<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/three-new-prs-cancer-reports">New reports</a> give more personalized and accurate results by incorporating genetic ancestry as a continuous spectrum instead of grouping customers into ancestry categories.



The question looks so simple, just four words: &#8220;What is your race?&#8221; We see it on forms seemingly everywhere we go — at the doctor&#8217;s office, work, and school. But the question&#8217;s simplicity belies the deep complexity of racial, ethnic, and ancestral origins. In the 2020 Census, over 10 percent of the United States population identified as multiracial. 



Similarly, at 23andMe, we found that many consented 23andMe research participants answered &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure&#8221; rather than choosing one of the options when asked which population they &#8220;most closely&#8221; identify with. As the nation becomes increasingly diverse, the assumption that a person&#8217;s identity can be captured meaningfully by a single racial or ethnic category becomes ever more flawed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reflecting-genetic-diversity">Reflecting Genetic Diversity</h2>



At 23andMe, we know that every customer has a unique Ancestry Composition, a genetic mosaic formed by countless ancestors over generations. To reflect this genetic diversity better, we are updating the algorithm that powers new reports available to 23andMe+ Premium members to reflect genetic ancestry as a continuous spectrum instead of as distinct groups.



The new reports are powered by 23andMe research and based on polygenic scores, which <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/how-23andme-predicted-my-likelihood-of-developing-the-disease-of-kings">estimate someone&#8217;s overall genetic likelihood of having a trait or disease based on the combined impact of thousands of </a>genetic variants. Any given health condition may be more or less common from one global population to another. 



Likewise, any given genetic variant may be more frequent in some populations than others. To tease apart all these interrelated factors and give accurate results to customers of varying ancestral backgrounds, customer results based on polygenic scores must account for ancestry in some way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polygenic-scores">Polygenic Scores</h2>



For several years, 23andMe developed reports using a polygenic score algorithm that incorporated data from consented research participants with predominantly East Asian, European, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, South Asian, or West Asian/North African ancestry. 



This algorithm, released in 2019, leveraged the fact that consented 23andMe research participants form the world&#8217;s largest, most ancestrally diverse recontactable genetic database. However, it was also limited because it relied on grouping customers with other genetically similar individuals to produce their report results.



The shift to representing genetic ancestry as a continuum is in line with emerging best practices in the scientific community; as we were developing this updated algorithm in 2023, <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26902/using-population-descriptors-in-genetics-and-genomics-research-a-new">the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine </a>released guidelines recommending that scientific analyses represent genetic diversity as a continuous spectrum, rather than genetic groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tailored-results">Tailored Results</h2>



With that recommendation in mind, the new reports released this month take the inclusivity of the 2019 algorithm a step further by including consented research participants with mixed ancestry who do not fit into any of the genetic groups from the previous update. With this improvement, a customer&#8217;s results are calculated based on their personal, unique pattern of genetic ancestry, without comparison to groups of genetically similar people. 



This allows each customer to receive results tailored to their unique genetic makeup, whether or not there is a large group of consented research participants with similar ancestry. The new algorithm was presented at the American Society of Human Genetics Meeting in November 2023. For more scientific details, see our <a href="https://permalinks.23andme.com/pdf/23_25-PRSMethodology.pdf">white paper</a>.



New reports released to 23andMe+ Premium members will be powered by these more personalized and accurate results starting in March 2024, beginning with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/three-new-prs-cancer-reports">three new reports on common forms of cancer</a>.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

New 23andMe Reports Are More Personalized Than Ever

23andMe Improves Ancestry Results for People with South American, Levantine, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Genetic Ancestry

Miracles happen; ask Brooke and Chris Martin, who&#8217;ve experienced more than one.



The first came almost 24 years ago, when the couple, with the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF), were able to conceive after years of trying unsuccessfully. In October 2000, the couple welcomed healthy twin boys — Matthew and Christopher — into the world.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-donation-and-then-a-prayer">Donation and then a Prayer</h2>



Knowing from their own experience how emotionally difficult infertility could be, Brooke and Chris donated embryos back to the fertility clinic instead of having the clinic discard them or donate them for scientific research. Brooke and Chris hoped the donation could help a couple who, like them, wanted children but couldn&#8217;t naturally have one.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="263" height="300" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-263x300.png" alt="A portrait photo of Brooke Martin." class="wp-image-32554" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-263x300.png 263w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-768x878.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-896x1024.png 896w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-770x880.png 770w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait-1033x1180.png 1033w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Portrait.png 1045w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brooke Martin</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;I thought it would be so awesome to help a couple who couldn&#8217;t conceive and to be able to give them the gift of a child,&#8221; Brooke said.



But this was a &#8220;blind&#8221; donation, meaning they wouldn&#8217;t learn anything about whether another couple used their embryos. They didn&#8217;t know anything about what happened to the embryos.



&#8220;I had always prayed that (the embryos) could help someone else,&#8221; Brooke said. &#8220;I&#8217;d hoped they&#8217;d end up in a loving home… but for 20 years, I&#8217;d wondered what happened to them.&#8221;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-dna-connection">A DNA Connection</h2>



In 2021, another miracle, Brooke and Chris learned what happened to three of those embryos. 



Those three embryos they donated back to the fertility clinic gave another couple, Trey and Becky Monroe, the chance to be parents to triplets — Lauren, Thomas, and Peter.&nbsp;



That was a miracle for Trey and Becky. She wanted nothing more than to be a mom, Trey said. The children were a triple blessing. They also wondered a little about who had donated them.



When he and Becky asked their fertility doctor about the donor, the doctor &#8220;sort of chuckled,&#8221; Trey said, &#8220;(The doctor said) &#8216;they&#8217;re a lot like you two.'&#8221;



The couples were a lot alike. Along with sharing roots in Tennessee, Trey and Brooke work in mental health. They all have a solid Christian faith and a deep family connection. Then, there are the similarities between their children. You would expect some since they are biological siblings, so they look alike. But when Brooke first saw a photo of Thomas, it still made her gasp at how much she looked like her sons.



&#8220;There was no doubt that&#8217;s our kid,&#8221; Brooke said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-harmony">Harmony</h2>



But it wasn&#8217;t just how similar they all looked; there were also odd things like how Matt and Thomas walked with the same athletic swagger, and then there was Lauren and Chris&#8217;s interest in music and singing. 



