hurdle, the promise of this technology makes it likely we’ll be hearing more about CRISPR this year.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-22305 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-300x234.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="234" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-300x234.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-768x600.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-880x687.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/teardrop-1180x921.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
<h6>Not Depressing</h6>
Past efforts to study genetics of major depressive disorder all came up short until last year. It turns out that size matters when it comes to the study of depression. Past efforts were limited by numbers. However a “mega analysis” of data from more than 400,000 people  found 17 genetic variants in 15 different genetic regions associated with major depressive disorder.
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/01/large-dna-study-using-23andme-data-finds-15-sites-linked-to-depression/?utm_term=.a6c976af27d5"> The study</a>, by scientists from Pfizer, Massachusetts General Hospital and 23andMe identified genes associated with depression and schizophrenia. The study also illustrates the<a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2595522"> power of big data</a>. While identifying genes associated with the condition is useful to better understand the disease and its causes. It also gives researchers studying the biology of the disease clearer paths to follow, but much work is still needed.
<h6>Love and Science </h6>
Our year started with the<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/love-and-science/"> moving story</a> of the married couple, Eric Minikel and Sonia Vallabh.  Together they switched careers to become medical researchers and focus all their energy on the study and treatment for prion disease. It is a rare but devastating and fatal genetic condition. It hits the nervous system, impairs brain function, and causes other neurodegenerative symptoms. It typically manifests itself around the age of 50.
Sonia’s mother died of the disease at 52. Sonia inherited the genetic mutation that puts her at a very high risk for the disease. The couple formed a<a href="http://www.prionalliance.org/"> non-profit</a> focused on the disease. They’ve incorporated data from 23andMe in<a href="http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/322/322ra9.full"> their work</a> and their story has been featured in both the<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/insomnia-that-kills/384841/"> Atlantic</a> and the<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-prion-love-story"> New Yorker</a>.
<h6>The Election</h6>
The ascendance of Trump to the U.S. presidency leaves open a lot of questions about the future of government funded research in the US. Not just that even the<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/12/waiting-science-adviser"> role of science</a> in setting policy is up in the air. Also unknown is whether the new administration will keep Francis Collins, as director of the NIH. At the helm of the agency since 2009, Collins has helped push the<a href="https://www.nih.gov/research-training/allofus-research-program"> Precision Medicine Initiative</a>, now called “All of Us.” He has deftly navigated the political waters of Washington, but<a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/12/13/trump-collins-eisen/"> some</a> have publicly pushed for his replacement. Whether he stays or goes, it’s still unknown what if any science initiatives the new administration will champion.

Our Top Five from 2016

The stories all start the same – with a 23andMe kit given at Christmas – but then they follow their own fascinating narratives that are as unique as the customers who share them<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-17056 size-full alignright" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ChristmasTree.jpg" alt="" width="424" height="283" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ChristmasTree.jpg 424w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ChristmasTree-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px" /> with us.
Almost daily we hear from people who’ve learned something new about themselves or their families using 23andMe. Some of the stories are moving or mysterious, others have a lighter touch, but they all carry the weight of someone’s humanity.
With the holiday just around the corner, we wanted to share a few stories with you.
There’s Pat Nosko’s story of finding family.
“It’s the most amazingly beautiful gift I could have ever hoped to give my mother,” said Kelle Scott, who gave her mother Pat a kit at Christmas. Pat, who’d been adopted and knew little about her biological parents, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/a-most-amazing-gift">found a sister </a>she never knew she had.
It’s was Lenny Scoval’s wife how gave him a kit for Christmas, and he too <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/boy-south-carolina/">found family</a>.
An adoptee, who at 52, connected with seven of the twelve siblings he’d never knew he had.
It was Adam’s partner Steve who gave him a kit as a present. Adam <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/a-list-for-midlife">found biological family</a>, but also found that he could help someone else, someone who like himself had been searching for biological family. Adam probably best summed up what many customers have told of about using 23andMe.
“This entire experience has helped explain why I am the way I am,” he said, “and I am forever grateful.”
Happy Holidays! 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VnujfbhfVNA" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

A tree in the snow in a forest that is lit up like a Christmas tree.

