23 and Me screening, on the cheap! April 23, 2010 11:11 AM Subscribe
There's already been a post about 23 and Me, but I thought I might bring it to peoples' attention that today only, you can get their health and ancestry screening for only $99 in honor of, apparently, DNA day.
Sorry if this is "DNA Blue," but I thought MeFites might be interested.
Sorry if this is "DNA Blue," but I thought MeFites might be interested.
$99 per person. Clones tested for free!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:17 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:17 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thank god!
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:21 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:21 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yay!
posted by Astro Zombie 2 at 11:21 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Astro Zombie 2 at 11:21 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Huzzardgnarff!
posted by Astro Zombie 3 at 11:22 AM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie 3 at 11:22 AM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
I want to do this. Does anyone have a breakdown of privacy issues?
They're not selling ads in my children, are they?
posted by grobstein at 11:24 AM on April 23, 2010
They're not selling ads in my children, are they?
posted by grobstein at 11:24 AM on April 23, 2010
If I can't clone myself for spare parts, I'm so not interested.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:35 AM on April 23, 2010
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:35 AM on April 23, 2010
Neat! I was scared off by the prices when I originally saw this, but $99 for the whole shebang is pretty reasonable.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:37 AM on April 23, 2010
posted by burnmp3s at 11:37 AM on April 23, 2010
Awesome! Thanks for this! I've been saving up.
posted by Zosia Blue at 11:38 AM on April 23, 2010
posted by Zosia Blue at 11:38 AM on April 23, 2010
WTF.
23andMe is currently unable to process saliva samples collected in or mailed from the state of New York. The New York Department of Health considers our Personal Genome Service a test requiring a lab license and direct physician involvement.
If you or the recipient of the Spit Kit intend to collect your sample and mail it from outside the state of New York, please select the "Ship to New York" button below. Upon receipt of your Spit Kit, you or the Spit Kit recipient will be required to affirm under penalty of law that the sample for the Spit Kit has not been collected in or mailed from the state of New York.
STOP OPPRESSING ME.
posted by elizardbits at 11:42 AM on April 23, 2010
23andMe is currently unable to process saliva samples collected in or mailed from the state of New York. The New York Department of Health considers our Personal Genome Service a test requiring a lab license and direct physician involvement.
If you or the recipient of the Spit Kit intend to collect your sample and mail it from outside the state of New York, please select the "Ship to New York" button below. Upon receipt of your Spit Kit, you or the Spit Kit recipient will be required to affirm under penalty of law that the sample for the Spit Kit has not been collected in or mailed from the state of New York.
STOP OPPRESSING ME.
posted by elizardbits at 11:42 AM on April 23, 2010
So very tempted. And if my DNA is used for secret government research resulting in a horde of hungry and violent Bronzefist zombies... well, so much the better.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 11:43 AM on April 23, 2010
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 11:43 AM on April 23, 2010
but $99 for the whole shebang is pretty reasonable
Depends on the size of your shebang, and whether you're in town.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:44 AM on April 23, 2010 [5 favorites]
Depends on the size of your shebang, and whether you're in town.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:44 AM on April 23, 2010 [5 favorites]
Also it occurs to me that this kind of test may, at some point in the future, impede my success as an international ninja assassin.
CONUNDRUM.
posted by elizardbits at 11:46 AM on April 23, 2010
CONUNDRUM.
posted by elizardbits at 11:46 AM on April 23, 2010
affirm under penalty of law that the sample for the Spit Kit has not been collected in or mailed from the state of New York
Sounds like a good excuse to take a ride to Atlantic City.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:50 AM on April 23, 2010
Sounds like a good excuse to take a ride to Atlantic City.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:50 AM on April 23, 2010
Totally ordered.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:55 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:55 AM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have patiently waiting for this sort of thing to drop in price for a friend of mine. She's adopted and isn't just worried about random health risks, she also is curious as to her ancestry. I still need to research who has the most SNPs and ethnic groups in their databases, then find out what her privacy concerns are.
I anticipate the business model eventually breaking down into two parts: the first set of companies will sequence your DNA and deliver the data to you on, say, a DVD. You could almost fit three people to a DVD. The second set of companies will analyze sets of DNA given to them for things like diseases, trends, ancestry, and so forth.
Once you have your DNA sequenced out, you could periodically arrange to have rescans of your information as new studies are brought to light.