A video of Lauren and Chris harmonizing as they sang a pitch-perfect rendition of the song &#8220;Speechless.&#8221; 



&#8220;We sound the same,&#8221; Lauren said. &#8220;It&#8217;s crazy.&#8221;



The clip of the two singing encapsulates both literally and figuratively how these strangers, who are also biological siblings, immediately fell into sync and harmonized as a family.



The story&#8217;s tragedy is that Becky didn&#8217;t live to see it. She died about a year before the two families made this connection.&nbsp;



However, the story of how they all found each other with the help of 23andMe has received regional and national media attention. For Brooke, it&#8217;s a story about faith and family, nature and nurture, and the good that comes from allowing another family to have a child. It&#8217;s also expanding how she thinks of family, she said.



These two families might not have joined had Trey and Becky&#8217;s son Thomas not asked for a 23andMe kit for his 18th birthday. There was a little history there. Just a few years before, his dad, Trey, who&#8217;d been adopted, used DNA testing to find his own biological family, ultimately meeting his siblings and birth mom. 



&#8220;For me, it was a positive experience,&#8221; said Trey. &#8220;I know it&#8217;s not always the case.&#8221;



Trey didn&#8217;t want to stand in the way of his kids having that same opportunity.



Thomas eagerly tested. He wasn&#8217;t necessarily looking to find family but was more interested in learning about his biological family background and whether there were any potential health issues he may have inherited. 



&#8220;I wondered if maybe we were something other than Scotch-Irish like my dad,&#8221; Thomas said. &#8220;We weren&#8217;t.&#8221;



While they did find some interesting things about their health, what popped out was a connection to a cousin named Tod — the first biological relative the triplets identified. Thomas reached out, explaining who he was. It was a lucky break because Tod was a family historian who&#8217;d extensively worked on the family&#8217;s genealogy. He is Brooke&#8217;s cousin, and they quickly made the connection.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="734" data-id="32558" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-1024x734.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-32558" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-1024x734.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-300x215.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-768x551.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-880x631.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins-1180x846.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lauren-Twins.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brooke and her twin boys.</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="866" height="1024" data-id="32557" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-866x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-32557" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-866x1024.jpg 866w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-254x300.jpg 254w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-768x908.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-744x880.jpg 744w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets-998x1180.jpg 998w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Becky-Triplets.jpg 1448w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Becky Monroe with her triplets.</figcaption></figure>
</figure>



Soon, Thomas exchanged emails with Brooke and Chris, but he waited to tell them that it wasn&#8217;t just him, that he was one of three siblings. He was worried that the news that they were biological parents of triplets might be too overwhelming. When he eventually told them, they were more than overjoyed. Brooke said she was shaking with excitement, and more than that, she was smitten with the idea that now she didn&#8217;t just have sons but a daughter as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-siblings-meet-for-the-first-time">Siblings Meet for the First Time</h2>



Brooke and Chris also needed to talk to Thomas&#8217;s dad, Trey. They wanted to stay within the bounds, especially since Becky (Trey’s wife and Thomas’ mom) had only passed the year before. 



Trey sent a note back to them that just made their bond stronger, saying:



&#8220;Thank you for the gift of my children. That&#8217;s all my wife ever wanted.&#8221;&nbsp;



Since then, the two families have built a deeper relationship. They&#8217;ve had chances to meet in person, even going to a large family reunion. Lauren said it&#8217;s been beneficial for her to establish a relationship with Brooke after losing her mother. She&#8217;s always felt a little outnumbered as the only girl in the family.



The two have become quite close.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="472" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-1024x472.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-32551" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-1024x472.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-300x138.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-768x354.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-880x406.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2-1180x544.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Brooke-Lauren-2.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lauren with Brooke.</figcaption></figure>



The families have had a lot of time to bond and build relationships. Brooke hopes that their story might also encourage more of those with frozen embryos to donate them to other couples trying to conceive. She&#8217;s tracking the experience of connecting these two families on a Facebook page called &#8220;Love Multiplied,&#8221; she is almost finished writing a book about it all.  Who knows, there may be another chapter in this story; there were five other embryos that Brooke and Chris donated.



&#8220;I believe there are more out there,&#8221; Brooke said.

The Miracle of Connection

New 23andMe Italian Genetic Groups for Italian American Heritage Day&nbsp;



Next time you mangi i fusilli bucati, note the similarities between the chewy, spiral noodles and a DNA double helix. Visualize each noodle as a piece of your DNA that links you to your ancestors: this noodle comes from Nonna Elisabetta, and she got it from her Nonna, Vittoria. This noodle comes from great-grandpa Giuseppe. That one from Celestina. You realize Celestina had curly hair like you, not unlike the fusilli bucati you’re savoring.&nbsp;&nbsp;



And perhaps you, like fusilli, trace your roots to southern Italy.&nbsp;



Now, for Italian American Heritage day, October 12th, 2023, 23andMe is introducing 59 new Italian Genetic Groups, to help customers who tested on the <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a> learn even more about their fusilli, er…rather, their Italian genetic ancestry.&nbsp;



Before we dive into that, a little history. Following the unification of Italy in 1861, southern Italians experienced worsening economic conditions due to policies that heavily favored the industrialized north at the expense of the more agricultural south, in addition to other factors such as soil exhaustion. As a result, between 1880 and the First World War, over four million Italians — most from the southern Italian provinces of Campania, Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, and Sicily — immigrated to the United States.&nbsp;



While many Italians eventually returned home, more remained in the United States and were later joined by other family members — or started families of their own, leaving a lasting imprint on America’s genetic tapestry. Today, <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/italian-american-heritage-culture-month.html">over 16 million people</a> in the United States report Italian ancestry, making it the fifth-most reported ancestry behind German, English, Irish and “American.”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="868" height="414" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ancestryitalian_us_R2_global-e1697057601847.png" alt="" class="wp-image-32234" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ancestryitalian_us_R2_global-e1697057601847.png 868w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ancestryitalian_us_R2_global-e1697057601847-300x143.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/ancestryitalian_us_R2_global-e1697057601847-768x366.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 868px) 100vw, 868px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">23andMe Italian genetic ancestry around the world</figcaption></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-italian-genetic-ancestry-at-23andme">Italian Genetic Ancestry at 23andMe</h6>



