Ancestry DNA Testing Reviews for 23andMe

At a Glance

Editor's Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Customer Service:
5 out of 5 stars
Clarity of Results:
5 out of 5 stars
References Cited:
5 out of 5 stars
Value for Money:
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

I found 23andMe’s ancestry results to be interesting and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and a wealth of information to explore about my ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage.

I was impressed by the detailed breakdown I was given for my British and Irish results, and hoped that later updates would allow me to view my other ancestry results in more detail.

The DNA Relatives family finder tool was easy to navigate, and I imagine would be useful for people wishing to trace their relatives. All in all, I thought 23andMe’s ancestry analysis was great value for money, and look forward to seeing how my results will improve over time through their free updates.

Full Review

Founded in 2006 by C.E.O. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Their ever-growing database currently contains the genetic data of over five million people, many of whom choose to share their data for research.

I was interested to see what 23andMe’s analysis of my genetic data would tell me about my ancestry composition, and how much of me would turn out to be Neanderthal!

Please note that reviews of the health-related aspects of the test can be found here.

Product Expectations

To find out more about their ancestry DNA test, I went to the 23andMe website. On the information page, I read that my DNA could tell me where my ancestors lived more than 500 years ago. I’d receive a regional breakdown showing where they came from, and I’d also be able to view my results on an “Ancestry Timeline”, showing an estimation of when different ancestors had entered my family tree.

23andMe also had a family finder featured, called DNA Relatives. This would allow me to connect with people who share DNA with me, and even message them. If I didn’t want to be discoverable to my relatives, I could opt out of this feature.

If I connected with my genetic relatives I would be able to see which chromosome segments I share with them, which could help me to place my DNA cousin matches in my family tree.

As part of their genetic ancestry analysis, I would discover which maternal haplogroup I belong to. If I was male, I’d also be able to see my paternal haplogroup. Only people born biologically male could trace their paternal lineage through the Y chromosome inherited from their father, while both sexes were able to trace their maternal ancestry through the mitochondrial DNA from their mothers.

Although people born biologically female would not be able to trace their paternal lineage using their own DNA, I read that could connect with my male relatives on my father’s side (such as my biological father, brother, paternal uncle, etc.), and discover my paternal haplogroup that way, so I wasn’t completely excluded from the paternal ancestry analysis.

One feature I found interesting was the Neanderthal inheritance breakdown, which would show me how much Neanderthal DNA I’d inherited. Neanderthal traits included shorter height, back hair, and sneezing after eating chocolate – all things that our homo sapiens ancestors apparently found attractive.

In the “How It Works” section, I found a picture of the kit, and a breakdown of the process of ordering a kit, using it, registering online, mailing it back, and receiving results. I’d collect the DNA sample myself using a saliva collection kit: no blood, no needles.

Ordering Experience

The ordering process was very straightforward. I could order an ‘Ancestry’ or ‘Health + Ancestry’ test from their website, and check out using their secure server or with PayPal. The kit was mailed to me within a few days. Before returning my sample, I had to register my kit online, which required me to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

In the Privacy Policy, I learned that my data would be used for research only with my consent. If I consented, they would use my “de-identified” genetic information and self-reported information in a large pool of customer data for research analyses.

They’d also use my data to improve their services. (I gathered my consent to this was implicit in agreeing with the Privacy Policy.) Analyzing customers’ data would allow them to refine their ancestry results, for example.

I found I would be given control over how my genetic information would be stored and used. If I wished, I could choose to have my saliva sample destroyed after analysis. It would be up to me whom I shared my information with. If I wanted to, I could share it with friends, family members, healthcare providers, other 23andMe customers (i.e. via DNA Relatives), and third-party services that accept 23andMe data. 23andMe would not share my information with public databases, or sell, share or lease it without my consent.

In the Terms of Service, I read that sometimes the lab is not able to process a saliva sample. If that was the case, I would be asked to re-test free of any additional charge.

Once I had registered online, I returned my kit using the same box it came in, which had a pre-paid postage label on it. I was able to track the progress of my sample online, and was even told who had signed for it once it reached the lab!

It took about two weeks for my sample to reach the lab, and another two weeks for my data to be analyzed. In the meantime, I was able to read up on ancestry analysis, the laboratory process, and so on, and watch a video explaining how they would extrapolate my genetic data.

I could answer a research survey, which contained mostly health questions. If I consented to have my information used for research, then my answers would be used in conjunction with my genetic data.

The Results

Two weeks after my sample reached the lab, I received an email saying my results were ready, with a link to view my reports. Clicking this took me to my account login page. After logging in, I was taken to a user homepage, where I could see summaries of my ancestry analyses, and browse my ancestry results (and health results too, if I had them). I could also choose to download my raw data.

Results Section: Ancestry Composition

The first thing that greeted me on the Ancestry Composition page was my ancestry map. According to this, I was – uninterestingly enough – 99.9% European.

Click to see larger
My Ancestry Composition map.

My Ancestry Composition map.

The map was interactive, so I was able to zoom in on different parts by clicking on the various population percentages. I could also view individual reports for the different regions, which would give more exact locations where 23andMe believed my DNA had come from.