It's entirely possible that a third set of companies might emerge which are engaged as middlemen, protecting privacy, anonymously sending samples to the first set of companies, banking the data upon return, then querying the second set of companies to return the information to you in a secure manner.
posted by adipocere at 12:04 PM on April 23, 2010
I anticipate the business model eventually breaking down into two parts: the first set of companies will sequence your DNA and deliver the data to you on, say, a DVD. You could almost fit three people to a DVD. The second set of companies will analyze sets of DNA given to them for things like diseases, trends, ancestry, and so forth.
Once you have your DNA sequenced out, you could periodically arrange to have rescans of your information as new studies are brought to light.
It's entirely possible that a third set of companies might emerge which are engaged as middlemen, protecting privacy, anonymously sending samples to the first set of companies, banking the data upon return, then querying the second set of companies to return the information to you in a secure manner.
posted by adipocere at 12:04 PM on April 23, 2010
So hey ... concerns about privacy here ...
Question -- if I do go for their service, who will have my info but me? If I'm the only one who will have it, why is there so much privacy stuff on their site? Do they share your info with anybody?
posted by Afroblanco at 12:07 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Question -- if I do go for their service, who will have my info but me? If I'm the only one who will have it, why is there so much privacy stuff on their site? Do they share your info with anybody?
posted by Afroblanco at 12:07 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
I honestly thought about buying this earlier and then I decided that $99 is too much. And then I realized that I just literally decided that I wasn't interesting enough to know more about. And then I turned on the tv.
posted by pwally at 12:08 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by pwally at 12:08 PM on April 23, 2010
After what happened with Blippy, not sure if I want my sequences showing up in Google. Metafilter user number discrimination is bad enough, not like I need everyone to know about that crazy great grandfather who may also be my great uncle.
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 12:09 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 12:09 PM on April 23, 2010
Man, if I had any assurance that I'd still be getting regular paychecks in a month I'd totally do this. I'm adopted, and I'd love to have this info.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:10 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by restless_nomad at 12:10 PM on April 23, 2010
The FAQ is really good.
Troubleshooting
Q: I want more like, fucker.
A: The facts of life. To make an alteration in the evolvement of an organic life system is fatal. A docing sequence cannot be revised once it’s been established.
Q: Why not?
A: Because by the second day of incubation, any cells that have undergone reversion mutations give rise to revertant colonies like rats leaving a sinking ship. Then the ship sinks.
Q: What about EMS recombination.
A: We’ve already tried it. Ethyl methane sulfonate as an alkylating agent a potent mutagen. It created a virus so lethal the subject was dead before he left the table.
A: Then a repressive protein that blocks the operating cells.
A: Wouldn’t obstruct replication, but it does give rise to an error in replication so that the newly formed DNA strand carries the mutation and you’ve got a virus again.
Q: I’ve done questionable things
A: Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time.
Pretty much answered every question I had.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 12:15 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Troubleshooting
Q: I want more like, fucker.
A: The facts of life. To make an alteration in the evolvement of an organic life system is fatal. A docing sequence cannot be revised once it’s been established.
Q: Why not?
A: Because by the second day of incubation, any cells that have undergone reversion mutations give rise to revertant colonies like rats leaving a sinking ship. Then the ship sinks.
Q: What about EMS recombination.
A: We’ve already tried it. Ethyl methane sulfonate as an alkylating agent a potent mutagen. It created a virus so lethal the subject was dead before he left the table.
A: Then a repressive protein that blocks the operating cells.
A: Wouldn’t obstruct replication, but it does give rise to an error in replication so that the newly formed DNA strand carries the mutation and you’ve got a virus again.
Q: I’ve done questionable things
A: Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time.
Pretty much answered every question I had.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 12:15 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
After what happened with Blippy, not sure if I want my sequences showing up in Google.
Luckily, no one can buy themselves crap with my genetic information.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 12:16 PM on April 23, 2010
Luckily, no one can buy themselves crap with my genetic information.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 12:16 PM on April 23, 2010
Luckily, no one can buy themselves crap with my genetic information.
Yet.
(Man, I'm really tempted to buy this. But also sorta scared. What to do, what to do.)
posted by kmz at 12:21 PM on April 23, 2010
Yet.
(Man, I'm really tempted to buy this. But also sorta scared. What to do, what to do.)
posted by kmz at 12:21 PM on April 23, 2010
Available to Australia, but they'll sting you $70 for postage.
posted by AD_ at 12:34 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by AD_ at 12:34 PM on April 23, 2010
For those concerned about what can be done with your genetic info, the FAQ links to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act for more info.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 12:48 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 12:48 PM on April 23, 2010
Mr. F has been curious about this forever, and his birthday's next week. Science! It's the gift that keeps on giving!