23andMe’s 59 new Italian Genetic Groups reflect the regional differences within the country, with a rich tapestry of dialects, food and culture. Many 23andMe customers who tested on the <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a> and have Italian ancestry can explore where their DNA traces to in Italy. Over 95% of customers with more than 50% Italian ancestry will receive a match to one or more of these Genetic Groups, and over 63% of customers with more than 5% of Italian ancestry will receive a match.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="638" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-1024x638.png" alt="A map of Italy and the regions included in 23andMe's most recent update." class="wp-image-32238" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-1024x638.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-300x187.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-768x479.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-880x548.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-09-at-9.36.48-AM-1180x735.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A map showing the locations of the 59 new Italian Genetic Groups</figcaption></figure>



Below are the lists of Genetic Groups 23andMe has added as part of this update (most common matches are in bold)



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-northern-italy">Northern Italy</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Central Ligurian Apennines and Western Emilia-Romagna</li>



<li>Marche and the Central Adriatic Coast</li>



<li>Western Arno Basin and Magra Valley</li>



<li>Adige River Basin</li>



<li>Central Arno Basin</li>



<li>Western Gulf of Genoa and the Monregalese</li>



<li>Western Po Valley</li>



<li>Central Lombardian Prealps</li>



<li>Central Po Valley</li>



<li>Northern Po Valley</li>



<li>Northwestern Po Valley</li>



<li>Southeastern Po Valley</li>



<li>Dolomites Region</li>



<li>Friuli-Venezia Giulia</li>



<li>Garda Mountains</li>



<li>Modena and Reggio Emilia</li>



<li>Northeastern Venetian Plain</li>



<li>Northwestern Venetian Plain</li>



<li>Southern Venetian Plain</li>



<li>The Valtellina</li>



<li>Western Great Pre-Alpine Lakes</li>



<li>Corsica and Southern France</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-southern-italy">Southern Italy</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>La Sila</li>



<li>Latin Valley</li>



<li>Molise</li>



<li>Sangro River Valley</li>



<li>Eastern Bari</li>



<li>Lucanian Apennines</li>



<li>Salento Peninsula</li>



<li>Southern Gulf of Naples</li>



<li>Northern Gulf of Naples</li>



<li>Isthmus of Catanzaro</li>



<li>Irpinia Region</li>



<li>Campanian Valley</li>



<li>Southern Calabrian Apennines</li>



<li>Calabrian Serre</li>



<li>Foggia</li>



<li>Vibo Valentia Peninsula and Gioia Tauro Valley</li>



<li>Volturno Valley and the Matese</li>



<li>Pescara and Vomano Valleys</li>



<li>L’Aquila</li>



<li>Western Bari</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sicily">Sicily</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Gulfs of Palermo and Castellammare</li>



<li>Gulf of Termini Imerese</li>



<li>Malta and South Central Sicily</li>



<li>Central Sicily</li>



<li>Eastern Messina</li>



<li>Platani Basin</li>



<li>Southern Trapani</li>



<li>Northern Trapani</li>



<li>Western Messina and the Aeolian Islands</li>



<li>Mount Etna and the Simeto Basin</li>



<li>Eleuterio Basin</li>



<li>Ragusa Hyblaean Plateau</li>



<li>Syracuse Hyblaean Plateau</li>



<li>Sciacca Verdura Basin</li>
</ul>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sardinia">Sardinia</h6>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Northeastern Sardinian Highlands</li>



<li>Campidano Plain and Gennargentu Mountains</li>



<li>Coghinas, Mannu, and Temo Basins&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



More on the update



About 4 percent of customers who’ve tested on the <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a> receive a match to one or more Genetic Groups in Southern Italy, 2.4 percent&nbsp; receive a match to one or more groups in Sicily, 1.4 percent to one or more groups in northern Italy, and less than 1% to groups in Sardinia.



Many customers with Italian ancestry may already have a Country Match to Italy, as well as subregion insights.&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-top-5-italian-administrative-subregions-among-23andme-customers-nbsp">The top 5 Italian administrative subregions among 23andMe customers&nbsp;</h6>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Sicily &#8211; 4 million customers share DNA with people who report recent ancestry from Sicily</li>



<li>Campania &#8211; 3 million customers share DNA with people who report recent ancestry from Campania</li>



<li>Calabria &#8211; 2.5 million customers share DNA with people who report recent ancestry from Calabria</li>



<li>Apulia &#8211; 1.9 million customers share DNA with people who report recent ancestry from Apulia&nbsp;</li>



<li>Abruzzo &#8211; 1.7 million customers share DNA with people who report recent ancestry from&nbsp; Abruzzo</li>
</ol>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancestry-composition-update">Ancestry Composition update</h6>



23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition report is a living analysis that improves as we add new reference data. Underlying our Ancestry reports are powerful algorithms and analytical tools developed by 23andMe population geneticists and engineers to offer our customers more insights into their ancestral origins.



Over the last few years, we&#8217;ve updated results to allow our customers to see more detail about their connections to specific geographic regions that also correspond to cultural and linguistic regions.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-out-more">Find out more</h6>



23andMe customers can see their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/">Ancestry Composition</a>.&nbsp;



Not yet a customer? Find out more about <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">23andMe’s Ancestry Service and other services</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="626" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-1024x626.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-32237" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-1024x626.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-300x183.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-768x470.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-880x538.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura-1180x722.jpeg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/fare_una_bella_figura.jpeg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parting-thoughts">Parting thoughts</h6>



We leave you with a taste of Italy — Learn how to fare una bella figura



Ever wonder what the secret is to an elderly Italian gentleman’s impeccable outfit — like a perfectly draped scarf? Or why an Italian chef can make a few simple ingredients (fresh basil, mozzarella, and ripe tomato) taste so delicious? Fare una bella figura translates to “to make a beautiful impression,” and captures the essence of how Italians aspire to bring aesthetic beauty to everything they do and make.



Happy Italian American Heritage Day!

A heatmap of the United States showing concentrations of 23andMe customers with Italian Ancestry.

