
<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout" style="border:1px solid #000; border-collapse:collapse;"><tbody><tr><td>
<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
<ul><li>Through 23andMe&#8217;s Historical Matches<sup>SM</sup> feature, 23andMe+ Premium™ members can now find out if their DNA connects them to Beachy Head Woman, a Roman-era woman whose remains were discovered on the south coast of England in the 1950s.</li>
<li>Originally incorrectly identified as one of the earliest individuals of African descent in Roman Britain, a 2026 study using high-quality ancient DNA showed that her ancestry was consistent with local British and Northern European populations.</li>
<li>Ancient DNA also predicted that Beachy Head Woman likely had blue eyes, light hair and intermediate skin pigmentation, informing a new facial reconstruction of her appearance.</li></ul>
</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Summer is on the way, and we’d be lying if we said heading to the beach wasn’t at the top of our minds when preparing this month’s <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> update. So without further ado, we’d like to tell you the story of an aptly named Roman era woman: Beachy Head Woman. </p>



<p>She&#8217;s named after Beachy Head, a stretch of coastline on the south coast of England, and she lived during the Roman occupation of Britain. While her story doesn&#8217;t actually have anything to do with the beach (the site derives its name from the Old French for &#8216;beautiful headland&#8217;) it does involve a decade of conflicting scientific interpretations and a fascinating mystery that took until 2026 to resolve.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-skeleton-without-a-story">A Skeleton Without a Story</h2>



<p>In 2012, researchers sorting through the archaeological collections in the south of England made an unexpected find: a skeleton in a storage box in the basement of Eastbourne’s Town Hall. The only information included with the box was a label reading &#8220;Beachy Head, 1959.&#8221;</p>



<p>So the team embarked on a series of archaeological and biomolecular analyses to learn about the identity of the skeleton inside. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the individual lived between 129 and 311 CE, during the Roman occupation of Britain. An analysis of the skeleton’s morphology revealed that it likely belonged to an adult woman, estimated to be between 18 and 25 years old at the time of her death.</p>



<p>Through an initial craniofacial analysis in 2013, researchers concluded that her skull had features consistent with sub-Saharan African ancestry. This preliminary interpretation spread fast. She was described in news outlets, books and educational materials as one of the earliest individuals of African descent identified in Roman Britain, and she entered public consciousness under the name “Beachy Head Woman”.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-headline-ran-ahead-of-the-evidence">The Headline Ran Ahead of the Evidence</h2>



<p>The strontium and oxygen isotope analysis carried out around the same time told a different story. Values from her tooth enamel were consistent with a childhood spent on the south coast of Britain, not overseas. Then, in 2017, a preliminary ancient DNA study generated tentative evidence of east Mediterranean ancestry, possibly Cyprus, but the dataset was too limited to settle the question.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Despite never being formally published, these findings circulated in the media regardless. For nearly a decade, who Beachy Head Woman really was remained an unresolved mystery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-local-woman-all-along">A Local Woman All Along</h2>



<p>In early 2026, researchers at London’s Natural History Museum finally helped to resolve this question. They <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440325002948?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> genome-wide ancient DNA data from Beachy Head Woman’s remains for the first time.<br><br>They showed that her ancestry was similar to local British and Northern European populations, with no detectable evidence of sub-Saharan African ancestry. Her mitochondrial haplogroup, K1a26, is also associated with Northern European and British populations and has been identified in individuals from rural Iron Age Britain.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They even used her DNA to try to predict what she may have looked like, concluding that she likely had blue eyes, light hair and intermediate skin pigmentation — a significant departure from the original facial reconstruction. A new reconstruction was produced in light of the DNA results.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="627" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-1024x627.png" alt="" class="wp-image-35401" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-1024x627.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-300x184.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-768x470.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-880x539.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/facial-depiction-Beachy-Head-Woman-1180x723.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>3D scan of physical model (left) and second iteration (right) of the facial depiction of Beachy Head Woman Courtesy of Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-her-reassessment-reveals">What Her Reassessment Reveals</h2>



<p>Beachy Head Woman&#8217;s story has implications beyond her own origins. The craniofacial analysis that initially identified her as being of sub-Saharan African ancestry used methods that have since come under substantial scrutiny. The field of bioanthropology, like all scientific fields, is always evolving and has moved away from these kinds of ancestry estimation in recent years, in part because human skeletons are incredibly diverse; people with the same ancestry can have bone structures that look completely different from one another, making hard-and-fast classifications unreliable. The case of Beachy Head Woman is a concrete illustration of what can go wrong when those methods are applied without corroborating evidence.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p>Want to see if you share a genetic connection to Beachy Head Woman, or with hundreds of other historical individuals? The Historical Matches feature is available to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members.</p>



<p></p>


Sr. Scientist I, Population Genetics R&D

Éadaoin Harney

New Historical Matches Could Connect You to Britain’s Beachy Head Woman


<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout" style="border:1px solid #000; border-collapse:collapse;"><tbody><tr><td>
<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
<ul><li>Through 23andMe’s Historical Matches<sup>SM</sup> feature, 23andMe+ Premium™ members can now compare their DNA against 35 newly sequenced individuals from a 2026 study.</li>
<li>Genomic sequencing of 2nd-4th century CE individuals in Poland aligns with the proposed roots of the Goths in Scandinavia while revealing a surprisingly cosmopolitan community that integrated diverse Mediterranean and Baltic lineages.</li>
<li>Genetic analysis suggests Gothic burial traditions may have been based on social bonds and community ties rather than direct family relationships, offering a rare look at Late Iron Age social structures.</li></ul>
</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>World Goth Day, celebrated every May 22nd, is typically a chance for fans of darkwave music, dramatic eyeliner and Victorian-inspired fashion to celebrate a subculture that has been going strong since the 1980s. This year, we&#8217;re marking the occasion with a slightly different kind of Goth story — one that predates the black lipstick by about 1,800 years.</p>



