High school teacher Thomas Holterman wanted to show his students that some of the human story and our own family history are written in our DNA if we choose to explore it.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/AC-300x294.jpg" alt="AC" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-22530" width="300" height="294" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/AC-300x294.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/AC.jpg 757w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Holterman is one of four teachers who won an award for lesson plans they developed as part of the <a href="http://iskme.org/media/press-releases/winning-teachers-announced-dna-learning-challenge-prize" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Genetics Learning Challenge</a>, sponsored by ISKME and 23andMe. Holterman was assisted by 23andMe&#8217;s academic program, which helps teachers incorporate genetic education into classroom instruction.
Holterman, a history teacher in Oak Creek Wisconsin, wanted his high school sophomores to use DNA testing to learn more about not just their own families’ histories but also human history.


Using 23andMe testing his students were able to learn more about their ancestry and use it to help create a “family history book” to trace where in the world their ancestors came from.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve done ancestry projects in the past, but I wanted students to dig deeper into their heritage,&#8221; history teacher Holterman told the <a href="http://www.oakcreeknow.com/news/a-spitting-image-of-themselves-b99474078z1-298987461.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oak Creek Now</a>. &#8220;This is a journey of self discovery for them. We&#8217;ve lost so much of our personal history and now they&#8217;ll have information about their ancestors that they&#8217;ll be able to pass down the line.&#8221;
Some of the students plan to share their DNA stories at the <a href="http://www.discoveryworld.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Discovery World</a> in Milwaukee, WI.Check out what some of his students learned from testing.
<iframe loading="lazy" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a_t3C9JWj9k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Don’t Know Much About History?

Last month we announced the three winners in 23andMe’s first-ever Genetics Image Contest, but we felt like everyone came out ahead by helping to bridge the gap in genetics education.
<div id="attachment_21851" style="width: 181px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-21851" class="size-medium wp-image-21851" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-171x300.jpg" alt="One of the winning images. This one &quot;Human Karyotype&quot; by Drury University student Ashleigh Spalding" width="171" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-171x300.jpg 171w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S-503x880.jpg 503w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ashleigh_S.jpg 520w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 171px) 100vw, 171px" />One of the winning images. This one &#8220;Human Karyotype&#8221; by Drury University student Ashleigh Spalding</div>
On top of giving out awards to individual winners, 23andMe also gave out stipends to the three schools with the highest rate of student participation – Drury University, Wartburg College and the College of San Mateo. Each school received $300 to help defray the costs of a “learning event” hosted on campus meant to raise awareness about personal genetics.
At Drury, where this year Prof. Roger Young incorporated 23andMe as a learning tool in his Advanced Molecular Genetics class, students used the money to host a genetics fair that attracted about 90 people. The students even did a before and after survey to gauge whether the event helped improve understanding of genetic testing.
“As you know, any good science experiment should have good data,” Prof. Young explained.
And it appeared from the data that the event had an impact. For example, before the event 65 percent of those surveyed said they would want to know if they were at genetic risk for a disease. Afterwards, the number went up to 79 percent.
At Drury, where this year Prof. Roger Young incorporated 23andMe as a learning tool in his Advanced Molecular Genetics class, students used the money to host a genetics fair that attracted about 90 people. The students even did a before and after survey to gauge whether the event helped improve understanding of genetic testing.
“As you know, any good science experiment should have good data,” Prof. Young explained.
And it appeared from the data that the event had an impact. For example, before the event 65 percent of those surveyed said they would want to know if they were at genetic risk for a disease. Afterwards, the number went up to 79 percent.
<div id="attachment_22006" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22006" class="wp-image-22006 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Chromosome-View.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Using 23andMe&#8217;s chromosome view as a tool for learning about genetics.</div>
<div id="attachment_22007" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007" class="wp-image-22007 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1024x535.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="535" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-300x157.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-768x401.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-880x459.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event-1180x616.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Drury-Event.jpg 1182w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Students participating at the Drury University Event.</div>
Prof. Young said using 23andMe in his semester-long course helped prepare his students for a future in which understanding genomics is integral to medicine.
“Integrating genetic testing into a semester-long learning experience has, I believe, placed these students at a distinct advantage as they prepare to take the (medical school admissions test) and interview for acceptance into various medical schools,” he said.
Learn more about 23andMe’s Academic program here.
The winning images from the contest will be showcased in the Genetics Gallery at <a href="http://www.thetech.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tech Museum of Innovation</a> in San Jose, California.