Italian Genes and American Dreams

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-9735 size-full" title="segments" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/segments.jpg" alt="" width="357" height="221" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/segments.jpg 357w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/segments-300x186.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" />
Editor&#8217;s Note: This was first published in 2011, but we&#8217;re republishing it now after making a few updates.
Just a few thin green segments on my fourth and seventh chromosomes sent me searching.
I wanted to know more about my family history. I pestered my mom with questions about her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. I even went digging on my own into birth records, old newspaper clippings, and state archives.
<h2>A Glance at African DNA Through History </h2>
Eventually, I wandered into family history records on the plains of Nebraska, Iowa, and then the hills of West Virginia.
I wanted to know what those segments represented – or, more accurately – who they represented.
I’m white.
My hair, or at least the hair I once had, is blond. (That&#8217;s me on the left with my brother when we were kids.) Our heritage is solidly English, Irish, and German. I named my son after a Gaelic folk hero.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-9737" title="Kid Picture" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Kid-Picture.jpg" alt="" width="205" height="265" />
But those thin green segments in my 23andMe Ancestry Painting meant that one of my grandmother’s great-grandmothers, or one of her great-grandfathers, was black.
<h2>Hidden History</h2>
It’s no secret, or it shouldn’t be, that a majority of African Americans have European ancestry — on average between 20 and 25 percent. It’s one of those vestiges of America’s history of slavery.
“For anyone still naive enough to believe in the myth of racial purity, it is one more corroboration that the social categories of &#8216;white&#8217; and &#8216;black&#8217; are and always have been more porous than can be imagined,” wrote Harvard Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. in <a href="https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/118292">an article</a> about Michelle Obama’s ancestry.
<h2>What Does it Mean to have 1% African Ancestry?</h2>
While much has been written about European ancestry among African Americans, what’s less well known is how many Americans, like me, who consider themselves white also have African ancestry.
Researchers at 23andMe looked at the genetic ancestry of about 78,000 customers likely to consider themselves to be entirely of European ancestry. They found that somewhere between 3 percent and 4 percent of those people have “hidden” African ancestry.
The percentage of African ancestry is relatively low, with the majority of individuals having just 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent – which suggests that those people have an African ancestor who lived about six generations, or about 200 years, ago.
<h2>African DNA Explained Over 200 Years or Five Generations</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-9847" title="hiddenafricanancestry_chart" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/hiddenafricanancestry_chart.png" alt="" width="411" height="275" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/hiddenafricanancestry_chart.png 411w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/hiddenafricanancestry_chart-300x201.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" />
This is by no means meant to represent the percent of African ancestry among those who identify as of European descent across America. It is simply a snapshot of those in our database at this time. Our researchers have also excluded those with more than 5 percent African ancestry with the assumption that it’s more likely that their ancestry is known. That doesn’t mean it is known, just as it doesn’t mean that those of European descent with 5 percent or less African ancestry are unaware of it.
In addition, our database includes customers who are actually European so the percentage of Americans of European descent in our database who have African ancestry may be higher.
But we believe this is the first detailed look at the African ancestry among those who consider themselves white. It begs many questions for possible future study.
<h2>Another View of History</h2>
For instance, looking at the generational distribution implied by the percentages, most of the mixing occurred 200 years ago or more. We know that the exploitation of slavery included rape and sexual exploitation. In addition, there may have been cases where the relative isolation of people was such that the societal taboos against mixing of the races were more lax.
At the very least, these findings suggest a more complicated picture of race relations at that time.
The news has recast our own picture of who our ancestors were. My sisters and I have 1 percent African ancestry. My mother, a generation closer to the source, has more. It was a surprise for a family that thought we were a mix of Irish, German, and French. The news tells us that we were both descended from an enslaved woman and the person who enslaved her. It makes that awful part of American history much more real for us.
<h2>Generational Differences</h2>
But the surprise triggered our search to find out about our genealogical history.
Just as 23andMe’s findings offer a new narrative about American social history and race relations, the discovery provided another look at where we came from.
Somewhere in our family’s past, we had a black ancestor who was “absorbed” into white society. That story was hidden until our DNA revealed it.
This ancestor would have lived during the era of slavery. This was at a time and in a place where the “Rule of Hypodescent” held that anyone with any African ancestry was considered “black.” This was more commonly known as the “one-drop rule.”
Beyond what this might say about American history, the finding also comes when people appear more comfortable with mixed ancestry. So, what will this finding mean for other families now?
On a personal note, each generation in had a different reaction to the news of having an African ancestor.
What’s also interesting is that our evidence of  African ancestry can’t be seen in the next generation. The generation of my children and my sisters’ children don&#8217;t have measurable African ancestry. They are also the generation that seemed most excited by the news. They were also most disappointed that they didn’t have it.
<h2>Melugeons</h2>
James Larry Vick talked about his own similar discovery through 23andMe that he had African ancestors.
At first, he thought it was a mistake. He has since pieced together the link. He believes it was from his mother’s 2nd great-grandmother, who had come from the Cumberland Gap area of Appalachia. This is the home to a tri-racial population known as “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon">Melungeon</a>s.” The Melungeons are of European, African, and Native American ancestry.
“I do not think anyone in our family would have believed we could have an African segment, and none would believe we could have Melungeon ancestry,” Vick said. “I doubt anyone in my family would know what Melungeon is.”
<h2>Find out if you have Hidden African Ancestry</h2>
Our family’s search of records hasn’t led to quite as detailed of a discovery. However, it’s offered some tantalizing hints linking us to people with the same surname as my mother’s great-grandmother in the same small West Virginia town.
Using 23andMe’s Relative Finder tool, I’ve hunted for people with the same surname. I&#8217;ve also looked for those with a family history from that area. This may lead us to new clues. But the journey through this hidden family history has already taught us a lot about ourselves and America’s own hidden history.
So what about you?
With 23andMe, you can learn a lot about your own ancestry. Maybe there will be no big surprises, but often, our histories are not as black and white as we believe. Using 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition feature to explore the mix of your ethnic origins.
You can dig deeper by delving into the Ancestry Timeline to learn when certain ethnicities are &#8220;mixed&#8221; into your family DNA. (According to this tool, our family&#8217;s African ancestors likely lived between 1750 and 1810.) If one or both of your parents have tested, you can see what ancestry came from the paternal versus the maternal side of the family.
 Explore Your African DNA and all the origins with <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Service.</a>
<h2>Learn More</h2>
You can also find out if your <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/genetic-health/">genetics</a> might Increase your risk for any health conditions with 23andMe.