<p>This May, 23andMe is adding 35 individuals from a 2026 study to our <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature. These are not your weekend-festival Goths. These are <em>the</em> Goths, the actual Germanic people whose migrations and conflicts helped shape the final centuries of the Roman Empire.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-the-same-goths-but-just-as-interesting">Not the Same Goths (But Just as Interesting)</h2>



<p>The modern goth subculture takes its name from the ancient Goths, though the connection is mostly aesthetic. The real Goths were a Germanic people who likely originated in Scandinavia and, over several centuries, migrated south through the Baltic region, eventually establishing themselves across a vast stretch of central and eastern Europe. By the 2nd century CE, Gothic communities occupied a dynamic frontier zone at the edge of the Roman Empire, trading with merchants to the south, maintaining ties with Baltic peoples to the north and absorbing influences from across an enormous geographic range.</p>



<p>Far from the brooding loners of pop culture imagination, the ancient Goths appear to have been remarkably cosmopolitan.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-community-at-the-edge-of-the-roman-world">A Community at the Edge of the Roman World</h2>



<p>The individuals we added to Historical Matches this month were buried at a cluster of cemeteries in the Hrubieszów Basin of eastern Poland, belonging to what archaeologists call the Mas&#322;om&#281;cz group, a well-documented Gothic community of the Late Iron Age. The site was an ideal candidate for ancient DNA analysis in part because an unusually high proportion of its burials were inhumations (intact body burials rather than cremations), providing enough preserved skeletal material for genome-wide sequencing.</p>



<p>The study, published in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41606683/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Genome Biology</em></a> earlier this year, analyzed 43 individuals buried across several of these cemeteries, dating from approximately the late 2nd to the mid-4th century CE. Of these individuals, 35 had high-quality DNA sequences, and they have now been added to the Historical Matches feature.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-1024x681.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-35331" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-1024x681.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-300x199.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-768x511.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-880x585.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reconstructed-gothic-longhouse-1180x785.jpeg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gothic long house in Mas&#322;om&#281;cz, designed and made based on the results of archaeological research in Hrubieszów-Podgórze. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rekonstrukcja_gockiego_d%C5%82ugiego_domu_w_Mas%C5%82om%C4%99czu.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MSWG</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-dna-cosmopolitan-from-the-start">The DNA: Cosmopolitan from the Start</h2>



<p>The genetic results confirmed that the community&#8217;s ancestry was primarily derived from a Scandinavian-like source population, consistent with the Goths&#8217; proposed northern origins. But that&#8217;s where any expectation of uniformity ends.</p>



<p>A striking proportion of individuals carried genetic signatures characteristic of populations from the eastern Baltic, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, and there were more than 30 distinct mitochondrial haplogroups represented among this small group of individuals. This shows that the community was actively absorbing outsiders from across a wide geographic range.</p>



<p>One individual stood out above all. Rather than the Scandinavian ancestry typical of his community, roughly half of his DNA traced to populations associated with the Iberian Peninsula, about a third to populations from Imperial Roman Italy and the remainder to the Carpathian Basin of present-day Hungary and Slovakia, with no detectable Scandinavian ancestry at all. That an individual with such distinctly southern European roots appears among the very earliest burials at the site is a remarkable testament to just how cosmopolitan this Gothic community was from its very beginnings.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-bonds-over-family-ties">Social Bonds Over Family Ties</h2>



<p>Perhaps the most unexpected finding concerned how individuals were buried. Despite sharing graves, co-buried individuals showed no evidence of close kinship with one another. This finding suggests that in this community, burial groupings may have reflected social bonds rather than family relationships. It&#8217;s a rare glimpse into how Gothic social life may have been organized beyond the household.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members can explore whether they share a genetic link to these ancient Goths, and hundreds of other historical individuals, through the Historical Matches feature.</p>



<p></p>


New Historical Matches Could Connect You to the Original Goths


<p>Every year on April 25th, the world observes World Malaria Day to highlight the ongoing effort to control and eliminate this devastating disease. This month, we are highlighting a study that searched for cases of ancient malaria infections across the globe to learn about its history and spread.</p>



<p>While most ancient DNA studies focus on the human DNA of the individuals whose remains were sampled, it is also possible to learn about the diseases these individuals carried by searching for pathogen DNA in their remains.</p>



<p>These kinds of studies have enabled researchers to investigate the origins and spread of ancient diseases that were otherwise nearly impossible to study. This is because many ancient diseases, including malaria, don’t leave clear physical evidence on skeletal remains. Furthermore, historical records of ancient epidemics often lack the specificity needed to identify exactly which diseases were present or where they originated.</p>



<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38867050/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In 2024</a>, a team of researchers looked at ancient DNA to search for cases of malaria among more than 10,000 individuals. In this month’s update to the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature, we are highlighting the stories of individuals buried at three ancient sites where malaria was detected. Each of their stories provides important new insights into the history of this ancient disease.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spreading-malaria-along-european-military-lines">Spreading Malaria Along European Military Lines</h2>



<p>In Europe, the cemetery of St. Rombout’s in Mechelen, Belgium, offers a window into the health of a continent at war. Sitting next to one of the world’s first permanent military hospitals, this site served as a burial ground for both local townspeople and foreign soldiers from the 12th to the 18th centuries.</p>



<p>While local residents, who were buried at this site before the hospital was established, showed fewer signs of infection, later individuals—thought to be soldiers who had traveled from the Mediterranean—were often found carrying multiple strains of malaria simultaneously. These findings highlight how the movement of armies turned European cities into crossroads for infectious disease.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carrying-malaria-to-the-himalayan-peaks">Carrying Malaria to the Himalayan Peaks</h2>



