What do you think about DNA/ancestry test kits?

[BBQisgood]

I had a test done a few years ago and found a probable half sister. I say "probable" because we are very closely related but because of my dad's work/family/ church schedule and living two hours from my "sister's" mother, I doubt that he was her father. I am not saying he wouldn't father another child, but I think it would have been with someone closer to home. I did have an uncle that lived in the same town my "sister" is from. I have no doubt that we are related because she has a strong family resemblance to a couple of my aunts.

There’s another implication here that you aren’t mentioning…

 

[HolmeBass]

I was always told my family was part Native American. My DNA report said that was a myth. I had close matches with several of my cousins on both sides of my parent's families, so it's safe to say my parents are my parents and there is no Native American DNA in my background. Prior to 23andMe, I could see how Elizabeth Warren would have claimed Native American ancestry.

She took the test and it showed she had a small amount of Native American DNA.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

I found my birth mother. Didn't work out. She refused to talk about my bio father. I have half brothers/sister who want no part of it, I understand.
Must be a big secret about my bio father.!?
I wonder if I should try to find him anyway, just so I know more about where I came from. I think unless your adopted you might not know the weird feeling of not knowing who you bio parents are.

 

[BBQisgood]

I found my birth mother. Didn't work out. She refused to talk about my bio father. I have half brothers/sister who want no part of it, I understand.
Must be a big secret about my bio father.!?
I wonder if I should try to find him anyway, just so I know more about where I came from. I think unless your adopted you might not know the weird feeling of not knowing who you bio parents are.

That’s rough. I’m sorry about that.

 

[sleddogn]

I'm 55 and never ever knew who my bio father was. Never asked, don't care. Everyone is different.

 

[jimmydean]

While the data will fall into the hands of the government , unless your a criminal..........so what . You can check into your history without giving a sample of your DNA ..........who knows , maybe your related to Kevin Bacon or Dave Grohl .

 

[FilterFunk]

I'm 55 and never ever knew who my bio father was. Never asked, don't care. Everyone is different.

"Everyone is different." That's one of things I like about these conversations - hearing all the different perspectives. Not right or wrong - just different.

One thing's for sure - the DNA/ancestry tests beat the heck out of con artists who claim to be able to tell you who you were in past lives. I mean, how many different people could have been someone like Joan of Arc or Alexander the Great or Socrates in their past lives? Wasn't anyone just an ordinary peasant or a common thief?

 

[Pilgrim]

It's a thing you can do that is very beneficial for Big Data.

I remember hearing about the genetics of it a while back, but much of it was a bit over my head. But the impression I got is that it doesn't tell you as much as you think it does. There are certain kinds of DNA that pass only through the maternal line, some that pass only through the paternal, and then of course at every generation your overall DNA is a certain mixing and matching from both. When you get a result back saying you're 37% this or that, what exactly does that mean? It does NOT mean that 37% of your ancestors were this or that (at what moment in the past?), only that 37% of your DNA, of a particular category, came from those ancestors who were. That tells you something, but there's a lot it doesn't tell you.

I feel this way too. There is a cumulative benefit to society, although it's realistic to be thoughtful about the data you provide. We did 23 and Me, which is now in financial trouble; where the ownership of the data will end up is in question. The Ancestry platform (owned by the LDS Church) is a stable organization but more expensive to participate in.

In my case, I found out that one whole thread my family thought connected us to Native Americans about three generations back simply wasn't there. My wife found out that her whole DNA pool is located mainly in the British isles (as is mine) but her family thought it was Russian/German. Interesting stuff to find out that your ancestral gene pool is located in a different part of the world than you thought.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

That’s rough. I’m sorry about that.

Thanks for that. Its not a huge problem, just one of those things that gnaw at you a little.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

My father's side of the family are all from the Azores Islands in the middle of the Pacific Atlantic Ocean and are all Portuguese. I haven't had mine done yet but my brother's came back with only a smattering of Portuguese, around 20%, even though our grandparents and great grandparents all came from there. Of course the saying goes that the Vikings would crash their ships on the reefs on the north side of the islands and Norwegian show ups as a small percentage of his DNA. Also had the slave ships crash on the south side of the Islands and he has some small percentage of African DNA show up too although it showed up as North African, which I believe would be unusual for slave ships.