Learn About Hidden African DNA & Ancestry

Kayla Milligan has always wanted a brother or sister. As a little kid, she&#8217;d pester her parents.&nbsp;



About a year ago, the 24-year-old got what she wanted and a lot more — not one sibling but more than 70.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-dna-surprise">A DNA Surprise</h6>



&#8220;It was a big surprise, but at the same time, it turned out to be really cool,&#8221; said Kayla. &#8220;So, there are 77 half siblings in total, so far. The craziest part is that so many of us get along.&#8221;



Kayla, it turned out, was donor-conceived. Her parents hadn&#8217;t told her and never intended to tell her. In the summer of 2022, Kayla used 23andMe to learn about her ancestry. Her dad had said the family had some Dutch roots, and she was curious.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="761" height="1024" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-761x1024.jpeg" alt="A photo of Kayla" class="wp-image-32151" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-761x1024.jpeg 761w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-223x300.jpeg 223w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-768x1033.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-654x880.jpeg 654w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-877x1180.jpeg 877w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-scaled.jpeg 1903w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 761px) 100vw, 761px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kayla used 23andMe to learn about her ancestry and discovered she was donor conceived and had dozens of half siblings.</figcaption></figure>



When Kayla got her reports, she looked at her ancestry, but also, after opting into the <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">DNA Relatives feature</a>, she looked at who she shared DNA with. She matched with about two dozen individuals, none of whom she recognized.



DNA Relatives predicted that these matches were half-siblings. She also matched with someone predicted to be her biological father, a man by the name of Willis, who is not her father. 



Her story is not too uncommon as <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/29-siblings-and-counting">more and more people who were donor conceived</a>, use genetic testing to learn more about themselves including potential health information that they might not learn otherwise.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-donor-conceived">Donor Conceived</h6>



When she saw this, her first thought was that it was a mix-up. But after talking to her mom, she learned the predicted relationship was correct. The news didn&#8217;t so much change her feelings of love toward her parents but changed how she looked at herself. Although her mom had kept this a secret for all these years, Kayla remembered a few things her mom had said over the years, alluding to the difficulty of getting pregnant.&nbsp;



&#8220;My mom had told me multiple times that I was almost a &#8216;petri dish baby,'&#8221; Kayla said.&nbsp;



But she&#8217;d never been told that her mom and dad, desperate to have a child, had turned to a clinic.



&#8220;I don&#8217;t know, but I think back in the day, there was a stigma about using a donor,&#8221; Kayla said.



Although she&#8217;s learned that he is not biologically related to her, how she sees her dad hasn&#8217;t changed.



&#8220;He&#8217;s still my dad,&#8221; she said.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shared-dna-and-shared-traits">Shared DNA and Shared Traits</h6>



After talking to her parents, Kayla reached out to her newfound siblings. Each had been on their journey of discovery. One of them created a spreadsheet to keep track of each new brother and sister. As new siblings discover the connection, they&#8217;re added to the list. In talking to her siblings, Kayla learned that it wasn&#8217;t just the 20 half-siblings she found using 23andMe but that she had at least 77. The siblings have a chat group for updates and news. With each new sibling, more information is added to the spreadsheet: names, ages, and contact information. They&#8217;ve also added details about allergies and personality and important health information. It is vital for those trying to correct their own family health history.&nbsp;



Her siblings range in age from about 16 to 29 years old, but the donor also has two kids with his wife, who are 8 and 11.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-1024x768.jpeg" alt="A photo of Kayla and about 16 of her half siblings when they met in Nashville." class="wp-image-32152" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-880x660.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville-1180x885.jpeg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kayla-and-her-half-siblings-Nashville.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kayla meeting some of her half siblings in Nashville. She is in the front row in the red dress.</figcaption></figure>



This past July, Kayla went to Nashville, where many of her siblings gathered so they could meet in person. Several siblings live in the Northeast, closer to where she calls home. Kayla has become particularly close with a half-sister who lives in Toronto and is drawn to several other siblings she&#8217;s met.



Coming together in Nashville also allowed Kayla to see many people with whom she shares the same cheekbones, blue eyes, long arms, and &#8220;free-spirited open mindedness.&#8221;



&#8220;It was very crazy to see everyone together like that,&#8221; she said of the meeting in Nashville. &#8220;You&#8217;re seeing all these people who don&#8217;t just look like you, but who share the same expressions, mannerisms, or ways of speaking or with similar personalities. It&#8217;s shocking. I mean the power of genetics over the environment to shape us.&#8221;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birth-father">Birth Father</h6>



Along with getting to know several of her brothers and sisters, she also learned a bit more about her birth father. When she first saw a photo of him and the physical resemblance, she said there was no question that he was her biological father.&nbsp;



Kalya learned that as a college and graduate school student on the West Coast and East Coast, he&#8217;d donated to different sperm banks. Now a philosophy professor at a college in California, he has been open to meeting the donor kids who have contacted him, even having them over to dinner to meet his family.&nbsp;



&#8220;He won&#8217;t force a relationship with anyone, but if a sibling reaches out to him personally, he will make an effort to be part of their lives, too,&#8221; Kayla said.



Although he never expected to sire so many kids or that they would end up contacting him, he has tried to share information about himself and his family, particularly his health history.&nbsp;



That was important for Kayla; she was able to learn about the conditions in his family. But for her, it&#8217;s been the connections to her siblings that have been the most profound. Seeing others with an uncanny resemblance to her, who shared so much genetically but were strangers, was jarring. The experience has also required difficult conversations, and it has sometimes been challenging.



&#8220;My life will never be the same after this experience, in the best way, and it&#8217;s all thanks to this little test,&#8221; Kayla said. &#8220;I absolutely prefer the truth over anything falsified. Ultimately, I love learning more about myself and discovering new things, progressing to knowing who I am and where I come from.&#8221;

A photo of Kayla and about 16 of her half siblings when they met in Nashville.

An Only Child’s DNA Surprise

This week is the last of a six-episode PBS documentary series called <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/human-footprint/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Human Footprint</a>. 



Hosted by the biologist and Princeton University professor <a href="https://www.campbellstaton.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shane Campbell-Staton</a>, Ph.D., the series traverses across the globe from high-tech labs to street markets to farms and restaurants to capture the vast footprint of people on this planet. 



The episodes include topics like invasive species and urban development, and the last episode looks at the science and history of cotton farming. 