<p>The high-altitude site of Chokhopani sits 2,800 meters above sea level in the Nepalese Himalayas. This environment is far too cold and dry for the <em>Anopheles</em> mosquitoes that transmit malaria to survive. Yet, genomic analysis of an individual buried within one of the site’s cliffside tombs nearly 3,000 years ago revealed the presence of <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em>, the most virulent form of the malaria parasite.</p>



<p>Finding a tropical disease in a mountain environment provides clear evidence of human mobility. It tells us that this ancient individual had likely traveled to warmer, lower-altitude regions—possibly for trade—and carried the infection back to this highland site.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-the-arrival-of-malaria-in-the-americas">Tracking the Arrival of Malaria in the Americas</h2>



<p>A central debate among disease researchers is whether malaria existed in the Americas prior to European contact or if it was brought there by European colonizers. The study of individuals from the site of Laguna de los Cóndores in Peru provides a pretty clear answer.</p>



<p>Researchers at the site discovered an individual with exclusively Indigenous American ancestry who lived during the period of initial European contact and was infected with <em>Plasmodium vivax </em>(a more widespread form of the malaria parasite). Crucially, the DNA of the parasite was most similar to historical European strains rather than those found elsewhere. This finding suggests that European colonizers acted as the primary vector for introducing these specific malaria strains to the Indigenous populations of the Andes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p>Want to see if you share a genetic connection with any of the ancient malaria-infected individuals highlighted in this study—or with hundreds of other historical individuals? The Historical Matches feature is available to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23and</a><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">M</a><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">e+ Premium</a>™ members.</p>



<p></p>


New Historical Matches Could Connect You to the Hidden History of Malaria





<p>High on a vertical cliff face on the Yun-Gui Plateau of southwest China, you can find the entrance to Pingtang Cave. For centuries, this remote site held a somber secret: the remains of dozens of individuals scattered within its deepest, oxygen-poor reaches.</p>



<p>Now, thanks to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106459" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> published in the <em>Journal of Archaeological Science</em> earlier this year, the stories of these individuals are coming to light. This month, 23andMe is adding four individuals from this cliff-side site to our <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-landscape-in-transition">A Landscape in Transition</h2>



<p>During the 14th century, the Yun-Gui Plateau was a region of immense cultural and political transformation. As the Ming Dynasty sought to consolidate power and expand its borders into the southwest, the area became a frontier of conflict. The rugged karst landscape, characterized by its towering limestone cliffs and deep river valleys, served as both a strategic stronghold for the military and a vital sanctuary for local communities caught in the crossfire of imperial expansion.</p>



<p>Historically known for its incredible ethnolinguistic diversity, the plateau was home to various indigenous groups who had inhabited these mountains for millennia. The transition between the Late Yuan and Early Ming periods in the 14th century brought an influx of new people and upheavals in local government, creating a complex social tapestry. For the families found in Pingtang Cave, these remote, high-altitude caverns were not just geological features—they were essential places of refuge during a time of profound uncertainty.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-refuge-not-a-cemetery">A Refuge, Not a Cemetery</h2>



<p>When researchers first investigated Pingtang Cave, they quickly realized this was no ordinary burial ground. Unlike traditional sites of the era, there were no coffins, no grave goods, and no signs of formal interment. Instead, the skeletons were found in the deepest recesses of the cave, far from the light of the entrance.</p>



<p>While most of the group appeared to be healthy prior to entering the cave, the genetic analysis revealed that one individual was suffering from paratyphoid fever, caused by the bacterium <em>Salmonella enterica</em>. Her genome also revealed that her parents were likely closely related, perhaps as closely as second cousins, a finding that provides unique insight into the social and mating structures of isolated plateau communities during this era.</p>



<p>The lack of physical trauma or signs of violence ruled out a massacre, while the absence of a widespread plague suggested something else entirely. Researchers believe these families fled to the cave to escape external conflict, perhaps the unrest of the Ming Dynasty’s expansion into the region, only to succumb to the low oxygen of the cave&#8217;s deepest chambers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-families-of-pingtang-cave">The Families of Pingtang Cave</h2>



<p>The genetic data reveals that those who fled to the cave were not strangers; they were a tightly-knit community of relatives. Most of these individuals shared the same maternal lineage (haplogroup M7b1a1), suggesting that the group was a multi-generational family, who were connected through a shared maternal lineage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-window-into-heritage">A Window into Heritage</h2>



<p>All of the members of this group shared a similar ancestral profile, characterized by a mixture of ancient northern and southern East Asian ancestry. This genetic signature persists today in the present-day inhabitants of southwest China, bridging the gap between the people living during the transition into the Ming Dynasty and the modern world.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members can now explore whether they share a genetic link to these ancient Chinese individuals, and hundreds of others, through the Historical Matches feature.</p>


New Historical Matches Could Connect You to a 600 Year Old Mystery in Southwest China




<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-remote-island-at-the-heart-of-history">A Remote Island at the Heart of History</h2>



<p>Located 1,200 miles from the coast of Africa, Saint Helena is perhaps best known as the final place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte. However, the island&#8217;s genetic story is much more complex than a single French emperor.</p>



<p>While the Island of St. Helena was first sighted by Portuguese explorers in the early 16th century, its modern trajectory began in 1659 when the English East India Company established a permanent settlement. Its strategic position along the vital trade routes between Europe and Asia made it an important resupply station for ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope. This central role in maritime commerce resulted in a diverse blend of inhabitants from European settlers, Chinese laborers, and enslaved people brought from Madagascar, Malaysia, India, and Africa.</p>



<p>Starting in 1840, St. Helena became a pivotal base for the British Royal Navy’s campaign to suppress the transatlantic slave trade. Between 1840 and 1867, the Navy intercepted slave ships and brought approximately 27,000 &#8220;liberated Africans&#8221; to the island. While these individuals were freed from bondage, many had suffered immensely during the Middle Passage, and some of those who did not survive were buried on St. Helena. For centuries, the specific origins of those buried here were lost, until now.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoring-lost-connections">Restoring Lost Connections</h2>