Everyone’s A Winner

23andMe Carrier Status Reports

If you haven’t already, there’s still time to submit entries in 23andMe’s first “Genetics Image Contest.”
We&#8217;re extending the deadline to get your entries in so you really have no excuse not to send in something. We are also expanding who is eligible to enter, allowing all US residents who are 18 and older to enter. This isn&#8217;t just open to students anymore.
We’ve already received a few beauts, which we’re sharing here. Finalists for the contest, will be showcased in the Genetics Gallery at <a href="http://www.thetech.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Tech Museum of Innovation</a> in San Jose, California.
The images are meant to capture the meaning of the genetic terms – DNA, chromosome, gene, allele, heredity and inheritance pattern. To enter, submit up to three original images, which capture the meaning of at least one of those terms. These images can either be photographs or images you&#8217;ve drawn, painted or created with computer software. Images will be evaluated based on originality, visual impact, and the written description.
Take a look at a few of the recent entries and get inspired. 


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				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21604" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autsomal_Dominant_Heterochromia_Cary-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-21604'>
				Heterochromia

				</dd></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21599" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-574x574.jpg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/photo-3-2-980x980.jpg 980w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-21599'>
				Bumper sticker DNA

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			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autosomal_Recessive_Carmen-150x150.png" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21600" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autosomal_Recessive_Carmen-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autosomal_Recessive_Carmen-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Autosomal_Recessive_Carmen-372x372.png 372w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-21600'>
				A day in the life of a deuteranope 
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			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/myDNA-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21603" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/myDNA-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/myDNA-271x271.jpg 271w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
				<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-21603'>
				Single Molecules and Me

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				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Chromosome-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21601" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Chromosome-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Chromosome-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Chromosome-372x372.jpg 372w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
			</dt>
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				Chromosome Tracks

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				<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-Shot-2014-09-20-at-7.45.36-PM-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" aria-describedby="gallery-1-21602" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-Shot-2014-09-20-at-7.45.36-PM-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-Shot-2014-09-20-at-7.45.36-PM-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-Shot-2014-09-20-at-7.45.36-PM-372x372.jpg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-Shot-2014-09-20-at-7.45.36-PM-574x574.jpg 574w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />
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				Chromosomes and Genes

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		</div>


<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">Summary of Contest Rules 
&#8211; Participants must be 18 years or older and legal residents of the United States. 
&#8211; Images can be drawn by hand, photographed, or generated by computer software and must be in digital format (JPG, PNG, GIF or BMP). 
&#8211; Each image must have a title and a short (50 words or less) written description of how it conveys the genetic term(s) selected. 
&#8211; Works previously published will not be considered. 
&#8211; Images containing defamatory, obscene or inappropriate content will be automatically disqualified. 
&#8211; Contest concludes November 3, 2014 at 11:59PM. Go <a href="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Genetics-Image-Contest-Official-Rules.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> for a complete description of the rules. Email questions about the contest to: geneticsimage2014contest@23andme.com</div>

Each of the three winners will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. The finalists will receive 23andMe T-shirts. The three student groups, classes, or schools with the highest number of participants will receive a $300 prize to raise awareness of personal genomics through a journal club, a lecture or other learning events on campus, including the option to organize a Google Hangout or host an in-person event with a 23andMe scientist, depending on the location.

Winners will be announced in a 23andMe blog post on the week of November 16th.