I found out last year that because my Grandparents immigrated to the US from the Azores Islands that are Portuguese Islands, I could get a dual citizenship and have both US and Portuguese passports. HOWEVER the kicker is that I have to learn to speak Portuguese as a condition of citizenship. I'm having a hard time with that and honestly not dedicating enough time. Would sure be nice to get that dual citizenship though because that would make travel throughout Europe a breeze. And, since my son lives in England, that would make a good place to travel from.

Oops Didn't realize I said the Azores were in the middle of the Pacific...wrong ocean. They are about mid-way in the Atlantic Ocean and are still a major refueling stop for both aircraft and ships traveling between the American continents and Europe and African destinations.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Maybe the most useful and universal positive effect of all the DNA ancestry data is the confirmation that we are all "mutts", the end result of generations of migration, intermarriage, chance accident and the tides of history. "Racial Purity" is a tired myth belied by the facts, and the differences we attribute to "race" are so vanishingly small as to be irrelevant. You all really are my close relatives.

 

[2saddleslab]

Maybe the most useful and universal positive effect of all the DNA ancestry data is the confirmation that we are all "mutts", the end result of generations of migration, intermarriage, chance accident and the tides of history. "Racial Purity" is a tired myth belied by the facts, and the differences we attribute to "race" are so vanishingly small as to be irrelevant. You all really are my close relatives.

Best post yet!

 

[turf3]

While the data will fall into the hands of the government , unless your a criminal..........so what ...

So you reject the possibility that genetic data could fall into the hands of someone who would use it for nefarious ends? You don't think it's possible for a group that is violently opposed to people of certain ethnicities could use genetic data in harmful ways?

I wish I could be so confident in humanity, given what we know about Europe in the years 1938-1945; Rwanda; Armenia; the Stalinist purges.... shall I continue?

 

[Pilgrim]

So you reject the possibility that genetic data could fall into the hands of someone who would use it for nefarious ends? You don't think it's possible for a group that is violently opposed to people of certain ethnicities could use genetic data in harmful ways?

I wish I could be so confident in humanity, given what we know about Europe in the years 1938-1945; Rwanda; Armenia; the Stalinist purges.... shall I continue?

Frankly, that doesn't bother me because I don't think it's a realistic prospect. Perhaps if my ethnic background was different I'd feel more sensitive about it, but the world's gene pool is constantly becoming more hybridized, so as noted above there's precious little "racial purity" to go around, especially in the US. I think the example of Germany in the 1930s and 40s is still present enough in most people's minds to provide some insurance.

 

[hbarcat]

Maybe the most useful and universal positive effect of all the DNA ancestry data is the confirmation that we are all "mutts", the end result of generations of migration, intermarriage, chance accident and the tides of history. "Racial Purity" is a tired myth belied by the facts, and the differences we attribute to "race" are so vanishingly small as to be irrelevant. You all really are my close relatives.

Yup.

 

[jimmydean]

So you reject the possibility that genetic data could fall into the hands of someone who would use it for nefarious ends? You don't think it's possible for a group that is violently opposed to people of certain ethnicities could use genetic data in harmful ways?

I wish I could be so confident in humanity, given what we know about Europe in the years 1938-1945; Rwanda; Armenia; the Stalinist purges.... shall I continue?

Your spot on my friend and it is being used right now . I said who cares , but in truth .........everyone should .

 

[sleddogn]

I'd think all this info would be gold for medical research and profits for those companies with this info

 

[BBQisgood]

I'd think all this info would be gold for medical research and profits for those companies with this info

The medical significant SNPs and other features can be important.

The arguments against such utilization on a large scale have to do with sensitivity/specificity, utility, etc.

Sensitivity to certain drugs can be associated with such variations.

The scary stuff includes but is not limited to the possibility that one might be rejected for certain insurance, jobs, etc. due to variations. Ethical nightmare. Not something I want to contemplate.

 

[Stewie26]

We did a DNA test on our mixed breed rescue dog through our vet. She suggested the DNA test to see if there were hereditary issues to look out for. When we rescued our dog, which was a year old at the time, the recuse organization listed him as a runt Golden Retriever- Lab mix. Turns out he is 50% cockier, 25% boxer and 25% Havanese.
My wife and I have not done DNA testing on ourselves.

 

[FilterFunk]

Maybe the most useful and universal positive effect of all the DNA ancestry data is the confirmation that we are all "mutts", the end result of generations of migration, intermarriage, chance accident and the tides of history. "Racial Purity" is a tired myth belied by the facts, and the differences we attribute to "race" are so vanishingly small as to be irrelevant. You all really are my close relatives.

Agreed. Unfortunately, it won't make a bit of difference to people who are determined to feel racially superior.