<p>In 2007 and 2008 archeologists uncovered the remains of 325 individuals during roadwork on the north coast of St. Helena associated with the construction of the island’s first ever airport. Ancient DNA researchers <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37683613/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sequenced the genomes</a> of 20 of those individuals. This research has provided the first direct evidence of their origins:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Geographic Roots</strong>: DNA revealed that these individuals likely originated from West Central Africa, specifically the region between northern Angola and Gabon.</li>



<li><strong>A Snapshot of the Trade</strong>: The genetic analysis aligned with broader archaeological findings that confirmed a significant sex bias: 17 of the 20 individuals were male. This reflects the documented patterns of the late-stage slave trade.</li>
</ul>



<p><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members can now see if they share DNA with 7 of the 20 individuals whose genomes were sequenced who are now included in the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature. This update means you may find a genetic connection to these specific historical individuals, helping to restore a genealogical bridge that was once thought to be permanently broken.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-genetic-tapestry-of-modern-saints-nbsp">The Genetic Tapestry of Modern &#8220;Saints&#8221;&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The story of St. Helena doesn&#8217;t end in the 19th century. Today’s islanders, known as &#8220;Saints,&#8221; carry a diverse genetic legacy shaped by the island&#8217;s role as a global crossroads. To investigate the modern genetics of St. Helena we looked at 23andMe members who reported recent ancestors from St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. From this we created our new &#8220;Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha&#8221; Genetic Group allowing 23andMe members to see if they have a connection to people from this British Overseas Territory within the Migrations section of their Ancestry Composition report.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In creating this Genetic Group we noticed some interesting highlights:&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The modern population is a blend of African, European, and Asian roots.</li>



<li>&#8220;Saints&#8221; often show an interesting bias in their maternal and paternal lines. Maternal haplogroups frequently point toward Austronesian or South Asian ancestry, while paternal lines are often a mix of South Asian and European origins.</li>



<li>Interestingly, there is little overlap between the people who match the liberated Africans in our Historical Matches and those who receive matches to the St. Helena Genetic Group. This might suggest that many of the liberated Africans eventually left the island or died without descendants who remained there, while the modern &#8220;Saints&#8221; who make up this Genetic Group may represent a separate chapter of the island&#8217;s vibrant history.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="529" src="/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-1024x529.png" alt="" class="wp-image-34932" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-1024x529.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-300x155.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-768x397.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-880x455.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/St-helena-side-by-side-1180x610.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em><em>The averaged Ancestry Composition of the individuals in the Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Genetic Group (left) and individuals who have Historical Matches to the The Liberated Africans of St. Helena Island (right).</em></em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why This Matters</h2>



<p>Genetics is more than just percentages on a map; it can be a tool for historical justice and personal discovery. By studying both the ancient DNA of historical individuals and the data of modern populations, we can honor the legacy of those whose stories were omitted from history books. Whether you are a &#8220;Saint&#8221; yourself or a 23andMe member discovering a new connection to the South Atlantic, these updates remind us that our DNA is a living record of the journeys that shaped our world.</p>



Genetics of a Global Crossroads: A Deep Dive into Saint Helena’s Ancestry




<p>Long-distance relationships are nothing new. In the 6th century, the Silk Road was the ultimate connector: a thousands-of-miles-long highway spanning from Asia to Southern Europe, that brought people, religions, and traditions together. This Valentine’s Day, we’re looking at the story of a partnership that emerged from this ancient trade route.</p>



<p>In 2005, archaeologists discovered a joint tomb just outside the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an (modern-day Xi&#8217;an). According to inscriptions found at the site, the tomb belonged to a man named Li Dan and his wife, a couple who had been laid to rest there approximately 1,500 years ago.</p>



<p>While a DNA test cannot technically &#8220;prove&#8221; if two people were in love, their shared burial and the unique mix of designs inspired by two distinctive cultures found on their tomb suggest a connection that defied geographical barriers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-mystery-written-in-stone">A Mystery Written in Stone</h2>



<p>For centuries, the story of this couple was a riddle hidden in plain sight. Li Dan’s funeral inscription made two contradictory claims: it stated he was a descendant of prestigious Chinese aristocratic clans, yet it also identified his father and grandfather as Brahmins from ancient South Asian kingdoms.</p>



<p>The rest of the tomb only added to the mystery, as it featured a fusion of cultures. Although the tomb was built in a traditional Chinese architectural style, it was decorated with a mixture of local mythical figures, like the Four Divine Beasts, and foreign guardians that resembled Buddhist statues from India. Even more striking was the discovery of a gold coin from the Eastern Roman Empire found in the wife’s mouth—a custom common along the Silk Road but far from the local norm.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="748" height="890" src="/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Li_Dan_tomb_entrance_line_drawing.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34839" style="width:337px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Li_Dan_tomb_entrance_line_drawing.jpg 748w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Li_Dan_tomb_entrance_line_drawing-252x300.jpg 252w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Li_Dan_tomb_entrance_line_drawing-740x880.jpg 740w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>A line drawing of the entrance to Li Dan&#8217;s tomb</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-cross-border-connection-written-in-dna">A Cross-Border Connection Written in DNA</h2>



<p>Late last year, a team of researchers decided to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105474" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study the couple’s DNA</a> to help resolve the contradictions found in their tomb. The results provided the first direct genomic evidence of a 6th-century couple with such distinct ancestral backgrounds.</p>



<p>Genetic analysis revealed that Li Dan had northern South Asian ancestry. His genetic profile showed broad similarities to present-day Brahmin groups, supporting the inscriptions on his tomb suggesting his family belonged to this community. In contrast, his wife’s ancestry was local to Chang’an, tracing back to ancient farmers of the Middle Yellow River in northern China. The unique mix of Chinese and South Asian influences discovered in their tomb reflects a blending of cultures that likely characterized their lives.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-home-at-the-heart-of-the-world">A Home at the Heart of the World</h2>