Genetics Image Contest

If you weren&#8217;t in Austin for the SXSW conference, here&#8217;s video of 23andMe&#8217;s CEO and Cofounder <a href="https://blog.23andme.org/tag/anne-wojcicki">Anne Wojcicki&#8217;</a>s keynote speech on the future of genetics.
Anne talks about how 23andMe created a way for consumers to partner in important genetic research.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Nr2CHwNyvNI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

A photo portrait of Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe's CEO and co-founder

23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki On The Future of Genetics

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6586" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg" alt="23andMe_Logo_blog" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog-271x271.jpg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/23andMe_Logo_blog.jpg 350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />You might know them as bloggers, but several of our main contributors are Health Content Scientists here at 23andMe.
Their day-to-day work touches on nearly every aspect of what 23andMe does. While they do a lot, their main job is finding the most important, scientifically valid and actionable genetic health information and getting that information to customers in the most understandable way possible.
“Being a health scientist at 23andMe gives you a unique opportunity &#8212; the chance to change the way people see genetics and their health,” said Emily Chang, who is part of the team.
Emily and her fellow Health Content Scientists are responsible for all the health content created by 23andMe, and they’ve been integral in developing many of the features and tools you see on the site.
To do it right, the work requires that they each draw on all their years of scientific experience to sort through the reams of genetic research that continues to flow from universities and labs. Finding interesting research isn’t hard, but finding information that has been validated and meets our strict standards takes patience and careful analysis. To then take that research and translate it into something that makes sense and is useful for the average person can also be a challenging problem –  but one that our Health Content Scientists view as equally important.
One of 23andMe’s core missions is to be the world’s most trusted source of genetic information. To do that our team stays on top of the latest research and also digs deep to unearth results that could have a big impact on customers.
So when they&#8217;re not blogging, our Health Content Scientists are busy making sure 23andMe customers have the latest most important and actionable health information available.

23andMe’s Health Content Scientists

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-18413" alt="labtechs" src="https://blog-api.23andme.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1-300x208.png" width="300" height="208" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1-300x208.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/labtechs1.png 455w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Curiosity. The desire to be informed and healthier. The need to know ourselves and our histories better.
Whatever your reason is for joining 23andMe, we make it pretty simple. Order a kit, create an account, spit in a tube, and mail it back.
In just a few weeks, you log on to the website and learn what your DNA says about your health, ancestry, and traits. But how do we get all of that information from just a little bit of spit?
A lot goes on at the lab to turn the contents of that tube into the genetic data you see on the screen. Technicians inspect your tube to check for obvious problems like leaks. Then they extract the DNA out of cells in the saliva and make sure there’s enough DNA to analyze. (If there isn’t, you’re given another kit to spit again.)
Once the DNA is out, it’s broken up and “amplified” &#8212; a little bit of DNA becomes a lot of DNA. That DNA is then spread onto a custom chip that allows us to read out your genetic data at hundreds of thousands of places in the genome, places that contain information about our <a href="https://www.23andme.org/dna-health-ancestry/">health and ancestry</a>.
For a behind the scenes look at what happens at the lab, check out our video:
<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6cYGPlQCeLA" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Behind the Scenes at the Lab

<div id="attachment_18329" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18329" class="wp-image-18329 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic.jpg" alt="" width="1070" height="930" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic.jpg 1070w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-300x261.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-768x668.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-1024x890.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Mark-at-Cleveland-Clinic-880x765.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px" />Mark Ackerley speaking about DNA Melody at the Cleveland Clinic&#8217;s Personal Healthcare Summit.</div>
Mark Ackerley speaking about DNA Melody at the Cleveland Clinic&#8217;s Personal Healthcare Summit.
Mark Ackerley, a composer and a member of 23andMe&#8217;s marketing team, recently spoke at a personalized medicine conference about his creation, DNA Melody. While there, a string quartet performed a composition he wrote inspired by Dr. Kathryn Teng&#8217;s DNA Melody. Dr. Teng is the director of the Center for Personalized Healthcare at the Cleveland Clinic. Below is a condensed version of his talk as well as an excerpt of the piece Mark composed called &#8220;A Celebration of Vitality.&#8221; 