(Yes, he knows. I was so psyched that I would have imploded trying to keep it a secret.)
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:53 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
(Yes, he knows. I was so psyched that I would have imploded trying to keep it a secret.)
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:53 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
National Geographic's Genographic Project does a similar DNA test (doesn't include the health screening); their regular price is $100.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:05 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kirkaracha at 1:05 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
My dad used the Genographic Project test and shared the results with us and interestingly, told us that we didn't need to get it done ourselves because we were his kids. That part has always made me curious to know more YET infini can't help but be influenced by infinitefloatingbrain's crucial point. Way too many holes in this cyber space.
posted by infini at 1:17 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by infini at 1:17 PM on April 23, 2010
I'm really sad. I live in NYC. This is the first time I've been sad to live in NYC.
posted by functionequalsform at 1:26 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by functionequalsform at 1:26 PM on April 23, 2010
So go spit in a cup in Jersey.
posted by ook at 1:28 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ook at 1:28 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm really on the fence about this. I thought their full privacy policy & consent and legal agreement were interesting. One thing that really stuck out to me on the consent form was:
Genetic data you share with others could be used against your interests. You should be careful about sharing your genetic information with others. Currently, very few businesses or insurance companies request genetic information, but this could change in the future. While the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was signed into law in the United States in 2008, the protection it will provide against discrimination by employers and health insurance companies for employment and coverage issues has not been clearly established. In addition, GINA does not cover life or disability insurance providers. Some, but not all, states and other jurisdictions have laws that protect individuals from this kind of conduct. (For some examples of protective legislation and a description of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, click here.)
posted by tastybrains at 1:30 PM on April 23, 2010
Genetic data you share with others could be used against your interests. You should be careful about sharing your genetic information with others. Currently, very few businesses or insurance companies request genetic information, but this could change in the future. While the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was signed into law in the United States in 2008, the protection it will provide against discrimination by employers and health insurance companies for employment and coverage issues has not been clearly established. In addition, GINA does not cover life or disability insurance providers. Some, but not all, states and other jurisdictions have laws that protect individuals from this kind of conduct. (For some examples of protective legislation and a description of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, click here.)
posted by tastybrains at 1:30 PM on April 23, 2010
If it weren't the tail end of a long day at work, and a Friday, I'd write a song parody of "Don't Sleep on the Subway, Darlin'" entitled "Go spit in a cup in Jersey."
So if anyone does, you should favorite this comment. Not the one who actually did it.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:31 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
So if anyone does, you should favorite this comment. Not the one who actually did it.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:31 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'd heard back when I was in SF from someone that a very large corp who used say THINK had made it a compulsory part of the employee insurance process. this is hearsay of course and I heard it a few years ago but the person also spoke about this turning into a future trend by large employers
posted by infini at 1:36 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 1:36 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm a blond single girl but I was born a brunette, all the guys think I look like Farrah!
posted by The Whelk at 1:39 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by The Whelk at 1:39 PM on April 23, 2010
HAY EVERYBODY LET'S GO SPIT AT GREG'S SISTER'S!
posted by functionequalsform at 2:06 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by functionequalsform at 2:06 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
kirkaracha: "National Geographic's Genographic Project does a similar DNA test (doesn't include the health screening); their regular price is $100"
Genographic only does a single line of descent, you need two kits to test your mitochondrial DNA if you are male. If female, you need another one for a male relative. 23 seems to have more sophisticated haplogroup test and tests both lines.
posted by psyche7 at 2:10 PM on April 23, 2010
Genographic only does a single line of descent, you need two kits to test your mitochondrial DNA if you are male. If female, you need another one for a male relative. 23 seems to have more sophisticated haplogroup test and tests both lines.
posted by psyche7 at 2:10 PM on April 23, 2010
Whoa. It actually is DNA Day. I just ordered a kit for each of my (2) brothers who are adopted and have always wondered about their backgrounds/health risks, but don't want to contact their birth parents.
posted by gman at 2:41 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by gman at 2:41 PM on April 23, 2010
Now I'm kind of sad that I have no biological children. 'Cause it would be so awesome to order a couple of these, plop the kits down on the dinner table one night and say, "Here. I got you each one of these, since I have absolutely no idea who your real father was." Those. Those, right there. Those are the moments you cherish!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2010 [6 favorites]
My wife and I picked up two because it was too good of a deal. She's got a very clear lineage, but I'm sort of a Euromutt. I'm also interested in seeing the health info - I just hope I don't pop up with something bad and start freaking out along the vein of "LIFE IS WORTHLESS I'M GOING TO DIE."