<p>We may never know how they felt about each other, but their tomb tells us how they may have lived. Li Dan was a high-status traveler who arrived in Chang’an to expound Buddhist scriptures after studying in the kingdom of Jibin. Rather than remaining an outsider, he settled down, married a local woman, and adopted a Chinese surname, all while keeping the traditions of his homeland alive.</p>



<p>This Valentine&#8217;s Day, their story reminds us that even 1,500 years ago, the most enduring connections can bridge different worlds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p>Want to see if you’re genetically connected to this ancient couple, or to hundreds of other historical individuals? The <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature is available to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members.</p>



New Historical Matches Could Link You to This 6th Century “Cross-Border” Couple




<p>In 2004, a construction crew preparing to build a shopping center in Norwich, England, uncovered a disturbing mystery: a medieval well containing the commingled remains of at least 17 people. The positioning of the skeletons suggested they had been thrown in head-first, victims of a single, violent event. For years, the identity of these individuals remained unknown, their story lost to the silence of the well.</p>



<p>But thanks to ancient DNA technology, a team of researchers from the Natural History Museum and University College London was finally able to tell their story in a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36044903/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genetic study published in the journal <em>Current Biology</em> in 2022</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This month, 23andMe is adding these individuals to our <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature, allowing customers to see if they share a genetic connection to one of the earliest identified Ashkenazi Jewish communities in England. This update offers a poignant glimpse into this tragic moment in history.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solving-a-medieval-mystery">Solving a Medieval Mystery</h2>



<p>When archaeologists first analyzed the site, the chaotic nature of the burial suggested a catastrophe, such as famine, epidemic, or violent massacre, in which the victims were hastily buried by survivors in a makeshift grave. However the exact nature of this catastrophe remained a mystery.</p>



<p>In this genetic study, researchers sequenced the genomes of six individuals buried within the well, shedding new light on the individuals buried within the mass grave. Their analyses revealed that all six individuals shared strong genetic affinities with present-day Ashkenazi Jewish populations. Additionally, radiocarbon dating placed their deaths between 1161 and 1216 CE. This precise timeline, combined with their ancestry and the location of the well just south of the medieval Jewish quarter, pointed towards a specific historical tragedy in Norwich’s history: the antisemitic riots of February 6, 1190 CE, for which there is historically documented evidence of a massacre of the Jewish community in Norwich.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-connections">Family Connections</h2>



<p>What makes this study particularly powerful is that it revealed that those buried in the well were not strangers, but a group of close relatives who likely sought shelter together during this violent massacre. Among the six individuals whose genomes were sequenced, the research team identified three young sisters and two other distantly related males. This suggests that the victims of this attack were not randomly selected from across the Norwich population, but instead that these may have been members of a single or small number of households or families who had gathered together for protection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-window-into-genetic-history">A Window into Genetic History</h2>



<p>This study also provided the first genetic data for a Jewish community in medieval England, offering a new timeline for the Ashkenazi &#8220;genetic bottleneck&#8221;—a historical event detectable in the genomes of people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry where the population size was drastically reduced, leading to lower genetic diversity. While historians had previously theorized this bottleneck occurred later, during the persecutions of the 14th or 15th centuries, the genetic signatures in the Norwich individuals suggest it began centuries earlier.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This early genetic bottleneck is the reason why variants associated with specific hereditary diseases are common among modern Ashkenazi Jewish populations. With this in mind, the study team searched for these disease-associated markers and discovered that variants responsible for a number of conditions that occur at elevated frequency in Ashkenazi Jewish populations were already present in the medieval Norwich population at frequencies similar to those seen today. This finding challenges the long-held belief that such diseases became more common in this community later in history. Instead, the study demonstrates that the genetic factors affecting Ashkenazi Jewish health today have a lineage stretching back nearly a millennium, predating the major pogroms and expulsions of the later Middle Ages.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honoring-the-past">Honoring the Past</h2>



<p>Although Jewish law typically prohibits the disturbance of human remains, the likely religious identity of these individuals was unknown during the initial rescue excavation in 2004. However, once researchers suspected that the remains might belong to members of the medieval Jewish community, they immediately consulted with the Norwich Hebrew Congregation. The study proceeded only after receiving specific permission from the Office of the Chief Rabbi to investigate the history of these individuals. Following the completion of osteological and genetic analyses, the remains were respectfully reinterred in the Jewish cemetery in Norwich during a multi-faith ceremony. Today, these individuals are remembered through a commemorative plaque placed near the original site of the well, ensuring their story is no longer lost to history.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34742" style="width:358px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-660x880.jpg 660w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>A photo of the memorial stone that was placed at the site where the individuals were reburied. It is located in the Jewish section of Earlham Cemetery, Norwich.</em> <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jewish_memorial_in_Earlham_cemetery_Norwich._JPG.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northmetpit</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Explore Your Connection</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members can now explore whether they share a genetic link to these individuals–and hundreds of others–through the Historical Matches feature.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Note of Remembrance</h2>



<p>We are releasing this update as we approach January 27, the United Nations-designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. While the events in Norwich occurred centuries before the Holocaust, they serve as a somber reminder of the long history of antisemitism and the atrocities committed against Jewish communities throughout history.</p>



New Historical Matches Could Connect you to the Lost Jewish Community of Medieval Norwich




<p>This December, we’re adding 18 new individuals dating to the Late Antique Period in Dalmatia to our <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature.</p>



<p>These newly added historical matches offer a rare biological glimpse into a world in transition during the decline of the Roman Empire. Keep reading to learn more about the region’s unique history.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-the-late-antique-period">What is the Late Antique Period?</h2>