The Gift

Editor’s note: We first wrote about the Christmas Tree genome a few years ago, but it&#8217;s worth another <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-17056" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ChristmasTree-200x200.jpg" alt="Chritstmas Tree" width="200" height="200" />look.  There is some real interesting science around sequencing various conifers, like the <a href="http://www.genetics.org/content/196/3/875">Loblolly pine</a>, the <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522131039.htm">Norway spruce</a>, and  California sugar pine, which is endangered. While pines only have 12 chromosomes, the genomes of these massive highly evolved cone-bearing trees are huge. Understanding their genetic structure, and how these majestic trees, which have been around for hundreds of millions of years, survived through millennia is important. So we thought it worthwhile to run again for the holidays. Cheers!
If you could just get your Christmas tree to spit into a tube and extract some DNA, you might learn a lot about your holiday decoration.
For starters, you might be able to tell where it originated. Plant genetics, like animal genetics, is influenced by geography. A team of Douglas fir tree researchers, under the direction of Andrew Eckert and David Neale from the University of California, Davis, have discovered <a href="http://www.genetics.org/content/182/4/1289" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seven genetic markers</a> with frequencies that vary with location across the Pacific Northwest. These markers were found in genes associated with cold-hardiness.
The implication is that northern Douglas fir trees, exposed to blustery winter weather, evolved to be genetically different from their southern-dwelling cousins. Their find, although not surprising, is interesting; science is now beginning to understand exactly how genetic variation leads to the cold-hardy trees of the north.
The real cutting edge of Christmas tree research, however, lies with cut trees and the mess that they make. Anyone with firsthand experience with a fresh-cut Christmas tree knows that shed needles are the price paid for that fresh piney scent. With an ever-earlier start to the Christmas season, needle retention research represents an opportunity; a tree which could retain its needles from Thanksgiving until well past New Year’s would be a commercial hit.
Gary Chastagner of the Washington State University, sometimes referred to as “Mr. Christmas Tree,” is leading a scientific quest for the holy grail of Christmas trees: better needle retention. The $1.3 million dollar project will use RNA sequencing and the “Denmark Needle Retention Scale” (which Chastagner developed with Danish tree scientists) to look for genetic associations.
Mr. Christmas Tree’s undertaking is an ambitious one, but could herald great news for those of us who prefer their pine needles on the Christmas tree and not in the vacuum cleaner. My next request? A tree which grows its own lights.

O Christmas Tree

23andMe again turned to <a href="http://www.arianakilloran.com/about/">Ariana Killoran</a> to complete its newest book, The One And Only Me, which communicates the <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24606" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/61JsPEOMZvL-260x300.jpg" alt="61jspeomzvl" width="260" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/61JsPEOMZvL-260x300.jpg 260w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/61JsPEOMZvL.jpg 433w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px" />complicated and important science of genetics in a way that kids can understand. This is the second children’s book on genetics by Ariana, an illustrator who has worked with the company since its beginning. 
Her first book for the company, You Share Genes with Me, came out in 2013. Probably best known for her innovative and whimsical <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubq4eu_TDFc">Genetics 101</a> educational videos, Ariana sat down with us recently to discuss her work and the latest book. 


This is your second kids book on genetics. Why do an illustrated children&#8217;s book on this?


For two reasons, really: First, the world of medicine is being transformed by new genetic discoveries and increasing access to personal genetic information, yet there are very few children’s books out there that introduce genetics concepts to young children. I am a huge fan of the nonfiction picture book as a way of engaging kids in science.
Illustration, when paired with clear, concise text, is such a powerful tool for communicating complex information to any audience. And while these days you can learn just about anything online (I made a whole series of Genetics 101 videos for 23andMe a number of years ago), books are still those treasured objects that kids can linger over, immerse themselves in, and discover over and over again.
The other reason is more personal. My older daughter looks nothing like me (seriously, NOTHING like me), and exactly like her father. Ever since she was a baby, people have been unable to resist pointing out this fact to her. So she started asking me questions: Would she look just like Daddy when she grew up? Was she also related to Mommy? Could she be like Mommy in some other ways that she can’t see? Kids have their own questions about genetics and what it means for who they are and who they are going to be.
What was your goal for this book?
<div id="attachment_24605" style="width: 293px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-24605" class="wp-image-24605 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-283x300.jpg" alt="ak-photo1" width="283" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-283x300.jpg 283w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-768x816.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-964x1024.jpg 964w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-829x880.jpg 829w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1-1111x1180.jpg 1111w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AK-photo1.jpg 1744w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 283px) 100vw, 283px" />Illustrator Ariana Killoran and some of her traits.</div>
To give kids the tools to answer some of their questions about genetics, and to inspire them to ask more questions and seek out more answers.


Science, and genetic science in particular, are pretty complicated, and yet you are able to communicate these concepts to kids. What&#8217;s your secret? 


I start by respecting kids as the powerful intellects that they are. To young kids, all new information is equal. There isn’t “hard” information and “easy” information. There is just new information and familiar information, information that sparks their interests, and information that doesn’t. Children are naturally curious about the world around them. It is only in high school and thereafter that we self-select into “science” and “nonscience” people. It’s then that some of us decide that we are incapable of learning whole subject areas of information.
Kids don’t have those hang-ups.
There are a zillion stories we could tell about genetics, but we have to pick just one to tell at a time, or else it becomes cluttered and noisy and impedes learning. I drive the scientists I work with crazy by cutting out all this stuff that they want to put into my book texts and video scripts.
All things can’t be equally important to every story, and I want to do the hard work of finding what is important so the reader doesn’t have to. A lot of times when writing about science for kids, adults think the key is to use folksy or cutesy names or metaphors, and sugarcoat the information to make it more palatable. But I find if you really trim down the text so that you say only what you need to say, and then create beautiful illustrations that clearly communicate the same point in a slightly different angle, you create the best conditions for learning.
Humor doesn’t hurt, either, because learning is supposed to be fun. If we give a kid a book that looks like that beloved bedtime story they curl up with every night, we are saying that within it there is  something special.