Maybe I should have lived blissfully in ignorance...
posted by SNWidget at 2:57 PM on April 23, 2010
Maybe I should have lived blissfully in ignorance...
posted by SNWidget at 2:57 PM on April 23, 2010
I'm adopted and while I have some information about my biological parents - both their ancestral background and some health info - I would love to know more without actually having to, you know, find them. So I totally jumped on this. Plus... SCIENCE!
posted by marylynn at 3:16 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by marylynn at 3:16 PM on April 23, 2010
HOW DO THEY TEST MY CYBORG PARTS?
posted by klangklangston at 3:28 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by klangklangston at 3:28 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Very carefully.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:33 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:33 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Anyone else in the "kinda don't want to know" camp?
posted by The Whelk at 3:42 PM on April 23, 2010 [7 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 3:42 PM on April 23, 2010 [7 favorites]
I just bought two kits, one each for myself and for my husband. And then I put fake names in the spots where you're required to put a name for each kit. A little extra privacy guard never hurt anyone, right?
I'm still puzzling over whether I really want to know. I've vacillated in the past, and always didn't buy because of the price. It looks like I'll still have a couple of days to ponder before the kits ship - days when I can get a full refund.
posted by terrierhead at 3:48 PM on April 23, 2010
I'm still puzzling over whether I really want to know. I've vacillated in the past, and always didn't buy because of the price. It looks like I'll still have a couple of days to ponder before the kits ship - days when I can get a full refund.
posted by terrierhead at 3:48 PM on April 23, 2010
Anyone else in the "kinda don't want to know" camp?
I'm old enough to have discovered that I've definitely inherited my parent's mortality. It's all moot at this point, pour moi.
Also:
*clears throat, does best Pacino impression*
GATT A CA!!! GATT A CA!!!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:51 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm old enough to have discovered that I've definitely inherited my parent's mortality. It's all moot at this point, pour moi.
Also:
*clears throat, does best Pacino impression*
GATT A CA!!! GATT A CA!!!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:51 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
Just ordered it as an early mothers day gift. My mom's heavy into genealogy, and I think she'll dig this.
posted by brundlefly at 4:07 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by brundlefly at 4:07 PM on April 23, 2010
Just ordered two kits. Both my sister and I are adopted, this could be very interesting.
Thanks for the heads up.
posted by pianomover at 4:48 PM on April 23, 2010
Thanks for the heads up.
posted by pianomover at 4:48 PM on April 23, 2010
Anyone else in the "kinda don't want to know" camp?
Yeah, actually. A bunch of the little weird things that are wrong with me point to an underlying single cause-- which probably won't kill me or anything, but is weird and intriguing. But if I have some idea what's in there, maybe my docs and I can figure out how to mitigate it. I'm not having kids, so I don't fear passing something along, but the "ooh, what if it's a real corker" theory has occurred to me.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:56 PM on April 23, 2010
Yeah, actually. A bunch of the little weird things that are wrong with me point to an underlying single cause-- which probably won't kill me or anything, but is weird and intriguing. But if I have some idea what's in there, maybe my docs and I can figure out how to mitigate it. I'm not having kids, so I don't fear passing something along, but the "ooh, what if it's a real corker" theory has occurred to me.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:56 PM on April 23, 2010
It's over! Now I'll never know who to blame my procrastination on!
posted by yellowbinder at 5:11 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by yellowbinder at 5:11 PM on April 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
Just ordered a few kits. My mother is ugly, my father is stupid, and my sister is boring. They have to be related to me somehow. Confirmation would be nice.
posted by Dumsnill at 5:16 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by Dumsnill at 5:16 PM on April 23, 2010
I just got home from work and went to make the purchase, but the special is not on the site any more. Ouch.
posted by cgk at 5:26 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by cgk at 5:26 PM on April 23, 2010
I couldn't decide whether to get one, and at $500 I'll just wait a couple years till it's mandatory.
posted by grobstein at 5:38 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by grobstein at 5:38 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
A warning to those of you with Jewish, Amish/Mennonite, Icelandic, or other small-closely-intertwined-and-intermarried-ethnic-group heritage: you will be shocked at how many "third cousins" and "fourth cousins" you have in the 23andMe system. However, they are almost never literally your third and fourth cousins; the 23andMe relatedness algorithm was normalized using a not-very-related sample group of almost all Northern European derived Utah residents, and it kind of freaks out when it sees an inbred group (even if the inbreeding was a long time ago) like Jews show up in the system.