<p>Historians generally define the &#8220;Late Antique&#8221; period as the era between the third and seventh centuries CE. It was a time of significant transformation for the Roman world, as political instability, shifting borders, and economic pressures altered long-standing structures across the Mediterranean. This period bridged the gap between the classical Roman era and the early Middle Ages.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-is-dalmatia">Where is Dalmatia?</h2>



<p>The Roman province of Dalmatia was situated along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, encompassing much of modern-day Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and parts of Serbia and Albania. The region takes its name from the Dalmatae, an Illyrian tribe that historically inhabited the interior.</p>



<p>For centuries, Dalmatia was integrated into the imperial Roman system, featuring established coastal towns, island settlements, and a network of roads and ports that linked the Eastern and Western halves of the Empire. Its position along major maritime routes meant it remained a key logistical hub even as the Empire faced mounting challenges.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-in-the-late-antique-port-of-hvar">Life in the Late Antique Port of Hvar</h2>



<p>Although we know Dalmatia served as a vital connection point during this period, historical records reveal relatively little about the daily lives of its inhabitants. To fill this gap, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39606698/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a 2024 study</a> analyzed the remains of 33 individuals recovered from the Hvar-Radoševi? burial site on the island of Hvar.</p>



<p>Using a multidisciplinary approach that combined ancient DNA sequencing, chemical dietary analysis, and skeletal health assessments, the research team reconstructed the biological profile of this community.</p>



<p>Their findings painted a vivid picture of a community shaped by its connection to the wider Roman world. While most individuals were genetically similar to other ancient Mediterranean populations, the study identified several outliers with roots in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, confirming the island&#8217;s role as a cosmopolitan crossroads.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, the instability of the Roman world at this time also had its impact. Despite access to the sea, the dietary analysis revealed a surprise: the population appears to have consumed very little seafood, subsisting mostly on grains and terrestrial crops. The skeletal evidence further revealed that life in this strategic port was physically demanding, characterized by high childhood mortality and signs of significant physiological stress.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



<p>Could you be connected to the inhabitants of Late Antique Dalmatia—or to hundreds of other historical individuals? The Historical Matches feature is available to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members.</p>



New Historical Matches Could Connect You to the Dalmatian Coast During the Late Roman Period


<p>Everything we do at the 23andMe Research Institute starts with our amazing community of consented research participants. The data they share helps our scientists uncover new insights about genetics, across health and ancestry, pushing science forward in ways that we hope can benefit different communities, researchers, and future generations. These discoveries are also returned to our members in the form of new reports and features: from more detailed ancestry breakdowns to new health reports on a variety of conditions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>With that spirit of discovery in mind, here are some of the new reports and product features that our consented research participants and expert scientists helped to make happen in 2025.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-genetic-health-amp-wellness-reports-and-features">New Genetic Health &amp; Wellness Reports and Features</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="353" src="/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/health-product-generic.png" alt="" class="wp-image-34664" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/health-product-generic.png 960w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/health-product-generic-300x110.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/health-product-generic-768x282.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/health-product-generic-880x324.png 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></figure>



<p>This year, consented 23andMe research participants, along with our groundbreaking research platform, delivered new polygenic risk score (PRS) reports to our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members, offering deeper insights into complex health conditions.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/genetics-may-explain-why-some-athletes-are-more-prone-to-acl-tears"><strong>ACL Tear</strong></a></td><td>Shows how a person&#8217;s genetics may influence their likelihood of experiencing an ACL tear, an injury common in high-impact sports.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/menopause-isnt-just-for-later-what-you-should-know-now"><strong>Early Menopause</strong></a></td><td>Offers insights to female members into the genetic predisposition for experiencing natural menopause before age 45.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/could-your-painful-periods-be-endometriosis-heres-what-you-should-know"><strong>Endometriosis</strong></a></td><td>Helps female members understand their genetic likelihood of developing endometriosis, a common condition that often takes years to diagnose.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/acid-attack-unraveling-the-genetics-of-gerd"><strong>GERD</strong></a></td><td>Provides insight into the genetics of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that impacts around 20% of people in the U.S.&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/osteoporosis-report"><strong>Osteoporosis</strong></a></td><td>Estimates an individual&#8217;s genetic likelihood of developing low bone density.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-report-on-severe-morning-sickness"><strong>Severe Morning Sickness</strong></a></td><td>Allows female members to assess their genetic likelihood of experiencing severe morning sickness during pregnancy.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>We also answered the call from our members to provide more information about MTHFR as well as genetic differences that can impact health disparities.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/our-take-on-the-mthfr-gene"><strong>Homocysteine (MTHFR-Related)</strong></a></td><td>Examines common variants in the MTHFR gene associated with slightly increased homocysteine levels in the blood.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/the-duffy-antigen-gene-a-clue-behind-white-blood-cell-differences"><strong>White Blood Cell Count (Duffy Antigen-Related)</strong></a></td><td>Raises awareness about the Duffy null genotype, which is common among people with African ancestry and leads to naturally lower white blood cell counts. Understanding this can help prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary follow-up testing.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-health-beyond-dna"><br>Expanding Health Beyond DNA</h3>



<p>We further expanded our integrated health offerings to include expanded direct access to blood testing services (where available), including the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-expands-blood-testing-biological-age">Biological Age Panel</a>. This allows members to get a more complete health picture by combining genetic and real-time health data.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-major-ancestry-updates">Major Ancestry Updates</h2>



<p>2025 brought the most significant update ever to our Ancestry Composition report, expanding granularity and increasing accuracy across the globe. Members can now see if they have connections to more than 4,500 geographic regions, the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market.</p>



