February 3, 2014
In honor of the Chinese New Year, we’re taking one last look at the genetic milestones of 2013. From a Supreme Court ruling on patenting genes, to Angelina Jolie’s bold revelations about her genetic risk for breast cancer, to the FDA ordering 23andMe to stop offering health results pending a regulatory [...]
January 29, 2014
Scientists at the University of Washington’s Department of Genome Sciences, report that they can zero in on remnant Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, identifying specific regions in our genome where that ancient DNA resides, and they can do this even without access to actual Neanderthal DNA samples from [...]
December 27, 2013
Each year at this time 23andMe puts together a list of the most interesting genetic findings of 2013. We’re doing that again but with a twist. We want to include in our list a few things that aren’t findings or discoveries, but clearly these stories have had a huge impact on the field of genetics. The fact [...]
December 19, 2013
Our favorite ancient cousins, the Neanderthals, are in the news again. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have sequenced the full genome from the toe bone of a Neanderthal woman who lived in Siberia more than 130,000 years ago. Breathtaking in its quality her genome [...]
October 3, 2013
Editor’s note: Pending an FDA decision, 23andMe no longer offers new customers access to health reports referred to in this post. Customers who received their health information prior to November 22, 2013 will still be able to see their health reports, but those who purchased after that time will only have [...]
August 12, 2013
23andMe results don’t just help you learn important information about your health, your results can also uncover information about yourself that you never knew, as Siaka, one of the actors who worked on our commercial learned. We wrote about 23andMe airing its first commercials, which featured actors that [...]
May 1, 2013
By Amick Boone They once numbered 300 strong, but the Oregon Cavemen, members of a Grants Pass booster club formed in 1922 whose members claim to be “direct descendants of the Neanderthal,” are fading fast. Club members worry that as their numbers dwindle, soon there won’t be anyone around to protect [...]
March 11, 2013
There’s much to recommend in Carl Zimmer’s profile of David Reich in Discovery Magazine, not least of which are details on our favorite extinct human cousins, Neanderthals. While Neanderthals are the rock stars of the piece, Zimmer also gives a good primer on human evolution, ancient migration out of [...]
January 24, 2013
We first met Sheridan* in the fall of 2010. As an adoptee, she was curious about her DNA and what 23andMe might be able to tell her. With the help of old friends and some new ones on 23andMe, Sheridan learned about her global origins, which include an African-American father and a mother of European descent, [...]
December 20, 2012
Take a moment to look back at the ten most interesting and significant genetic findings of 2012 or at least the ones that drew our attention. In the last 12 months we’ve seen huge strides in genetic research giving us new insight into serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s as well as new treatments for [...]
