Author: Blaine Bettinger

Personalized Genomics: A Very Personal Post

Blaine Bettinger 27 Comments

Both 23andMe and deCODEme (using my 23andMe data) have interpreted my SNP results to indicate that I have a greatly increased genetic risk for Type 2 Diabetes.  This post interprets the information from both companies and applies some of the primary research that the companies relied upon to predict my risk.  Hopefully, this information will be useful to me as I strive to more completely understand my own risk factors, and will be useful to others as an example of using SNP data to potentially understand more about your health.

I. The Genetics

My 23andMe analysis makes it clear that I have an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes:

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And, upon clicking upon the link, I receive the following additional information:

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deCODEme, which used my 23andMe data, provides a similar interpretation: ... Click to read more!

My Tweets of the Week

Blaine Bettinger 1 Comment

Just took the @23andMe Longevity Survey – http://bit.ly/8DYAKC about 14 hours ago

@tgoetz: http://bit.ly/4rkgsW – looking forward to get a fitbit; finally a scientific way to tell whether it really was a bad night’s sleep about 14 hours ago

I would have guessed more – “Americans Consume 34GB of Content a Day” at Lifehacker – http://tinyurl.com/yl8y6hc 1:47 PM Dec 9th

I guess I should drive safer – RT @ABAJournal: Lawyers Second Most Likely Professional to Be in a Car Crash http://bit.ly/4pzRlZ 11:54 AM Dec 9th

I use @HootSuite to filter: #mhco @Rex7 – you must filter the firehose of social media. 11:29 AM Dec 9th

Listening to Martindale Connected social media webinar for lawyers – @nikiblack speaking re: social media stats http://bit.ly/7Jyyxq #mhco 11:18 AM Dec 9th ... Click to read more!

Hacking Admixed 23andMe Ancestry Paintings

Blaine Bettinger 5 Comments

DAVIDE at the European Genetics and Anthropology Blog has an interesting post regarding 23andMe’s Ancestry Painting, at “Taking a closer look at your inter-continental ancestry results at 23andMe.”  In the post, he describes how to “rummage through the Flash data behind the “Ancestry Painting” presentation” to learn more about the SNPs involved an admixed Ancestry Painting.  The post includes the incredibly simple directions:

First of all, you have to make sure you’ve got the free Firebug plug-in installed. Right click on the little bug in the lower-right corner of your browser window, and choose “Enable all panels”.  Then left click the same bug icon, which should make a whole new section appear at the bottom of the screen. ... Click to read more!

New Issue of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy

Blaine Bettinger 1 Comment

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Whit Athey has announced publication of the Fall 2009 issue of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy.  This is Whit’s last issue as Editor, and I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to him and all the work he has put into JoGG over the past 5 years.  Every issue requires hours of work to coordinate reviews and format articles, among the many other aspects of publishing.  Whit’s tireless work has helped add so much to the field.

I’d also like to announce that with Whit’s departure I will be assuming the position of Editor of JoGG.  I’m excited about this endeavor, and I look forward to working with the members of JoGG as well as the authors of the most recent research in the field.  So, if you have an article or even just an idea for an article you’d like to discuss, please fee free to contact me (blaine_5 at hotmail.com, or blainebettinger at gmail.com). ... Click to read more!

A Review of Familybuilder DNA Testing

Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

familybuilder1

Familybuilder, launched in 2007, is a genealogy company that ranks among the top 10 online genealogy services in the world with over 17 million users and over 120 million family tree profiles.  Late last year the company began offering a genetic genealogy product, as I wrote about here on the blog (see “Familybuilder Announces DNA Testing”).

Disclosure: This is a review of Familybuilder’s Y-DNA service using a kit I received free of charge for purposes of this review.  Please note that this is not meant to be an endorsement but merely a review of the Y-DNA service offered by Familybuilder.

The results of a Familybuilder Y-DNA test includes:

“The Migration Map for you and your ancestors, your 17 Markers, your Haplogroup and the History of your DNA.  In addition, the ability to share your results with family and friends on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace as well as a downloadable PDF (suitable for framing).” ... Click to read more!

