With much joy yesterday I was delighted to learn that my DNA results were back from 23andMe. I ordered my kit for free through their Roots Into the Future initiative and have been working on getting my family members tested too. Â So far, my husband and my sister are done; my mother’s will be done in a few weeks.
My maternal haplogroup was already known to me since my sister’s results came back awhile ago – -we are L2a1e. Â This lineage goes back to sub-saharan Africa. Â No surprise :-).
My Ancestry painting was what was the most fun to look at last night. Â My mother and I went through it in detail and especially noted how I compare to my sister. Â According to 23andMe, my DNA has the following approximate origins – 84% African, 13% European and 3% Asian (likely Native-American).
This is in contrast to my sister’s  78% African, 18% European and 4% Asian (again, likely Native American).  Goes to show how siblings do get their DNA distribution differently from each parent.
One thing that is clear from both of our paintings is that most  of our European DNA is coming more from one of our parents.  Most of the blue colored segments are in the bottom half of the chromosomes and 23andMe uses a distinction between the top half and bottom half of each image to denote the two parents.  At this point, we do not yet know which parent, but if I had to guess I would predict from my father’s side.  We will hopefully know more once my parent’s results are in.  Very exciting!  I have so much more to blog about with these results so stay tuned.
You can read my past 23andMe blog posts here.
I enjoyed reading your post! So many more stories to find, but how wonderful to have even this smalls glimpse at the ancestral story, aided by science.
Wow, this is really cool! I signed up for the email list at the link you posted. I hope they open more free registrations soon. Thanks for this post!
Ella, you can order a kit now at http://www.23andme.com/roots/ad.
question– you’re female-bodied right? so you and your sister both took the mtDNA test correct?
why question which parent gives the Euro % — has to be your mother because it only shows your maternal side …
Hi! Yes, I am female however 23andaMe’s test is not just a mtDNA test. They do that, but they also test autosomal DNA. Autosomal DNA is a combination of genetic material from both parents; the Ancestry painting is thus a reflection of two parents, not just one. Thanks for asking about it and I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.
ahh!! many thanks for that b/c i thought the test was solely on a mtDNA or yDNA stance. thanks for answering that question!
Hi Taneya,
This is a silly question, but when looking at your ancestry painting, are you able to determine which countries your relatives came from? Such as which parts of Africa or Europe rather than simply the continent? And is there any way to determine which parent came from where by this report alone?
Thank you for writing about your experience with 23andMe, I am learning a great deal and enjoying your journey.
Sophia
Hi Sophia,
It’s not a silly question at all. But the answer is no, there is no way to determine which countries relatives come from based on these results. There is a feature in 23andMe that will show you from which counties your matches say their parents and grandparents were born. But, that may not be overall helpful. From the Ancestry Painting alone you cannot tell which side is which parent unless you have additional information on your own to support it. However, if your parents get tested by 23andMe, you may be able to after comparing your DNA to theirs. I am glad you are enjoying the posts!
Thanks, Taneya. The feature that will show me which countries my matches say their parents and grandparents were born…is there an additional charge for this? Unfortunately, neither of my parents are able/willing to be tested with 23andMe, but I do happen to have some information that will assist me in determining who came from where. I hope. Lol
Sophia – there is no additional charge. Hey – let’s connect offline. Email me at taneya@gmail.com.
Hi,23andme recently updated their ancestry test.Can you say what your new results are?
Hi Anthony, Yes- you raise a good point! I should post my update. Will do. 🙂
I read that 23andme closed the Roots Into The Future program in December 2011.But I and some family members had entered our emails to be notified over two months earlier and were never notified. I wish 23andme could have followed up with us.
Hi Anthony – I believe you are right – not everyone who put their emails in were notified for I too recall not having received word. I learned about the release of new tests from others online. Yes, the Roots Into the Future program is now closed but the good news is the test is $99. Still not cheap, but much better than the $300 it was! 🙂