Mario and I decided to get our DNA genotyped through a company called 23andMe. For $99, you get to spit in a vial and find out whether you have genes that make you more resistant/pre-disposed to certain medical conditions, sensitive to medications, or likely to display various traits. One of the traits they test for is muscle performance, and I would just like to publicly announce that I am "likely a sprinter." I'm also likely to pull a hamstring while sprinting, which I learned through field research.
So, what else did I discover? I have a decreased risk of Alzheimer's, which is great, because losing my mind is something I worry about pretty regularly. I'm more likely to have blue eyes than green, making me a self-proclaimed anomaly. I don't have the gene for alcoholism, but I really like wine (based on field research again). Finally, and most importantly, Mario and I are not related. My genes tested out at 1-2% Italian, so yeah, I was a little worried at first. I think I especially became paranoid about this after discovering that my parents are 10th cousins Once Removed. (Barf.) I'm considering getting them tested just to prove that their relation is too distant for them to share any DNA. It would make me feel a lot better. Then again, it's been fun telling my dad that inbreeding is likely the reason I couldn't learn to play the piano.
Based on DNA comparison, 23andMe actually provides you with a list of everyone else on the site to whom you're related. I enjoy genealogy (to the point of being borderline obsessive), so I get a kick out of contacting these alleged 3rd cousins to see how we're related. I've been able to figure it out a few times if the other person has a well developed family tree. It's a little bit challenging to find a common relative 4 generations back if the other person hasn't spent as much time on ancestry.com as I have (and most people haven't).
I think the most interesting thing about the relative finder feature is how many relatives I have on the site. I have 989. Mario has 180. Does that seem weird to anyone else? Based on this discovery, I can only conclude that I'm related to almost everyone in America. This means that my parents are also related to almost everyone in America. I guess I should consider myself lucky that they're only 10th cousins once removed. It could have been a lot worse.
My theory is that my colonial ancestry is the reason I'm related to so many people. I have a lot of ancestors who came to the British Colonies in the early 1600's. A lot of people in the US are probably descendants of those first 1,000 Europeans who came to America. Just so everyone doesn't think I'm too crazy, I feel compelled to point out that I'm not going to try to figure out how I'm related to all 989 of my relatives on 23andMe. I'm just going to focus on the top 20... or 30. :)
So, what else did I discover? I have a decreased risk of Alzheimer's, which is great, because losing my mind is something I worry about pretty regularly. I'm more likely to have blue eyes than green, making me a self-proclaimed anomaly. I don't have the gene for alcoholism, but I really like wine (based on field research again). Finally, and most importantly, Mario and I are not related. My genes tested out at 1-2% Italian, so yeah, I was a little worried at first. I think I especially became paranoid about this after discovering that my parents are 10th cousins Once Removed. (Barf.) I'm considering getting them tested just to prove that their relation is too distant for them to share any DNA. It would make me feel a lot better. Then again, it's been fun telling my dad that inbreeding is likely the reason I couldn't learn to play the piano.
Based on DNA comparison, 23andMe actually provides you with a list of everyone else on the site to whom you're related. I enjoy genealogy (to the point of being borderline obsessive), so I get a kick out of contacting these alleged 3rd cousins to see how we're related. I've been able to figure it out a few times if the other person has a well developed family tree. It's a little bit challenging to find a common relative 4 generations back if the other person hasn't spent as much time on ancestry.com as I have (and most people haven't).
I think the most interesting thing about the relative finder feature is how many relatives I have on the site. I have 989. Mario has 180. Does that seem weird to anyone else? Based on this discovery, I can only conclude that I'm related to almost everyone in America. This means that my parents are also related to almost everyone in America. I guess I should consider myself lucky that they're only 10th cousins once removed. It could have been a lot worse.
My theory is that my colonial ancestry is the reason I'm related to so many people. I have a lot of ancestors who came to the British Colonies in the early 1600's. A lot of people in the US are probably descendants of those first 1,000 Europeans who came to America. Just so everyone doesn't think I'm too crazy, I feel compelled to point out that I'm not going to try to figure out how I'm related to all 989 of my relatives on 23andMe. I'm just going to focus on the top 20... or 30. :)
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