For example, I'm an Ashkenazic mutt with ancestors from all over Eastern Europe and my mother-in-law is a Sephardic/Romaniote/Mizrahi mutt with ancestors from all over the Mediterranean, and yet 23andMe's algorithm has us pegged as fourth cousins (!). Now, being a genealogy geek, I happen to know both her and my family trees pretty far back, and we are not, in fact, literal fourth cousins. I doubt any of our ancestors even lived in the same part of the world for at least the last 500 years (her family lived on an island in the Aegean Sea). But coming from the same original inbred group that also went through some serious bottlenecks, the leftover DNA was still so similar that we pinged as related in the system.
I mean, they do say that men marry their mothers, but this was a little ridiculous...
I have heard through the genealogy pipeline that for people from not-so-inbred ethnic groups, especially people from Northern European backgrounds, the "cousins" indicator can actually be quite accurate. I know of people who found distant cousins and because they were genealogy geeks, they could compare notes with one another figure out they were both descended from so-and-so of Ye Olde New England, or wherever. For people who had faced brick walls in their research, this helped some of them figure out how to make the jump across the pond back to wherever their ancestral home country was. So while you're waiting for your results to come back from the lab, you may as well do your genealogy homework as best you can, because you're going to want to show off a decent-sized family tree to compare it to your matches.
And if any of you want to compare genes with me, I'm openly listed there, so shoot me a message in the 23andMe system.
posted by Asparagirl at 6:03 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
For example, I'm an Ashkenazic mutt with ancestors from all over Eastern Europe and my mother-in-law is a Sephardic/Romaniote/Mizrahi mutt with ancestors from all over the Mediterranean, and yet 23andMe's algorithm has us pegged as fourth cousins (!). Now, being a genealogy geek, I happen to know both her and my family trees pretty far back, and we are not, in fact, literal fourth cousins. I doubt any of our ancestors even lived in the same part of the world for at least the last 500 years (her family lived on an island in the Aegean Sea). But coming from the same original inbred group that also went through some serious bottlenecks, the leftover DNA was still so similar that we pinged as related in the system.
I mean, they do say that men marry their mothers, but this was a little ridiculous...
I have heard through the genealogy pipeline that for people from not-so-inbred ethnic groups, especially people from Northern European backgrounds, the "cousins" indicator can actually be quite accurate. I know of people who found distant cousins and because they were genealogy geeks, they could compare notes with one another figure out they were both descended from so-and-so of Ye Olde New England, or wherever. For people who had faced brick walls in their research, this helped some of them figure out how to make the jump across the pond back to wherever their ancestral home country was. So while you're waiting for your results to come back from the lab, you may as well do your genealogy homework as best you can, because you're going to want to show off a decent-sized family tree to compare it to your matches.
And if any of you want to compare genes with me, I'm openly listed there, so shoot me a message in the 23andMe system.
posted by Asparagirl at 6:03 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hint: people with late 19th and early 20th Century immigrant-to-the-US ancestors can search New York's Castle Garden and Barge Office records (1830-1891) here and search the Ellis Island records (1892-1924) here. (People came in to the US through other ports too, of course, but New York was a big one.) For Ellis Island immigrants, the passenger manifests will often say the specific name of the immigrant's old hometown. Sometimes they also give the name of a relative back in the Old Country, and the name of a relative already in the US that they're going to go visit.
posted by Asparagirl at 6:17 PM on April 23, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Asparagirl at 6:17 PM on April 23, 2010 [4 favorites]
I ran into greg nog on the subway tonite. had I known I would have offered a sip of my beer.
posted by jonmc at 6:45 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jonmc at 6:45 PM on April 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
I was conflicted about this because the disease that is slowly killing my father may be genetically linked, so it was sort of a relief to see the special is over.
i need a hug. no kidding, really, i do. sorry.
posted by subbes at 7:20 PM on April 23, 2010
i need a hug. no kidding, really, i do. sorry.
posted by subbes at 7:20 PM on April 23, 2010
A random internet person is feeling very bad for you and your family. I'm so sorry.
posted by found missing at 7:30 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by found missing at 7:30 PM on April 23, 2010 [2 favorites]
now i feel bad about mentioning it, sorry.
so, er... back to discussions of who The Whelk is related to! I bet it's Brandon Blatcher.
posted by subbes at 7:38 PM on April 23, 2010
so, er... back to discussions of who The Whelk is related to! I bet it's Brandon Blatcher.
posted by subbes at 7:38 PM on April 23, 2010
so, er... back to discussions of who The Whelk is related to! I bet it's Brandon Blatcher.
