Latest DNA Update
Ancestry.Com have just added a DNA ‘traits’ assessment to their website. It was £15 to activate it but that’s a pretty minimal charge in the grand scheme of things – equivalent to an expensive non-fiction paperback. So, what did it find? Mostly what it highlighted didn’t come as much of a surprise, but it was interesting to see both what data my DNA contained and if they got anything wrong. Here are some of the results:
Apparently, my DNA suggests that I might be ‘more Introverted’. Now those who know me well will be aware of the problems I have with the whole Introvert/Extrovert ‘thing’, but in this case I’ll hold back on that particular tirade and go with it. If I had to choose, I’d say that yes, I am ‘more Introverted’. Score 1.
Apparently, I’m well within the average for remembered dreams. That feels about right. Sometimes I have VERY vivid dreams (which I’ve remembered) and I also have recurring types of dreams too. I’ve mostly figured out what they are and why they happen – it's my ‘lizard brain’ trying to communicate without the ability to speak..... but that’s a WHOLE other story.
Nutrient wise I (apparently) have typical levels of beta-carotene, average omega-3, typical levels of B12 (nice to know being a veggie!), typical vitamin C, slightly lower than average levels of vitamin D and typical levels of vitamin E. So, no inherent biological problems there – although I do take a multi-vitamin tablet every day (as I have for over 30 years) plus a number of other vitamin-esque tablets.
Fitness-wise things got a bit interesting. Apparently, I have “some DNA differences that are commonly found in elite endurance athletes”. That made me laugh a bit but I do have what I regard as a reasonable level of stamina. My heart-rate recovery is average which is OK. I do tend to quiet down quickly after a sudden burst of effort – like running for a bus & such. I’ve always been pleased with that. Interestingly, my “muscles may tire faster than average” which honestly, I haven’t really noticed too much. I’ve never been particularly active, muscle-wise, so probably haven’t really noticed any great problems. Rather interesting too is the fact that I seem to have the ‘sprinter gene’ which came as a bit of a surprise! Seems that I’m quick off the mark but tire easily, but at the same time have some endurance genes – quite a mix there! Lastly here apparently, I have an average ability to increase my oxygen uptake during exercise. Centre of the pack – just where I like it.
In other news, I don’t ‘flush’ after drinking alcohol, I’m probably not sensitive to certain bitter tastes (probably why I like Brussels sprouts), my caffeine consumption is probably higher than average (as I sip some vanilla Coke zero), I don’t have a problem with fresh coriander (Oh, I love Indian food – period), I’m not lactose intolerant (I’m OK with a glass of milk or ice cream but if I drink TOO much milk in a short period I can feel a bit queasy – although this might not be any kind of tolerance issue), apparently I’m less sensitive to savory flavours (I do like a bit of savory but can live without too much of it), I might sneeze when exposed to bright light (not sure if I do that, I’ll check next time I look at the sun – if it appears at some point!), and I have a sweet tooth – well, duh!
My DNA suggests that I was of average (that word again) birth weight which I think I was, that I don’t have a cleft chin (true), that I have blue eyes (also true), that my ring finger may be longer than my index (pointer) finger (probably true on my right hand and definitely true on my left), that I probably have freckles (some, though not many), that I’m blonde and could pass on red hair to my children (I was actually born with red hair which then went white-blonde before getting progressively darker [or dirty] blonde before eventually going grey), my hair is naturally straight (true even when it reached my shoulders back in my teens), I have a low chance of hair loss (yeah!), I have a light skin tone (true and I really don’t tan well!), I don’t have a unibrow (true!) and, finally, I’ll get (or probably already have had) all of my wisdom teeth.
So, I’d say that the results – although pretty mundane as things go – are spot on. I wonder what else they can learn just from your DNA. If they come up with more (and interesting!) results I’ll let you know.
13 comments:
This is so cool!! It is so interesting to see what they got right and how we as a whole can know so much about someone just by looking at their DNA. I am definitely going to have to get around to signing up this summer now that school is almost out and I can actually breathe again.
I had no idea they could tell you this much!