Q&A: Everyone Has Two Family Trees – A Genealogical Tree and a Genetic Tree

Blaine Bettinger 17 Comments

I recently received an interesting question from a reader (see this comment) about 23andMe’s Relative Finder, and thought it would be worth sharing the question and my answer with all my readers.

The Question:

I’m a man who recently took a 23andMe test, and I have a question about Relative Finder. Another man who I match on 36 of 37 Y-DNA markers via Family Tree DNA also took a 23andMe test. We believe that we are third cousins, but this individual does not show up as related in Relative Finder, nor does he show any similarities in the Family Inheritance section. Does this mean that we are not related at all?

The Answer

If two individuals do not share any DNA in the Family Inheritance section of 23andMe or do not appear as relatives in Relative Finder or a people check if you look online (see here), this absolutely does not mean that they are not or cannot be relatives. It does suggest, however, that the two individuals might not share any DNA. Although your Y-DNA test suggests that you share a recent common male ancestor, it appears that apart from your Y chromosomes you do not share any other DNA. ... Click to read more!

Genetic Genealogy Tidbits

Blaine Bettinger 3 Comments

  • Linda Avey, co-founder of 23andMe, has started a new blog entitled The Life & Times of Lilly Mendel.  I’m looking forward to some interesting reading as Linda establishes the Brainstorm Research Foundation dedicated to the study of Alzheimer’s disease.
    • ... Click to read more!

    Relative Finder Now in Open Beta

    Blaine Bettinger 2 Comments

    I’ve been playing with 23andMe’s Relative Finder this week, since it’s now in open beta.  It’s been interesting hearing from 6th to 10th cousins from around the world, and we’re working to find ancestors in common.  I’m looking forward to identifying – for the first time – a piece of autosomal DNA that came from a specific ancestor.

    While in the beta period, the number of relatives is limited to 1000 (I currently have 173 with only 5 in the 3rd to 7th cousin range), and you can only contact other people who have opted in for the beta test. So if you have a 23andMe account, please opt in to the beta test via the following instructions (kind provided by Ann Turner):

    1. Open the page https://www.23andme.com/user/profile/  and check the checkbox near “Name:” and click on the blue “Save Changes” button. ... Click to read more!

    Michelle Obama’s Slave Ancestry Video Via Genealogy Insider

    Blaine Bettinger 4 Comments

    Megan Smolenyak has been very busy the past couple of weeks sharing her research of Michelle Obama’s genealogy. Genealogy Insider posted this video of Megan on the CBS Early Show on October 8th.  The YouTube video is described as: “The New York Times traced Michelle Obama’s five generation path from slavery to the White House. Harry Smith spoke to Megan Smoleyak the genealogist who uncovered the first lady’s family tree.”

    A much more in-depth video is available from the always interesting RootsTelevision at “Michelle Obama’s Roots.”

    Congratulations Megan, and great work!

    Posted via web from Blaine Bettinger’s Lifestream

    23andMe’s Relative Finder Success Stories at ISOGG

    Blaine Bettinger 7 Comments

    ISOGG, the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, has a “Success Stories” page where it posts short summaries of just a few the many successes that genetic genealogy has helped people achieve.  Today I noticed that there are several new summaries regarding “Autosomal DNA Successes,” both of which were the result of 23andMe’s new Relative Finder (currently still in beta testing).

    Relative Finder

    As I recently wrote, Relative Finder is a feature at 23andMe that allows users to compare their autosomal DNA to the autosomal DNA of others to potentially find cousins.  This has long been done with Y-DNA and mtDNA, but this is one of the first times this has been done with autosomal DNA.

    Success Story #1

    The first success story is from someone who used Relative Finder to identify a huge number of potential cousins.  After connecting one of his or her potential 4th cousins, the individuals discovered that they have similar surnames from a certain location in common (in addition to DNA on chromosomes 3 and 10).  This individual also wisely noted that s/he now has “a good idea of the path that two of my DNA segments took through my pedigree to get to me.”  This is something I wrote about recently in “The Future of Genetic Genealogy – Tracing DNA To Individual Ancestors.” ... Click to read more!