I gave birth to one of his children a few years ago. "Don't do this," they told me.
Anyway, she grew up to be an awesome banjo-player, and surprisingly few people commented on her Bournemouth-sized adam's apple.
posted by Dumsnill at 8:08 PM on April 23, 2010
I gave birth to one of his children a few years ago. "Don't do this," they told me.
Anyway, she grew up to be an awesome banjo-player, and surprisingly few people commented on her Bournemouth-sized adam's apple.
posted by Dumsnill at 8:08 PM on April 23, 2010
so, er... back to discussions of who The Whelk is related to! I bet it's Brandon Blatcher.
Oh god you have no idea.
posted by The Whelk at 8:38 PM on April 23, 2010
Oh god you have no idea.
posted by The Whelk at 8:38 PM on April 23, 2010
A warning to those of you with Jewish, Amish/Mennonite, Icelandic, or other small-closely-intertwined-and-intermarried-ethnic-group heritage: you will be shocked at how many "third cousins" and "fourth cousins" you have in the 23andMe system. However, they are almost never literally your third and fourth cousins; the 23andMe relatedness algorithm was normalized using a not-very-related sample group of almost all Northern European derived Utah residents, and it kind of freaks out when it sees an inbred group (even if the inbreeding was a long time ago) like Jews show up in the system.
I can't wait to see how related this will think the hubby and I are--both of our mothers' sides of the family are Belarusian Jews. Of course, we might actually be related, for all I know. Not that that would be that much of a biggie--it's kind of a tradition in my family. My maternal great-grandparents were first cousins.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:59 PM on April 23, 2010
I can't wait to see how related this will think the hubby and I are--both of our mothers' sides of the family are Belarusian Jews. Of course, we might actually be related, for all I know. Not that that would be that much of a biggie--it's kind of a tradition in my family. My maternal great-grandparents were first cousins.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:59 PM on April 23, 2010
So, ah, anyone else buy one?
posted by orthogonality at 11:00 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by orthogonality at 11:00 PM on April 23, 2010
count me in the "don't really want to know*" field
also, hugs, Subbes
*unless absolutely necessary/useful
posted by _dario at 11:14 PM on April 23, 2010
also, hugs, Subbes
*unless absolutely necessary/useful
posted by _dario at 11:14 PM on April 23, 2010
dang, I missed it.
Do you guys think if I just spit in an envelope until it's full, then send to them they'll send me a pity DNA screening?
posted by qvantamon at 12:40 AM on April 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do you guys think if I just spit in an envelope until it's full, then send to them they'll send me a pity DNA screening?
posted by qvantamon at 12:40 AM on April 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
late to the thread but offers subbes a hug - a big squeezy one...
posted by infini at 12:49 AM on April 24, 2010
posted by infini at 12:49 AM on April 24, 2010
the website exactly looks like one of those fake sites ARGs put up to parody companies with evil intentions.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 5:39 AM on April 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Solon and Thanks at 5:39 AM on April 24, 2010 [2 favorites]
*logs in just to hug subbes*
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:56 AM on April 24, 2010
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:56 AM on April 24, 2010
I really wanted to do it, but I just don't have a spare $100 around. It's all going to homebrew. And my mom just furrowed her brow and said she's not doing anything medical our insurance won't cover. Stupid grown ups (I'm a college student).
It's kind of sad that I'm more interested in the goings ons of yeast cells instead of the remarkable little fellows in my own body.
Anyone know if they're doing this again next year?
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:41 AM on April 24, 2010
It's kind of sad that I'm more interested in the goings ons of yeast cells instead of the remarkable little fellows in my own body.
Anyone know if they're doing this again next year?
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:41 AM on April 24, 2010
BTW, if anyone finds out that they're my secret twin, could you please let me know if I have the "WILL GET HIT BY A BUS IN 10 MINUTES!" genetic defect?
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:42 AM on April 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:42 AM on April 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Has anyone already signed up for this? Was it mostly interesting? Depressing? Do you feel better for knowing what diseases you're predisposed to, or more paranoid? Meet some cool long-lost relatives?
