Genographic Testing

[Betty Blue]

Genographic Test Reveals Darwin’s Ancestry - National Geographic Blog Wild

This is very interesting to me, i would appreciate your views, comments, criticisms and witticisms on genographic testing in general. Please

 

[Vasilisa]

I know someone who is really into this. He and another person I know sent away for the genographic project kit and submitted their swabs. It is a little anti-climactic, I think. Not sure either can remember which haplogroup they are in.

Did you watch the two national geographic specials on the genographic project? The second one just sort of restates the information from the first, but without the awesome Chukchi segment. The first special is worth watching.

Now I see there are more specialized genetic testing services/data colletion groups appearing. 23andme evidently gives a full medical report. Here is a video via their blog. As the video mentions, for some people it is alarming to know all ones predispositions, plus there are concerns on what that information could do to health insurance. These are in addition to general privacy concerns. It reminds me of the movie Gattaca somewhat.

 

[Phantonym]

I'm interested in this as well. I've thought about taking the test but 100$ for sticking a swab in your mouth? Ok, I might do it some day.

 

[Loxias]

I've been wanting to take the 23andme test for about 2 years. But I just never manage to have enough money for it.
I am quite concerned that this kind of tests might be going to become increasingly illegal with time.

 

[Betty Blue]

I'm interested in this as well. I've thought about taking the test but 100$ for sticking a swab in your mouth? Ok, I might do it some day.

I think (hope) it may become cheaper with time

I've been wanting to take the 23andme test for about 2 years. But I just never manage to have enough money for it.
I am quite concerned that this kind of tests might be going to become increasingly illegal with time.

Ooh interesting, why would it become illegal?

 

[CzeCze]

I read an article in a mag waiting for the dentist about genetic testing sites and got super excited. I'm not a spam bot but '23 and me' was the best rated and not because Google is a heavy investor.

However, the actual run downs they give you are limited and not as specific as I would like. They also explain how medically they aren't really analyzing your specific dna but rather looking for typical markers and seeing if you have them. So basically screening for diseases? I was excited about the ethnography but the examples of the website look ridiculously oversimplified like "you are chinese". I mean..really? I want to know my break down of all the haplop groups blah blah blah found in my DNA because I'm nerdy and have already followed a little bit of it online.

My friends are surprisingly paranoid and tell me not to 'give away my genetic information for free'. Basically someone is hoarding this information (CIA? FBI?) and also that my info is being used by some pharma company to make drugs or something that they'll make millions off and I'll get nothing.

^^ That is not too far off from what can and has happened. A black woman before the 1950s unknowingly had some cultures or blood samples taken for a routine check up used for some kind of major vaccination or disease study. Her original cell cultures/samples are invaluable/the backbone of the study. The family didn't know until recently and is now trying to sue for beacoup bucks.

What I think is most likely though is a few weeks after your results you get mysterious junk mail targeting all the weaknesses/trouble areas the kit revealed.

 

[Loxias]

I read an article in a mag waiting for the dentist about genetic testing sites and got super excited. I'm not a spam bot but '23 and me' was the best rated and not because Google is a heavy investor.

However, the actual run downs they give you are limited and not as specific as I would like. They also explain how medically they aren't really analyzing your specific dna but rather looking for typical markers and seeing if you have them. So basically screening for diseases? I was excited about the ethnography but the examples of the website look ridiculously oversimplified like "you are chinese". I mean..really? I want to know my break down of all the haplop groups blah blah blah found in my DNA because I'm nerdy and have already followed a little bit of it online.

My friends are surprisingly paranoid and tell me not to 'give away my genetic information for free'. Basically someone is hoarding this information (CIA? FBI?) and also that my info is being used by some pharma company to make drugs or something that they'll make millions off and I'll get nothing.

^^ That is not too far off from what can and has happened. A black woman before the 1950s unknowingly had some cultures or blood samples taken for a routine check up used for some kind of major vaccination or disease study. Her original cell cultures/samples are invaluable/the backbone of the study. The family didn't know until recently and is now trying to sue for beacoup bucks.

What I think is most likely though is a few weeks after your results you get mysterious junk mail targeting all the weaknesses/trouble areas the kit revealed.

One of the interesting aspects is that you can get the raw data too, and there are lots of third party softwares as well as people who can help you analyse the raw data, see what alleles you have on different SNPs.
The ethnographic side gives you the similarity between you and different population, with 23andme you can also get a relative finder, finding your relatives according to the amount of DNA segments that you share with them.
There is also a cool breakdown of your chromosomes with the likely origins of different segments on it, and therefore the percentages of your genetic material that is typical of people from Africa, Europe or Asia/Americas/Oceania. On this too, with third party applications and raw data you can get similarity ratios with much more precise ethnic groups.
Also if you are interested in your yDNA and mtDNA haplogroups, they are of course included in the package.