For that episode, Shane also visited 23andMe headquarters to interview Steven Micheletti, Ph.D., a 23andMe population geneticist who was the lead author of a 2021 paper on the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/transatlantic-slave-trade-paper" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genetic impact of the transatlantic slave trade</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="Steven Micheletti, Ph.D., a 23andMe population geneticist who was lead author of a 2021 paper on the genetic impact of the transatlantic slave trade" class="wp-image-32069" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1-1180x663.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7_HF106_TheGroundBelow_Textless_Broadcast_2160p2398_ProResHQ_EN_Surround_Stereo.mov.01_12_17_06.Still042-topaz-faceai-sharpen-1.jpg 1350w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Steven Micheletti, Ph.D., a 23andMe population geneticist who was lead author of a 2021 paper on the genetic impact of the transatlantic slave trade.</figcaption></figure>



“The demand for cotton in the US increased the demand for an enslaved workforce. The continued enslavement of people of African descent throughout most of the 19th century is embedded in the genetics of Americans today,” Steven said when discussing the upcoming episode.



Titled &#8220;The Ground Beneath&#8221; this last episode explores the history of cotton farming, slavery, and its effect on America today. The story of cotton covers how one group of people enslaved another to power an industry, reshape a landscape, a culture and very DNA of the American people, the producers of the series said.



If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, check out the show and past episodes here.

Steven Micheletti, Ph.D., a 23andMe population geneticist who was lead author of a 2021 paper on the genetic impact of the transatlantic slave trade

Human Footprint

We don&#8217;t know their names, but a new historical DNA analysis by researchers at 23andMe, <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/historical-dna-study-connects-living-people-enslaved" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a>, and the Smithsonian Institution has revealed more about the enslaved and freed African Americans who labored at a Maryland iron furnace just after the founding of the United States. Along with insights into the lives of these forgotten people, the study leveraged 23andMe’s large research database to find connections between these people and more than 40,000 of their living relatives.&nbsp;



The stunning analysis published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.ade4995" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science reveals a hidden history</a>. (You can also find an open access <a href="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Harney-etal-Catoctin-Science-AcceptedVersion_ForSharing-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PDF of the paper here.</a>) Moreover, it provides a technical and ethical benchmark to inform future studies of similar, largely forgotten burial sites.&nbsp;



“Our study demonstrates the power of DNA to uncover important history about the lives of people whose stories are lost to time,” said lead author Éadaoin Harney, Ph.D., a 23andMe scientist on 23andMe’s Population Genetics R&amp;D team. “The study revealed more about these individuals, including identifying familial groups, discovering details of their ancestral origins in Africa, and connecting their history to people living today.”



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="731" height="1024" data-id="31969" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-731x1024.jpg" alt="A photo of a facial reconstruction of one of the individuals , a woman in her 30s, found at Cactoctin Furnace." class="wp-image-31969" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-731x1024.jpg 731w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-214x300.jpg 214w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-629x880.jpg 629w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-843x1180.jpg 843w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial35_updated-scaled.jpg 1829w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Courtesy of Catoctin Furnace Historical Society; forensic facial reconstruction by StudioEIS and artist Jiwoong Cheh in consultation with Smithsonian scientists; photography by James D. Tiller &amp; Miguel Montalvo, Smithsonian.</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="731" height="1024" data-id="31970" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-731x1024.jpg" alt="A photo of a facial reconstruction of one of the individuals , a teenage male, found at Cactoctin Furnace." class="wp-image-31970" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-731x1024.jpg 731w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-214x300.jpg 214w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-629x880.jpg 629w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-843x1180.jpg 843w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Burial15_updated-scaled.jpg 1829w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Courtesy of Catoctin Furnace Historical Society; forensic facial reconstruction by StudioEIS and artist Jiwoong Cheh in consultation with Smithsonian scientists; photography by James D. Tiller &amp; Miguel Montalvo, Smithsonian. </figcaption></figure>
</figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Connections to Early American Industrial Site</h6>



The researchers looked at the DNA from the remains of 27 individuals, many of them teenagers and children, excavated from a cemetery at the historic site of <a href="https://catoctinfurnace.org/ironworker/">Catoctin Furnace</a>. Among them are 15 related individuals clustered into five family groups, which were mostly made up of mothers, their children, and siblings. The remains of those related individuals were generally found buried near one another.&nbsp;



Their DNA indicates that these individuals had more ancestry connecting to a region now known as Senegal and Gambia and, more specifically, groups from that region, such as the Wolof and Mandinka, than do most modern-day African Americans. Many also had European ancestry, mainly from Britain and Ireland, likely due to the rape of enslaved African American women by their white enslavers and others in positions of power (who had primarily European ancestry). Further evidence of that exploitation was that much of the European ancestry was on the paternal side.&nbsp;



The highest concentration of the Catoctin individuals’ closest living genetic relatives are in Maryland, indicating that some surviving family members of those who labored at the forge remained in Maryland since the late 1700s or early 1800s.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="541" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-1024x541.png" alt="A heat map showing not just where living genetic relatives of the Catoctin Furnace are in the United States but also the ancestral contributions from Africa and Europe." class="wp-image-31963" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-1024x541.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-300x158.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-768x406.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-880x465.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map-1180x623.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Heat-Map.png 1522w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Site of Catoctin Furnace in Maryland (star) and locations of deidentified study participants (colored dots). Darker dots indicate more participants related to those at the burial site. Image: Harney et al, Science</figcaption></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reconnecting-to-lost-roots">Reconnecting to Lost Roots</h6>



<a href="https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2022/07/feature-ancient-dna">Harvard geneticist David Reich</a> helped oversee the study along with <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/staff/douglas-owsley">Douglas Owsley</a>, curator of Biological Anthropology at the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is the custodian of the remains, while scientists at Reich&#8217;s lab handled the extraction and testing of the DNA.&nbsp;



“Our study combines for the first time two transformative developments in genomics in the last decade: ancient DNA technology, which makes it possible to efficiently sequence whole-genome data from human remains, and direct-to-consumer genetic databases that contain data from millions of people who have consented to participate in research,” <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/historical-dna-study-connects-living-people-enslaved" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Reich</a>, co-senior author as well as a professor of genetics in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and professor of human evolutionary biology in Harvard’s FAS.



“This work demonstrates the power of DNA to provide information about ancestral origins,” he added.