I've always wanted to do this, and I don't want to wait until insurance companies force us to get tested.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:45 AM on April 24, 2010
I've always wanted to do this, and I don't want to wait until insurance companies force us to get tested.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:45 AM on April 24, 2010
Come to think of it, it'd make a good episode of Radiolab to interview people who had used the service, and what their thoughts are on receiving good, bad and/or weird news from the kits.
If it weren't for the SPIT IS A BIOHAZARD IN NYC thing.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:04 AM on April 24, 2010
If it weren't for the SPIT IS A BIOHAZARD IN NYC thing.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:04 AM on April 24, 2010
I am reminded of this article from Mother Jones. Looks like it talks about the same sorts of things as the page that was on the blue, but it's newer.
posted by aniola at 5:31 PM on April 24, 2010
posted by aniola at 5:31 PM on April 24, 2010
subbes said (in the other thread) Having read through the report of the assessment, the other doctor says frontotemporal dementia, which is not any better than Alz, just a different incurable, terminal, debilitating dementia.
Hooray.
hooray indeed. When my mom got her diagnosis (PSP with frontotemporal dementia), her first reactions were relief and vindication. She'd been taking her Parkinsons meds faithfully but getting worse instead of better. She felt people were holding her failure to improve as directed against her, as if she were deliberately confounding her diagnosis.
So here's a big hug for you ((((((subbes)))))). My mom made a good end, and gave her body and brain to science. Best wishes to you and your family, and feel free to memail me any time.
(I am just repeating my comment here because it is more current). thx
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:52 PM on April 24, 2010
Hooray.
hooray indeed. When my mom got her diagnosis (PSP with frontotemporal dementia), her first reactions were relief and vindication. She'd been taking her Parkinsons meds faithfully but getting worse instead of better. She felt people were holding her failure to improve as directed against her, as if she were deliberately confounding her diagnosis.
So here's a big hug for you ((((((subbes)))))). My mom made a good end, and gave her body and brain to science. Best wishes to you and your family, and feel free to memail me any time.
(I am just repeating my comment here because it is more current). thx
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:52 PM on April 24, 2010
I did this back in Oct. 09 and it's been fascinating!! I'm super irked that I missed the sale, I would have loved to get my hubby and Dad a kit. I was impressed with all of it and they continually update your genome with new health findings so you get updated info for your investment. I had a few health surprises, nothing serious I'm glad to say (hugs to subbes) but who knows what future testing will reveal. My genealogy was a bit surprising and my husband loves to tease me about the fact that my genome tree (an illustration of your ethnic backgrounds) is incredibly boring. That's one reason I'd love to get my Dad a kit, you need both sides to really fill in the pieces.
I've had about 10 cousin requests, I haven't responded yet because I need to take the time to research a bit about how all that works and I'm not quite ready but I think it's a great tool and when I have the time, will love to connect the dots. I always think of my Paternal Grandfather who died 6 years ago. In the 70's he paid a genealogist in the UK about $8000 over 10 years total to trace our family tree. He did pretty well for the time, got back to the 1500's but Probably could have done that in an afternoon using today's tools. My Grandfather would have LOVED this and I'm going to take up the torch someday to continue what he started.
posted by pearlybob at 7:55 PM on April 24, 2010
I've had about 10 cousin requests, I haven't responded yet because I need to take the time to research a bit about how all that works and I'm not quite ready but I think it's a great tool and when I have the time, will love to connect the dots. I always think of my Paternal Grandfather who died 6 years ago. In the 70's he paid a genealogist in the UK about $8000 over 10 years total to trace our family tree. He did pretty well for the time, got back to the 1500's but Probably could have done that in an afternoon using today's tools. My Grandfather would have LOVED this and I'm going to take up the torch someday to continue what he started.
posted by pearlybob at 7:55 PM on April 24, 2010
Anyone else in the "kinda don't want to know" camp?