Damn, I wish they would offer me the test considering how much I advertise them.

I think (hope) it may become cheaper with time



Ooh interesting, why would it become illegal?

Just rumour, people saying it.

 

[Betty Blue]

I know someone who is really into this. He and another person I know sent away for the genographic project kit and submitted their swabs. It is a little anti-climactic, I think. Not sure either can remember which haplogroup they are in.

Yes, this is what i am really interested in, i have been surfing for a while now looking into "the dawn of man" while there is some conflict of origin i think most scientists would agree the start point to be Africa.
One of the reasons i find this particularly interesting is that it would be a bloody good argument to put to the white supremicists. I was wondering how many people from places like norway and sweeden have participated as there seems to be a concentration in those places.

Did you watch the two national geographic specials on the genographic project? The second one just sort of restates the information from the first, but without the awesome Chukchi segment. The first special is worth watching.

No i didn't see them, but would love to, do you know a link or can you point me in the right direction?

Now I see there are more specialized genetic testing services/data colletion groups appearing. 23andme evidently gives a full medical report. Here is a video via their blog. As the video mentions, for some people it is alarming to know all ones predispositions, plus there are concerns on what that information could do to health insurance. These are in addition to general privacy concerns. It reminds me of the movie Gattaca somewhat.

Ah yes i see, i'm not really interested in those tests.

 

[runvardh]

I've been thinking about this on and off. I may buy two kits when I'm bored and have the money.

 

[Betty Blue]

I've been thinking about this on and off. I may buy two kits when I'm bored and have the money.

Maternal and paternal lineage?
Or a more sceptical reason, sending two tests, one under a different name-to compare results?

 

[Loxias]

Maternal and paternal lineage?

Normally both are included in one kit.

Or a more sceptical reason, sending two tests, one under a different name-to compare results?

Hahaha, clever idea.

 

[Randomnity]

^^ That is not too far off from what can and has happened. A black woman before the 1950s unknowingly had some cultures or blood samples taken for a routine check up used for some kind of major vaccination or disease study. Her original cell cultures/samples are invaluable/the backbone of the study. The family didn't know until recently and is now trying to sue for beacoup bucks.

You're talking about HeLa cells, which are a line of cervical cancer cells derived from the tumour removed from Henrietta Lacks (during cancer surgery though, not a routine checkup). They've been used extensively in various fields of medical research, especially cancer research, though they're becoming less common now for various reasons.

I'm actually very against people/families of people profiting from these kinds of things, though in this case consent should have been obtained and wasn't (in this case I think race may have been a factor since black people were treated very poorly in hospitals in the 50s).

edit: after looking it up, it seems the current law considers "discarded cells" from surgery and whatnot to not require consent for release for research, so legally this shouldn't be a case, I guess? I'm not sure how to feel about that, since imo it would be better to have consent, but at the same time this would set back research quite a bit simply due to paranoid people.

another example: Moore v. Regents of the University of California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[runvardh]

Maternal and paternal lineage?
Or a more sceptical reason, sending two tests, one under a different name-to compare results?

It's just to get both tests done since my direct maternal for as far back as I know goes to Norway, while my direct paternal goes to Japan, making finding out about both being rather interesting.

 

[Betty Blue]

Normally both are included in one kit.

Yes but you only get to chose one (if you do both it = 2 swabs which =two tests (i think) ), Unless you are a woman in which case you don't get a choice (bloody typical), there is only one you can have-maternal ...but you can have a male family member swabbed to check your paternal line


Hahaha, clever idea.[/QUOTE]

 

[Vasilisa]

Yes, this is what i am really interested in, i have been surfing for a while now looking into "the dawn of man" while there is some conflict of origin i think most scientists would agree the start point to be Africa.
One of the reasons i find this particularly interesting is that it would be a bloody good argument to put to the white supremicists. I was wondering how many people from places like norway and sweeden have participated as there seems to be a concentration in those places.

No i didn't see them, but would love to, do you know a link or can you point me in the right direction?

Ah yes i see, i'm not really interested in those tests.

