Learn More From Your DNA

Want to learn more from your DNA? There is a company called 23andMe that can help you do that! It’s very easy to get started. You send them a sample of your saliva, and they use the DNA in it to find out more about your health, and your ancestral origins. They will keep you updated when new information is found. This is a great way to enhance your genealogy research.

To get started, you need to order a kit from 23andMe. Each kit costs $499.00. You will need to purchase a subscription to their Personal Genome Service at the same time that you order the kit. The service costs $5.00 a month, and you will need to make a one year commitment to the service. Without the service, there is no way to access data about the genetic information that you are about to supply.

Next, you spit into the tube that is provided for you in the kit. Seal it up, and send that saliva sample back to the lab. Their CLIA-certified lab will analyze your DNA. This takes between six and eight weeks. Once that analysis is complete, you can log in to the 23andMe website, and start exploring your genome, and the information that it has provided.

This information can be used to help you fill in the missing branches of your family tree. Use their tool called Relative Finder to find your ancestors. 23AndMe includes an autosomal DNA analysis, which provides much more information than what you can get from other companies that use DNA to find a person’s common ancestors. You will be provided with a list of the other users who match your DNA in some way, along with a projected assumption of exactly how the two of you are related to each other. It is up to you whether you want to contact those people, or not. If so, you can do it through their website. The website allows you to easily organize the family information you find.

You can also learn more about your health from the DNA sample you provided. Learn if you are carrying a heritable disease that could be passed on to your children. You can find out more about 175 different diseases and conditions, including the ones that you are carrying. Find out if you carry any mutations. Your DNA can also reveal if your risk for cancer, and other diseases. Once you know what your genes hold, you can make educated choices about how to manage your health.