<p><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/ancestry-composition-version-7-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Ancestry Composition v7.0</strong></a> was a major overhaul, adding 33 new European populations and 6 new Indigenous American populations to our Ancestry Composition breakdown. Thanks to a new DNA phasing pipeline and a new method for refining reference panels, the update also improved accuracy for other regions of the world. Finally, a new chromosome painting method&nbsp; eliminated &#8220;Broadly&#8221; and &#8220;Unassigned&#8221; categories in the default view.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="508" src="/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1024x508.png" alt="" class="wp-image-34636" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1024x508.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-300x149.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-768x381.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-880x437.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1180x586.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/image.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>We also added more than 800 new Genetic Groups this year. These updates were available to all 23andMe members, with additional features (such as <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/discover-distant-genetic-groups-with-23andme-premium" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Distant Genetic Groups</a>) for 23andMe+ Premium members.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-genetic-groups-in-eastern-europe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Eastern European Genetic Groups</strong></a></td><td>Introduces Genetic Groups for people with ancestry in Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/european-diaspora-genetic-groups-update" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>European Diaspora</strong></a> <strong><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/genetic-groups-french-german-us-canada" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Genetic Groups</a></strong></td><td>Adds new Genetic Groups for people of European descent who settled in the U.S., Canada, and South Africa.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/a-new-era-for-african-genetic-groups-at-23andme" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Expanded African Genetic Groups</strong></a></td><td>Expands from 25 to over 250 Genetic Groups across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering significantly more detail and precision for members in the African diaspora.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-genetic-groups-in-china-korea-mongolia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Genetic Groups in China, Korea, Mongolia</strong></a></td><td>Expands Genetic Groups in East Asia, providing matches for members with ancestry from China, Korea, and Mongolia.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/genetic-groups-south-asia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>South Asian Genetic Groups</strong></a></td><td>Adds more detail to Genetic Groups in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historical-matches">Historical Matches</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="393" src="/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-1024x393.png" alt="" class="wp-image-34662" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-1024x393.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-300x115.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-768x295.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-880x338.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1-1180x453.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/historical_matches-1.png 1668w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature continued to expand with over 275 new individuals added, connecting 23andMe+ Premium members to ancient and notable figures from diverse eras and regions.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-ancient-china" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Ancient China</strong></a></td><td>Adds fifty-six new Historical Matches from three recent studies of ancient China, offering connections to populations like those in Shandong Province and Chang’an.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-could-connect-you-to-cheddar-man-and-britains-earliest-farmers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Cheddar Man and Early Farmers in Britain</strong></a></td><td>Allows members to explore how the transition to farming transformed ancient Britain through 18 ancient individuals, including the famous Cheddar Man.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-beyond-an-xx-or-xy-binary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Chromosome Number Diversity in the Past</strong></a></td><td>Adds historical matches based on a 2024 study identifying ancient individuals in Britain with sex chromosome variations (aneuploidies).</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-african-american-us-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Early Colonial Africans in Mexico &amp; Individuals from Catoctin Furnace</strong></a></td><td>Expands the Historical Matches feature to include 16 new historical African and African American individuals from Catoctin Furnace (U.S.) and colonial Mexico.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-from-early-medieval-france" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Early Medieval France</strong></a></td><td>Features individuals from early medieval France, highlighting evidence of migration from Great Britain, Ireland, and North Africa in shaping the region&#8217;s demography.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-connect-to-erik-the-reds-home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Erik the Red&#8217;s Homestead</strong></a></td><td>Adds four new individuals from the Viking Age settlement of Brattahlid, the homestead of Erik the Red, to the Historical Matches feature.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-could-connect-you-a-lineage-of-iron-age-celtic-women-in-britain" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Iron Age Celtic Women</strong></a></td><td>Adds matches to a lineage of Iron Age Celtic women in Britain, suggesting a matrilocal society.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-could-connect-you-to-medieval-iberians" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Medieval Iberians</strong></a></td><td>Adds individuals from Las Gobas, a medieval site in northern Spain, revealing insights into a small, isolated Christian community.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-may-link-you-to-named-historical-figures" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Named Historical Figures</strong></a></td><td>Includes DNA matches for notable individuals like George Bähr (German architect) and Bishop Peder Winstrup (Swedish bishop).</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/historical-matches-ancient-irish-elite" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Neolithic Ireland</strong></a></td><td>Adds individuals connected to an elite, megalithic society in Neolithic Ireland that built passage tombs over 5,000 years ago.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-the-mysterious-skeletons-of-roopkund-lake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>The Mystery of Roopkund Lake</strong></a></td><td>Features genetic analysis of skeletons from Roopkund Lake, revealing three distinct groups with South Asian, Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian ancestries.</td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/new-historical-matches-could-connect-you-to-europes-viking-age" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Viking Age Europe</strong></a></td><td>Adds 23 individuals from sites across Europe and Greenland to study the genetic diversity of the Viking Age.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-we-continue-to-deliver-cutting-edge-ancestry-science-nbsp">We continue to deliver cutting-edge ancestry science&nbsp;</h3>



<p>This year we also improved the DNA Relatives features with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/update-to-dna-relatives" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two new updates</a>: improved relationship prediction estimates and the HybridIBD™ algorithm. These updates dramatically enhance the accuracy of DNA Relatives predictions, in particular benefiting members with diverse ancestries.</p>



<p>Finally we recently launched Reconstructed Ancestors to 23andMe+ Premium <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013592713-23andMe-Beta-Testing-Program?_gl=1%2Aqni4iy%2A_ga%2ANjA0MDE5NzczLjE3NTE0NzQwNTA.%2A_ga_G330GF3ZFF%2AczE3NTU4ODE1NjQkbzUwJGcxJHQxNzU1ODgxNzAzJGo2MCRsMCRoMA.." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">beta testers</a>. This early feature uses a highly advanced algorithm along with your DNA and the DNA from relatives on your Family Tree, to piece together the ancestry composition of ungenotyped parents, grandparents and eventually other ancestors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-year-of-insight-and-connection">A Year of Insight and Connection</h2>