The DVD that comes with the kit is just called "The Genographic Project" I think. I'm not sure, but it might be the same one called Journey of Man. Either that, or they used footage from Journey of Man in the DVD I have seen. It explains the origins of humans in Africa & the first major migrations and the project as a whole. It doesn't go into every single haplo group branch. It talks about the major turning points like in Central Asia. They find this guy and tell him his direct ancestor is the direct progenitor to every person who is White, Asian, or Native American. The best part is when Spencer Wells lives with the Chukchi. The second special I have seen is the one called The Human Family Tree. It just restates the same ideas. The fact that we all share ancestors is at the heart of it and it certainly does prove that judging people based on skin color or eye color or anything like that is really quite useless.

As far as extended genealogy goes, that is the main reason one of the people I know who joined the project got into it. Here is a page with people's stories.

But as I said, it can be anti-climactic in a way. Meh, I was going to attach a scan of my friend's printout, but its over the size limit. The print out is the only personalized thing. Even that is mostly stating text from this page. But it is a scientific project, so you are contributing to that. It might also be neat if you are a female to have a brother take it, or vice-verse, since it traces maternal ancestors (thru mitochondrial dna) if you are a female, paternal (thru y chromosome lineage) if you are a male. Is it weird I know so much about this for someone who hasn't done it? It's just that someone I am close to is really into it. HTH.

 

[runvardh]

Mitochondrial DNA is the code for organelles that help with respiration and both sexes have them. The only reason why it's only useful to trace maternal lineage is because they are part of the mother's egg while the father's sperm only donates to nuclear DNA. That is also why the paternal test can only be done on guys, because the Y chromosome is the only easily definable component that can be traced back far enough and only guys get it from daddy. This all explaining why women can only get the one test done on themselves while men can get both done.

 

[Betty Blue]

The DVD that comes with the kit is just called "The Genographic Project" I think. I'm not sure, but it might be the same one called Journey of Man. Either that, or they used footage from Journey of Man in the DVD I have seen. It explains the origins of humans in Africa & the first major migrations and the project as a whole. It doesn't go into every single haplo group branch. It talks about the major turning points like in Central Asia. They find this guy and tell him his direct ancestor is the direct progenitor to every person who is White, Asian, or Native American. The best part is when Spencer Wells lives with the Chukchi. The second special I have seen is the one called The Human Family Tree. It just restates the same ideas. The fact that we all share ancestors is at the heart of it and it certainly does prove that judging people based on skin color or eye color or anything like that is really quite useless.

As far as extended genealogy goes, that is the main reason one of the people I know who joined the project got into it. Here is a page with people's stories.

But as I said, it can be anti-climactic in a way. Meh, I was going to attach a scan of my friend's printout, but its over the size limit. The print out is the only personalized thing. Even that is mostly stating text from this page. But it is a scientific project, so you are contributing to that. It might also be neat if you are a female to have a brother take it, or vice-verse, since it traces maternal ancestors (thru mitochondrial dna) if you are a female, paternal (thru y chromosome lineage) if you are a male. Is it weird I know so much about this for someone who hasn't done it? It's just that someone I am close to is really into it. HTH.

Just had time to check out the links, i have seen most of them but not the actual program/documentary dvd. I may buy it or see if i can find it free to watch online somewhere?
Yes i understand about it being anticlimatic, it seems vast and mysterious but when you send off your exciting test you are finally rewarded with what boils down to just a map with a line through it.
But i think i may be able to entertain the excitement a little longer with the help of my imagination and the whole "being part of the bigger picture" enticement. It appeals to me

 

[alexx]

I have had my MTDNA tested and my fathers YDNA tested as well. It has been my hobby the last 2 years.

I ended up being MtDNA Haplotype T1a* and my fathers YDNA as I2B1 which wasn't what I expected being as I grew up thinking I was French.

If anyone ever wants help, recommendations on companies to use or understanding results please let me know. You can also check out possible genetic pre-dispositions to disease types if you are one that wants to know.

 

[Loxias]

I ended up being MtDNA Haplotype T1a* and my fathers YDNA as I2B1 which wasn't what I expected being as I grew up thinking I was French..

Both haplogroups are present in France.
I2b1 is actually moderately common in regions of France where people emigrated to Acadia, Louisiana and Québec from.

 

[alexx]

Well now yes, they are represented all over. T1a* (which is soon to be split into further groups) is believed to originated in Tuscany and due to drift is VERY prevalent in the Baltic Sea region. Over the years it has spread into North Western Europe and Ireland.

I2B1 is a Germanic haplotype, represented most in Lower Saxony.

Coupled with my paper genealogy trail, I can't get out of the US, England, Ireland and Scotland.