By Mark Ackerley
When I was in the fifth grade, I got to stay up late one night and watch the Arsenio Hall Show.   That night, Bill Clinton took the stage and proceeded to WAIL on the saxophone  – which blew my 10 year-old mind.   I decided that I had to be cool like this guy – I wanted to wail too.
So upon entering my music class in school, I told them I wanted to play saxophone, “preferably with dark glasses on.” The instructor responded with: “Why don’t we start you on clarinet…it’s just as cool, trust me.”   The teacher would not hear my cries of “but…I want to wail.”   So I got a clarinet, and over the course of the next year I firmly established myself as second to last chair in my class.   The girl in last chair never actually got her clarinet.   Thus began my illustrious career in music.
I hear people say so often “I used to play (insert instrument) but I quit when I was 13.   I wish my parents had made me continue.”
My response is always “It’s never too late.”   At 21, I had never taken music lessons (except my brief affair with the clarinet) and I didn’t know what middle C was or how to read a score.   Fast-forward eight years and I had a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from a major university, a Masters Degree in Music Composition from a major conservatory, and an opportunity to write a new piece for the Berkeley Symphony.   It’s never too late.
<div id="attachment_18332" style="width: 572px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-18332" class="wp-image-18332 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody.jpg" alt="" width="562" height="161" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody.jpg 562w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Melody-300x86.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 562px) 100vw, 562px" />A Celebration of Vitality</div>
The fact is everybody plays a musical instrument.   In fact you play THE instrument that all others seek to imitate — one that is capable of more colors and qualities than any other in the world.   That instrument is the human voice, and you have been playing it since birth.   On top of that, before you were able to see, smell, taste, or feel — it was SOUND that shaped your world, and the cells that formed your body in its primal stages were (and still are) governed by a rhythm.   Your body is a musical instrument.
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 250px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">MUSIC AND CULTURE 
I’d like to leave you with a question. But first, imagine ancient man. These people and their societies were preoccupied with the basic necessities of survival: food, water, shelter, and procreation. Music will not help you get any of these (trust me). And yet, every culture around the world and in every historical age there is evidence that music was practiced in some form. Music has never been pivotal to the success or failure of a society, yet it frames the most important aspects of our lives. We use music for war, weddings, and religious ceremonies, even funerals! I hear people say: “I want this song played at my funeral.” That is such a profound statement — that my lasting impression on my loved ones can be summed up in this piece of music. And conversely, it’s now commonplace to see a mother-to-be holding headphones to her stomach. It’s clear that music is one of the cornerstones of what it means to be human. My question is: Why? Why is this phenomenon so pervasive, when as I’ve demonstrated it has no utilitarian value? There is perhaps no one ‘right’ answer, but it is a question worth asking. The best I can do to answer is this:Just as DNA binds us all in a common thread, music fulfills the basic human desire to feel connected, and reminds us that we are not alone in the universe.</div>
My name is Mark Ackerley and I am a composer.   I write music.   I also work for 23andMe on the Marketing team.   I was recently invited to the Cleveland Clinic’s main facility in Ohio to share my creation, DNA Melody.   They asked me to present at the <a href="http://clevelandclinic.org/phcsummit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Third Annual Summit on Personalized Healthcare</a>, and to explain why it’s important to engage individuals who might be hesitant to approach the world of genomics.  DNA Melody seeks to do just that.   To help consumers understand their genetic information in a new and exciting way. Don’t get me wrong; DNA Melody is not a diagnostic tool, it won’t directly inform someone of his or her genetic conditions.   But it will shed some light on how genomics works, and how everyone can find it interesting and engaging.
DNA Melody works like this:   About 35 SNPs are arranged in an algorithm that translates genotypic information from an individual, to four different musical parameters.   Those parameters are rhythm, pitch, timbre, and key signature.   If we look at the SNP associated with eye color for example, you might have an ‘AA’ where I might have an ‘AG’.   The algorithm would insert a different rhythmic value based on that difference.   Expand this process over the other SNPs and your melody begins to take shape.
You may wonder if someone out there has the same melody as you.   Given the number of variables in the program, the odds that two people (assuming they are not identical twins) have the same exact melody is about 1 in 10^28.   In other words, anyone who signs up for 23andMe will get a totally unique melody based entirely on their personal genetic information.
To date, there are over 250,000 DNA Melodies.   Discover, download, share, and compare yours today.   You can find the DNA Melody feature in the Ancestry Tools section of your account.
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Hear the music in you and create your own DNA Melody. Not a customer? <a href="https://www.23andme.org/store/cart/">Visit our store! </a>
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Mark Ackerley

DNA Melody, Play it Again

23andMe and You — Page 6