I find this fascinating in theory, but personally? Totally don't want to know. Not in a million, zillion years. I imagine I'd feel differently if I didn't have access to my family's medical history - but being that I do, I know I'm at risk for breast cancer and Alzheimer's, and that's enough information for me. I think being cognizant of the risk and talking to my doctor is enough for my sanity at this point - anything more seems to be freaking out about crap that hasn't happened yet, which is something I actively try to avoid.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:53 AM on April 25, 2010
I find this fascinating in theory, but personally? Totally don't want to know. Not in a million, zillion years. I imagine I'd feel differently if I didn't have access to my family's medical history - but being that I do, I know I'm at risk for breast cancer and Alzheimer's, and that's enough information for me. I think being cognizant of the risk and talking to my doctor is enough for my sanity at this point - anything more seems to be freaking out about crap that hasn't happened yet, which is something I actively try to avoid.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:53 AM on April 25, 2010
Personally, I'd like it if I could have my (hypothetical) spouse or mother have access to the scary data parts, but not me. That way, I don't live in dread, but I still have someone with my best interests at heart there to make sure I don't do anything bad. Granted, I probably would find myself becoming paranoid about what they aren't telling me.
There's really no perfect solution, but I think the technology is a net positive. We're all grasping through life blindly.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:59 AM on April 25, 2010
There's really no perfect solution, but I think the technology is a net positive. We're all grasping through life blindly.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:59 AM on April 25, 2010
So if i put fake names in the name spaces, then I should be okay and no one can get my info or verify it?
posted by anniecat at 8:03 PM on April 25, 2010
posted by anniecat at 8:03 PM on April 25, 2010
I don't know, anniecat, but that's the theory I'm working with.
posted by terrierhead at 8:50 AM on April 26, 2010
posted by terrierhead at 8:50 AM on April 26, 2010
One of the steps involves you signing a legal release form. I don't know how kosher putting a fake name on something like that would be.
posted by kmz at 10:00 AM on April 26, 2010
posted by kmz at 10:00 AM on April 26, 2010
Darn - I'm going to have to give up my real name, then.
posted by terrierhead at 11:36 AM on April 26, 2010
posted by terrierhead at 11:36 AM on April 26, 2010
Has anyone had theirs ship yet? Mine seems to be stuck in limbo, but considering the amount of requests they received because of their deal, I figure it might be a while.
posted by SNWidget at 8:46 AM on April 29, 2010
posted by SNWidget at 8:46 AM on April 29, 2010
Ditto!
I can't wait for the follow-up metatalk where we all find out we're cousins.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2010
I can't wait for the follow-up metatalk where we all find out we're cousins.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:03 AM on April 29, 2010
Mine arrived at my doorstep yesterday. I'm kind of afraid of it.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 12:57 PM on April 29, 2010
posted by otherwordlyglow at 12:57 PM on April 29, 2010
Just got mine. Ain't skeered yet!
posted by BeerFilter at 6:53 AM on April 30, 2010
posted by BeerFilter at 6:53 AM on April 30, 2010
Just grabbed mine from the porch.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:35 PM on April 30, 2010
posted by FlamingBore at 3:35 PM on April 30, 2010
I spit in mine and sent it back.
posted by burnmp3s at 3:49 PM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by burnmp3s at 3:49 PM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Me too! My birthday is conveniently next month - best present in a while! (My internist, however, says that these are usually "not quite as inaccurate as palm reading, but...")
posted by restless_nomad at 4:24 PM on April 30, 2010
posted by restless_nomad at 4:24 PM on April 30, 2010
Mine arrived yesterday afternoon. I'm still working on how to get around the No Spit in NYState rule. Tentative plans involve either the PATH train or a foreign embassy.
posted by elizardbits at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2010
posted by elizardbits at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2010
Hey anyone living abroad receive theirs yet?
We're in London and ordered two kits (one for me, of the defective DNA and one for Mrs Mutant, who carries the perfect DNA).
Status still reads "Your order is being processed and will be shipped shortly."
Curious, wanted to compare notes before emailing customer support.
posted by Mutant at 5:18 AM on May 3, 2010
We're in London and ordered two kits (one for me, of the defective DNA and one for Mrs Mutant, who carries the perfect DNA).
Status still reads "Your order is being processed and will be shipped shortly."
Curious, wanted to compare notes before emailing customer support.
posted by Mutant at 5:18 AM on May 3, 2010
My results are in. Good news: Looks like I'm gonna live forever!
Nothing all that interesting or alarming came up. Deep vein thrombosis seems to be my major risk factor. A few other higher risk categories but nothing that I'm losing sleep over.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:25 PM on May 15, 2010
Nothing all that interesting or alarming came up. Deep vein thrombosis seems to be my major risk factor. A few other higher risk categories but nothing that I'm losing sleep over.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:25 PM on May 15, 2010
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posted by olinerd at 11:13 AM on April 23, 2010