What interests you the most about genetics?

<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
23andMe&#8217;s Education Program
Ariana&#8217;s book is part of 23andMe&#8217;s broader mission to improve genetic literacy at all levels.
Both books are part of 23andMe’s broader commitment to genetics education that started with its founding and, over the last decade, has included an educational video series with Khan Academy,<a href="https://sslvpn.23andme.com/lessons/,DanaInfo=education.23andme.org,SSL+"> crowdsourced curriculum</a> for high school and college level science classes, webinars, speaking events, outreach activities, student contests, and even contributions to<a href="https://sslvpn.23andme.com/,DanaInfo=unlockinglifescode.org,SSL+explore"> a traveling museum exhibit</a> developed by the Smithsonian and National Institutes of Health.
More recently, the company established an Education Grant Program to inspire educators to create an interactive learning experience for students by integrating personal genetics into their curriculum.</div>
“Making genetics education fun and accessible has been core to our mission since we launched in 2006,” said Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe’s co-founder and CEO. “The mapping of the human genome is the most exciting scientific discovery of our lifetime, but to truly benefit from it we each need to better understand the basics of genetics. We know that there is a lot of work to do to improve genetic literacy and 23andMe will continue our commitment to science education at all levels.”

The limits of genetics are most interesting to me. I want to know more about the way our experiences and the world around us interact with our genetics to make us who we are.
As a parent of young kids, I love watching this phenomenon in action: these little people —— with some familiar looking eyes and ears and a whole bunch of other genetic bits and pieces they inherited from my husband and I —— develop into complex humans as they interact with the world around them.


Looking at your illustrations there’s a certain lightness and humor there. How would you describe your style?
Quirky, playful, at times irreverent. But I care about every character that I draw, and try to breathe some complexity into them. I am respectful of them, and I want to give viewers opportunities to connect with them.


What are the picture books that were your favorites as a kid?


The Babar books, Beatrix Potter books, Bread and Jam for Francis by Russell Hoban/Lillian Hoban, Harlequin and the Gift of Many Colors by Remy Charlip/Burton Supree, and People by Peter Spier.
You studied African history at Yale and Berkeley, how did you wind up becoming an illustrator?


Ha! A valid question. Classic Gemini? My husband used to call me “curveball” because of a particularly nutty email exchange we had while I was doing pre-dissertation research in Malawi. One day I sent him a message about how all the pieces of my project were falling into place, how I had made all these important contacts, how my language skills had progressed, and so forth. Less than 24 hours later, I sent him a message telling him I had decided to turn down my grant, leave grad school, and enroll full-time in art school to become an illustrator. I remember being really irritated when he thought I might be acting impulsively.
But I have never looked back. The truth is, I have wanted to be a book illustrator my entire life. I have never lost my love of children’s books and children’s book art.  I have always drawn, made, sculpted, built, collaged, what have you, but somehow didn’t realize it was a job I could have. Turns out being an illustrator is not only great because I get to draw all the time, but also because it requires that I constantly immerse myself in new subject areas. And, unlike the academic writing I was doing before, my illustrations let me communicate with all kinds of people, and lots of them.


You were with 23andMe at the beginning and have been involved with the company off and on through that whole time. What do you see as the biggest changes in people&#8217;s perception of genetics in that time? What do you think 23andMe&#8217;s role has been in all that?
When we started out ten years ago, the idea of personal genomics was a complete unknown for most people, myself included! The company had a ton of work to do just making people comfortable with the notion that individuals could access their genetic information and use it responsibly. There were a handful of companies on the market at the time, some more reputable and scientifically sound than others, and 23andMe worked hard to gain the trust of both consumers and the scientific community. Ten years later, many people have accepted that genetic data provides the next frontier in personalized medicine, and 23andMe is a trusted part of this change. From the very beginning, 23andMe has taken education very seriously and understood that the company has a responsibility to their customers to make sure they understand what their data is telling them. I think it is that commitment to education and transparency that has helped transform the industry into what it is today.

Genetics Education And The One And Only Me

Some of the dos and don’t of your annual office holiday party should be kind of obvious – don’t hit on your boss and maybe take it easy on the spiked punch – but knowing how your DNA influences how your body responds to alcohol or sweets might help you navigate the pitfalls of this year’s celebrations.
Your genetics influences how you metabolize alcohol, your preference for salty or sweet snacks, and whether your <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/wellness/alcohol-flush-reaction">face reddens</a> when you have a little alcohol.
“Lost in the merriment of holiday festivities is how our environment and the decisions we’re making are influenced by our genetics – and the consequence those decisions may have,” said Jeffrey Pollard, and MD and 23andMe’s director of medical affairs. “Most things we eat and drink can be enjoyed in moderation without having a harmful effect as long as you don’t overdo it.”
This year 23andMe dissected how your genetics may influences the ways your body may react to some of the choices you make at this year’s holiday office party.
Enjoy and season’s greetings. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-24897" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Holiday-Season-Survival-Guide-v1_US_hi-res-4.jpg" alt="holiday-season-survival-guide-v1_us_hi-res" width="1000" height="2994" />
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Latest Posts — Page 93