Harney, who completed her PhD in Reich’s lab before joining 23andMe to facilitate this collaboration, and other 23andMe researchers designed and implemented an approach to compare the genomes of the Catoctin individuals with DNA from over 9 million 23andMe customers who consented to participate in research. As a result, the scientists identified more than 42,000 living relatives. Most of these relatives are distant, and a much smaller proportion have a closer relationship. The closest matches were likely 5th-degree relatives, equivalent to a great, great, great grandchild.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="873" height="486" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Catoctin_heatmaps.jpg" alt="A Heat Map of the United States showing the geographic distribution of genetic relatives of the Catoctin Furnace Individual. The location of the furnace site is starred in Maryland." class="wp-image-31984" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Catoctin_heatmaps.jpg 873w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Catoctin_heatmaps-300x167.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Catoctin_heatmaps-768x428.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 873px) 100vw, 873px" /></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Ethical Considerations</h6>



Studies like this are extremely delicate, not only because it is sometimes difficult to extract DNA from bones, but also because of the ethical questions this type of genetic analysis raises, especially when it comes to people who lived recently enough that they are almost surely closely related to individuals and communities today. As part of this work, the researchers have outline the ethical considerations &nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(23)00212-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in a companion paper published in the&nbsp;American Journal of Human Genetics</a>. In addition, there is <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-dna-connection-to-early-enslaved-and-free-african-americans" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">an Q&amp;A published on the blog </a>from study co-author&nbsp;<a href="https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/people/roslyn-curry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roslyn Curry</a>, a Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student in the Reich lab and former 23andMe intern.



Typically, before work would begin on a DNA analysis like this, scientists would consult with relatives or local communities. But when this study started, there were no known family members of the enslaved people from the Catoctin Furnace site to consult. Instead, the <a href="https://catoctinfurnace.org/">Catoctin Furnace Historical Society</a> consulted with members of the <a href="https://aarchsociety.org/">African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society</a> in Frederick, Maryland. Later, archival researchers at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society identified descendants of two African Americans who labored at the site, one free and the other enslaved. These descendant families also were consulted and expressed strong support for the project.&nbsp;



“This study represents a step toward meeting our ultimate goal of identifying a Catoctin descendant community using DNA and other tools,” said Elizabeth Comer of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="614" height="352" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TimelineFigure.png" alt="A timeline of the Catoctin Furnace from 1774 and 1903 when the furnace closed." class="wp-image-32017" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TimelineFigure.png 614w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TimelineFigure-300x172.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px" /></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">African American History and Connections</h6>



Collaborators on the study also included Boston University’s Linda Heywood and John Thornton, who have extensive expertise on African American history and culture. Also instrumental in the work was Harvard&#8217;s <a href="https://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/henry-louis-gates-jr">Henry Louis Gates Jr.</a>, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard and host of the genealogy and genetics TV show Finding Your Roots.&nbsp;



“Recovering African American individuals’ direct genetic connections to ancestors heretofore buried in the slave past is a giant leap forward both scientifically and genealogically, opening new possibilities for those passionate about the search for their own family roots,” said Gates who is also a co-author of the paper.&nbsp;



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">History Revealed</h6>



Like hundreds or thousands of African American burial grounds across the country, the history of those who were buried at Catoctin Furnace could easily have been lost. There were no inscribed headstones, and many of the stones that marked the graves had been moved. The forgotten burial ground at Catoctin Furnace was first unearthed in the 1970s during construction of a new highway in Frederick County, Maryland, and the remains were placed in the care of the Smithsonian.



The history of the iron furnace is well documented. It was founded near a site that was naturally rich in iron ore with an extensive surrounding forest as a source of charcoal. The first owner of the furnace was Thomas Johnson Jr. —&nbsp; a wealthy enslaver, the first non-colonial governor of Maryland, and a signer of the <a href="https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/assoc74.html">Articles of Association</a>, a precursor document to the Declaration of Independence. Iron production began in earnest in 1776. It contributed in an important way to the arming of the fledgling Continental Army — supplying 100 tons of shells for the Siege of Yorktown. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-1024x682.jpg" alt="A photo of the Remains of Isabella, an iron furnace, part of Catoctin Furnace in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland, USA." class="wp-image-32020" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-1180x786.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-768x511.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Catoctin_Furnace_in_Cunningham_Falls_State_Park_MD-880x586.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Remains of Isabella, an iron furnace, part of Catoctin Furnace in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland, USA.</figcaption></figure>



<h6 class="wp-block-heading">Early Industrialization in the United States</h6>



The furnace grew over time during the early stages of industrialization in the United States. By about 1840, immigrant laborers replaced the enslaved workforce at the facility. While the furnace remained in operation until the early 1900s, the critical contributions of Catoctin’s enslaved and free African American workforce was largely forgotten.



The site serves as an early example of industrialization, and provides an example of the contributions of enslaved people in the early industrial workforce in the United States. Laborers first dug the ore out of the ground, washed it, and then transported it to the furnace on carts. The furnace itself ran nonstop for months at a time. The fires were fueled using charcoal made by burning trees felled nearby, and then burned in large mounds that were tended by “colliers.” Beyond the work related to the furnace, enslaved people also worked in the area as domestic and farm laborers.



In <a href="https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/102025">previous studies</a>, anthropologists at the Smithsonian were able to identify physical ailments from which the Catoctin individuals suffered through examination of their skeletal remains, such as a hip deformity that left one young woman with a lifelong limp, a man with a bent and fused spine, and a teenager with multiple, compressed vertebrae, likely due to heavy manual labor. The scientists also found high levels of zinc in the bones of one individual, likely caused by the industrial process of cleaning accumulated zinc deposits from inside the furnace stack.



In this study, DNA analysis found evidence suggesting that three individuals may have suffered from or been carriers of sickle cell anemia, caused by the HbS variant in the HBB gene.



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-connecting-families">Connecting Families</h6>



Connecting these unnamed enslaved people to living relatives, and thereby shedding new light on their ancestral origins and genetic legacy, was only possible with access to a diverse genetic database like 23andMe’s.&nbsp;This study offers additional insight into the genetic legacy of the enslaved and free people who labored at Catoctin Furnace. Combined with a study 23andMe completed in 2020 looking at the genetic impact of the <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(20)30200-7">Transatlantic Slave Trade</a>, there is an increased understanding of the impact of slavery on those in bondage, their descendants, and their unacknowledged contributions to American history.