@ Sarah: I definitely look forward to anything you want to share about your DNA results. Knowing even a piece of my ancestry is mind-blowing. I supposed that *intellectually* I understood that I HAD ancestors (obviously!) but its just SO weird having names, places and incidents of people that were related to me HUNDREDS of years ago. It has made me look at history in a completely different way.
@ Greg: I'm sure that there's LOTS more that DNA can reveal. I do wonder just how much can be gleaned. Without actually comparing DNA could it be possible to narrow down a list of suspects in a crime just from what could be 'read' from some DNA. Of 100 suspects how many could be eliminated by reading some DNA: 20, 50, 80? I don't know.... But I'll see if I can find out... [grin]
Very interesting indeed. I have been wondering about having a DNA test done for quite a while, might have to consider it. Thanks for that.
Marianne, If you're interested in what I've unearthed so far from my Family Tree I posted some early 'wow' moments (or things that really stood out to me) under the label 'Looking Backwards' over on the right-hand side. The trail went to some very interesting and sometimes disturbing places. Presently I've stopped digging and am in the process of trying to understand what I've discovered so far.
Thanks. I have found it and will explore later.
Wow, I didn't realize they added this! It's been a while since I've checked in on mine. I usually check out what updates they add every few months as they are able to pinpoint more and more where our ancestors came from (with astonishing accuracy based on what we know about my family!). I'll have to check out this feature, how neat!
@ Hannah: Where are your ancestors from, if you don't mind me asking? I only started digging last year and have been amazed by what I've found. I'm still VERY intrigued by the percentage of 'Scottish DNA' I have (and both my parents had) despite the fact that I've yet to find a single ancestor actually BORN in Scotland!
The new DNA resulted posted here didn't surprise me a whole lot. But it's nice that they didn't find anything TOO problematic!
I'm happy to share. I've got a lot of Irish/Scottish/English on both my moms and dad's side. Then Swedish and German from my maternal grandfather. My results actually changed somewhat recently, at one point there was Italian in there, but now it says Greece and Albania, but we're assuming thats my paternal grandmother. She was adopted and we don't have any records, so I'm not too sure about her biological family.
We actually have a lot of information about my mom's side of the family. One of my grandmothers cousins has been doing genealogical research for years, I know she's gotten back to at least the 1400s and my grandfather has traced his family back at least that far as well. It's so interesting the things we can find out about through our ancestry!
@ Hannah: Isn't it amazing just how far you can go back! On my Mum's side I went back to the early 16th century which honestly blew me away. I was fully expecting to find no one 'important' but was gratified to find at least one Admiral (under Charles I) and one Member of Parliament (for both Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I) - both LORDS. Then I couldn't help but think just how far my ancestral line had *fallen*... [lol]
Haha, I think all of us feel a bit of how far we've fallen these days, especially as a collective species. In all seriousness though, it is amazing the information that you can find about the history of just your own family. I double checked with my grandfather and he's currently digging into the 1300's. If I were alive then, I would have been titled, but with much worse hygiene. I think I'm okay with the trade off! :)
Oh, I MUCH prefer living in an era that includes things like anti-biotics! Other stuff, like Nukes etc.., I can do without. But a decent level of healthcare where you can't easily die from a papercut (if they HAVE paper!) is definitely something I'd insist on.
I think that is what I am most looking forward to. I know from looking on my grandpa's account (I helped him set it up) some of our history, but that's only from my mom's side as I have zero contact with the man whom contributed to my birth. I am sort of curious, but my mom's side (Grandpa's specifically) is already so full and that's what I always think of when I think of my ancestors. We're hugely German - or so we thought. But we also share ancestors with Louis VXI and are connected to the House of Bourbon. All those years I spent making fun of France, and I end up naming my daughter after Eleanor of Aquitaine and a relation to a French king!
Grandma's side is pretty much Swedish and I can't wait to explore that more. Although my luck, I'll get whammed with being Norman on that side. Wouldn't that be THE WORST?! Especially since I do love the Anglo-Saxon kings of England so...
Post a Comment