<p>2025 gave us the opportunity to bring a wealth of new insights and features to our members, and the cycle of discovery isn’t slowing down thanks to the continued participation of our research community. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to push genetic science even further, expanding what’s possible and continuing to build a more inclusive, accurate, and empowering experience for everyone on their journey of self-discovery. The best is yet to come.</p>


23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

From Research to Real Insights: 23andMe’s New Product Features for 2025


<p>The invention of farming was one of the most transformative developments in human history. It didn’t happen just once — agriculture was independently invented in multiple locations across the globe beginning around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, soon after the end of the last Ice Age. As farming spread, it reshaped human societies, diets, and even our DNA.</p>



<p>This month, we’re exploring how this transformation unfolded in ancient Britain by adding 18 ancient individuals who lived before and after the adoption of farming to the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical Matches</a><sup>SM</sup> feature — including one ancient individual whose name you might recognize: Cheddar Man.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-arrival-of-farming-to-ancient-britain">The Arrival of Farming to Ancient Britain</h2>



<p>For most of the last Ice Age, Britain — like much of northern Europe — was too cold and inhospitable for humans to live there year-round. As the climate warmed around 12,000 years ago, hunter-gatherer groups began to resettle the region. This period is known as the Mesolithic Period (10,000–4,000 BCE).</p>



<p>At that time, Britain was still connected to continental Europe by a vast, low-lying plain called Doggerland, which allowed people and animals to move freely between the two regions. Around 8,000 years ago, rising sea levels submerged Doggerland beneath the North Sea, leaving Britain — and nearby Ireland — geographically isolated from the rest of Europe.</p>



<p>Because of this isolation, the spread of farming, which began in southwestern Europe about 9,000 years ago, didn’t reach Britain until roughly 6,000 years ago. That arrival marks the start of the Neolithic period (4,000–2,500 BCE) — a time of sweeping change that reshaped diets, settlement patterns, and daily life across the islands.</p>



<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30988490/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In 2019</a>, researchers published the genomes of six Mesolithic and sixteen Neolithic individuals from across Britain to understand how the shift to farming affected local populations. They wanted to know whether Britain’s first farmers were descendants of earlier Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, or newcomers who migrated from the continent.</p>



<p>The results supported the second scenario: the earliest farmers in Britain had genetic ancestry distinct from the earlier hunter-gatherers, and were instead most closely related to farming populations from the Aegean region. This finding suggests that agriculture arrived in Britain not by cultural diffusion, but through the migration of farming communities who largely replaced the local Mesolithic populations.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-was-cheddar-man">Who was Cheddar Man?</h2>



<p>Perhaps the most famous individual included in the 2019 study was Cheddar Man, a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer whose nickname comes from where he was discovered — Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. He lived around 10,000 years ago, and his skeleton remains one of the oldest and most complete ever found in Britain.</p>



<p>Using 3D scans of his skull and genetic data extracted from his remains, researchers <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/cheddar-man-mesolithic-britain-blue-eyed-boy.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">created a facial reconstruction</a> showing that Cheddar Man likely had dark skin, dark curly hair, and blue eyes — a combination that was probably common among Mesolithic Europeans.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-1024x683.jpg" alt="Cheddar Man reconstruction. Attribution:
Werner Ustorf, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons" class="wp-image-34462" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cheddar_Man_National_History_Museum_London-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>A reconstruction of Cheddar Man</em>. <em>Werner Ustorf, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>These results challenged long-held assumptions about what the first inhabitants of Britain looked like and helped spark a broader conversation about how human populations in Europe — and their appearances — have changed over time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reminder-of-why-we-need-to-present-scientific-findings-with-care">A Reminder of Why We Need to Present Scientific Findings with Care</h2>



<p>Cheddar Man’s DNA has made headlines before. In 1997, researchers at the University of Oxford extracted the first ancient DNA from his remains. This early analysis focused on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) — the small portion of the genome inherited only through the maternal line. They identified Cheddar Man’s mtDNA as belonging to haplogroup U5, later refined to the U5b1 sub-lineage. This maternal lineage was common among Mesolithic hunter-gatherers across Europe, highlighting Cheddar Man’s genetic connections to other post-Ice Age populations.</p>



<p>Although scientifically valid, the way this finding was presented to the public caused confusion. As part of a public engagement project, researchers compared Cheddar Man’s mtDNA to that of residents in the nearby village of Cheddar. One participant, a local schoolteacher, shared the same U5 haplogroup. This was reported as evidence of continuity between ancient and modern populations — and media outlets sensationalized it as proof that a “direct descendant” of Cheddar Man was living nearby.</p>



<p>In reality, that connection was likely extremely distant. The U5 haplogroup is ancient (emerging around 25,000–30,000 years ago) and widespread, found in roughly 5–12% of modern Europeans, meaning many unrelated people carry it by chance. Moreover, because mitochondrial DNA is passed only from mothers to children, it cannot be used to identify direct descendants of a male individual like Cheddar Man.</p>



<p>This story is a reminder of the importance of communicating genetic findings carefully. At 23andMe we search across your whole genome for places where you share identical DNA. Nevertheless, if Cheddar Man appears among your Historical Matches, it does not mean you are his direct descendant. Instead, it means you share a distant common ancestor somewhere in the past — possibly long before Cheddar Man lived — and inherited the same segment of DNA from that ancestor.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn more</h2>



<p>Now that you know more about Cheddar Man — and what genetic analyses can (and cannot) tell you about your relationship to him — check out the Historical Matches feature (available to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23andMe+ Premium</a>™ members). You can see whether your DNA connects you with Cheddar Man or any of the other ancient individuals from across Britain highlighted this month — along with the hundreds of other historical people already included in the feature.</p>


Historical Matches