A conceptual image of DNA and a tree with the words A Hidden History Revealed

DNA Connections to Early Enslaved and Free African Americans

23andMe has added finer detail for customers with roots that trace to 19 different Caribbean populations with significant African ancestry.



The update is part of our continuing work to improve 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Service reports and features. This new update allows customers with ancestry tracing to one of these Afro-Caribbean populations to see their genetic connections to these communities. The update also helps improve our understanding of the genetic legacy of slavery and the contribution enslaved people and their descendants have made to the rich history and culture of the Caribbean.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="143" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-1024x143.png" alt="Colorful buildings along a street in the Caribbean." class="wp-image-31535" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-1024x143.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-300x42.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-768x107.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-880x123.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-10-at-10-23-37-Caribbean-Population-Report-23andMe-1180x164.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-afro-caribbean-people">Afro-Caribbean People</h2>



Many Caribbean Islands have significant populations or even majority populations of African ancestry or who identify as Afro-Caribbean. 



Much like in the United States, understanding slavery and the contributions of African people is crucial in understanding the history and culture of the Caribbean. Initially, Spanish colonizers used enslaved indigenous people, the Taino, after Christopher Columbus landed in Hispaniola in 1492. But soon after that, enslaved Africans were brought to the islands. Spanish slavers brought the first enslaved Africans there as early as 1510. In 1562, the English slaver Sir John Hawkins brought enslaved people to Hispaniola — now Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to a history of slavery in the Caribbean by researchers at the University of Glasgow. 



The Caribbean islands — the bigger of which include Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola (composed of Haiti and the Dominican Republic), as well as smaller island chains like the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Leeward Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles — were one of the leading destinations for the transatlantic slave trade. Ultimately, about 40 percent of enslaved people taken from Africa, or roughly five million people, ended up on Caribbean islands. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="668" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-1024x668.png" alt="An etching from the 1800 showing the holds of a ship with enslaved Africans crowded inside." class="wp-image-31983" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-1024x668.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-300x196.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-768x501.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-880x574.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/05965etching-1180x770.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Birth of Afro-Caribbean Culture</h2>



After surviving the horrific middle passage in the holds of slaving ships, the enslaved people wound up on sugar plantations controlled by English, French, Dutch, or Spanish colonists. Many enslaved people did not survive and, once on the islands, <a href="https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/archaeologyofslavery/slavery-caribbean" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">died at alarming rates</a> due to disease and grueling work on those plantations. Primarily, the work involved clearing land, planting sugar cane, harvesting it, and crushing it to extract cane juice. The enslaved people heated the cane juice in large vats in buildings called &#8220;boiling houses&#8221; to form the sugar. 



Over time, people of African descent made up a large proportion of the population of many of these islands. In some cases, they made up the vast majority. African culture heavily influenced these islands&#8217; history, language, culture, and cuisine. 



The brutality of the slave system also triggered revolts. Escaped enslaved people and indigenous people in Jamaica, known as Maroons, revolted in 1730. This led to a treaty with the British that allowed them to establish semi-autonomous mountain communities. Other uprisings and revolts peppered the islands&#8217; histories, including the Saint-Domingue revolution that began in 1791, which led to the formation of Haiti, the first free black nation and constitutional democracy. Haiti, or Hayti, originates from the original indigenous name, meaning &#8220;land of high mountains.&#8221;



Many excellent books on Afro-Caribbean history include The Caribbean: A Brief History, Empire&#8217;s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day, and Slavery in Africa and the Caribbean. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ancestry Composition update</h2>



23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition report is a living analysis that improves as we add new reference data. Underlying our Ancestry Service reports are powerful algorithms and analytical tools developed by 23andMe population geneticists and engineers to offer our customers more insights into their ancestral origins.



Over the last few years, we&#8217;ve updated results for people with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/african-ethnolinguistic-groups/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">African ancestry</a>, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/ancestry-composition-update-china/">Chinese ancestry,</a> <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-indigenous-caribbean-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indigenous Caribbean ancestry,</a> <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-spanish-and-portuguese-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spanish and Portuguese ancestry,</a> <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/indigenous-genetic-ancestry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indigenous North American ancestry</a>, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-customers-with-british-and-irish-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British and Irish ancestry</a>, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-indigenous-mexican-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indigenous Mexican ancestry</a>, and <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-indigenous-central-american-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indigenous Central American ancestry</a>.&nbsp;



While 23andMe customers may already see evidence of recent Afro-Caribbean ancestry, this update and the added Genetic Groups represent improved accuracy and detail. The Genetic Groups that are part of this update are also more reflective of the distinct regional populations that link to a customer&#8217;s ancestry.



For this update on Afro-Caribbean ancestry, our scientists relied on reference panels composed of research-consented customers with significant African ancestry who have four grandparents, each born in the same Caribbean country or territory.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Regions in the Caribbean covered in this update</h2>



23andMe&#8217;s new Afro-Caribbean Genetic Groups include 19 distinct islands or island chains with a shared genetic, linguistic, and cultural history.



Below is the list of 23andMe&#8217;s 19 Afro-Caribbean Genetic Groups:



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-descendant Peoples of the &#8220;ABC Islands&#8221; are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea.



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Antiguan and Barbudan



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Bahamian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Barbadian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-descendant Peoples of Bermuda and Turks &amp; Caicos



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-Cuban



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Dominican (Dominica)



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-Dominican (Dominican Republic)



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Garifuna of Eastern Central America



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-descendant Peoples of the Cayman Islands



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-descendant Peoples of Grenada, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Jamaican



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Montserratian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Northern Haitian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Haitian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-descendant Peoples of the Western Leeward Islands



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-Puerto Rican



· &nbsp; &nbsp; St. Lucian



· &nbsp; &nbsp; Afro-Tobagonian



Around three percent of 23andMe&#8217;s customers who have tested on our <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a> will receive a match to one or more of the Genetic Groups listed. About 27 percent of customers with more than 5 percent African ancestry will see a match to one or more of these groups. Three-quarters of those customers with four grandparents from the Caribbean will see a match.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Find Out More</h2>



23andMe customers who want to learn more about their Ancestry Composition can go <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/">here</a>.&nbsp;



Not yet a customer? Find out more about 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Service and other services offered to customers <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">here</a>.

A map showing the 19 islands and regions for Afro-Caribbean ancestry.

Ancestry Service — Page 8