I found I was 56.9% “British and Irish”, a slightly lower percentage than I’d anticipated, since for all I knew my family was exclusively English, Irish and Scottish. Clicking “View Report”, I found I could view a highlighted map of Britain and Ireland, showing the sub-regions they believed my ancestors had lived (shown below).

Click to see larger
A map showing the areas of Britain my ancestors are likely to have lived.

A map showing the areas of Britain my ancestors are likely to have lived.

My father’s family come from the Lake District in the northwest of England, and so I thought that 23andMe had pinpointed this well. However, I apparently had inherited little DNA from my mother’s family in East Anglia, though my Irish ancestry showed a connection to the counties bordering Northern Ireland, where my grandfather had come from.

I could also read and explore the histories of Britain and Ireland, and there were articles about Irish and British culture, like the famous Savile Row tailors, and the whisky brewers on the Isle of Islay.

Disappointingly, I found that although I had inherited 19.3% “French and German” DNA, they were unable to pinpoint where exactly my ancestors had heralded from. This meant that this result was not very illuminating for me at all, since the area defined as “French and German” also covered Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and even Corsica. If I was able, I could help improve this report by telling 23andMe what I knew about my Franco-Germanic ancestry. Unfortunately, I didn’t know anything.

It was the same story for my Scandinavian ancestry: I couldn’t say whether my Scandi ancestors had been Norwegian, Danish or Swedish – and neither could 23andMe. They had also estimated that I had the barest sliver of “Broadly West African” DNA, at 0.1%. This covered a huge area, and I was unsurprised that they were unable to narrow this result down, since I had inherited so little West African DNA.

There was also an Ancestry Timeline, which gave an estimation of when ancestors from different populations had entered my family tree.

Hovering over the different populations on the timeline gave more information about when the ancestor had entered my family tree, and their likely relation to me. My Scandinavian ancestor was probably my third- to fifth-great-grandparent, and was born between 1780 and 1870.

If one or both of my parents were 23andMe customers, I would be able to see which ancestries I had inherited from them by connecting with their profiles.

There was an Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting section, which showed which segments of my chromosomes I’d inherited from which region (shown below).

Click to see larger
My Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting.

My Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting.

Clicking on the different population percentages painted different parts of the diagram, so that I could see which parts of my chromosomes were French or German, Scandinavian, and so on. I could also change the confidence level to get more conservative results.

Results Section: DNA Relatives

One tool that has got 23andMe (and other DNA ancestry sites) a lot of attention recently is their family finder tool: DNA Relatives. This was an optional tool, and I discovered that even while using it I could choose the amount of information I wished to share, and so I could be fairly anonymous if I chose.

I could choose whether I wanted to participate in “Open Sharing”, which would allow my DNA relative matches to see my full name, results from my Ancestry Composition report, and our overlapping DNA segments (which could be used to identify familial relationships). I could use the tool without opting into Open Sharing, and I could still – if I wished – respond to share requests.

If I didn’t opt into Open Sharing, then I could choose whether my full name, first or last name, or initials were visible. My gender would be automatically displayed.

For my profile, I could add an introduction about myself, choose whether or not to display my birth year, enter my location (which could be as broad as the country I live in), and choose whether or not to share the locations of my grandparents’ birthplaces. There was a tick box for people to indicate Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and I could also enter surnames I knew belonged to my ancestors, and share a link to an online family tree.

I had 1034 relatives in the database, most of whom were in the US, though some were in Canada, Britain and Ireland, and Australia. I could view the general locations of my ancestors on a map, and the vast majority of them seemed to be on the East Coast of the United States. My closest relative was estimated to be a second to third cousin, with whom I shared 1.31% of my DNA, and 9 chromosome segments.

If I wished, I could contact my DNA relatives, and share ancestry reports with them. If I had close family in the database (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.), I could “Share and Compare” genetic traits and ancestries with them.

Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup

Since I lack a Y chromosome, I was unable to view my paternal haplogroup unless I connected with my father or paternal male relative. However, both men and women were able to view their maternal haplogroups thanks to the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) we all inherit from our mothers.

I discovered that I belonged to the maternal haplogroup J1. I could view a diagram of my haplogroup’s migration out of Africa and into Europe and Asia as far back as 150,000 years ago! (Shown below.)

Click to see larger
A diagram showing the migrations of my maternal line.

A diagram showing the migrations of my maternal line.

I read that my haplogroup, J1, was rare among 23andMe customers, with only 1 in 16,000 belonging to it! The J1 branch dated back to a woman who lived about 27,000 years ago in the Middle East, where many of her descendants still live today. I read that one of my J ancestors reached western Europe about 4000 years ago – and her descendants presumably eventually ended up in the British Isles.

Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry

The Neanderthal Ancestry section was really interesting. I discovered I had 271 Neanderthal variants, which sounded like a lot at first, until I saw that this was fewer than 56% of 23andMe customers!

Some of these genetic variants have already been associated with certain traits, which could be traced back to Neanderthal ancestors (shown below).

Click to see larger
My Neanderthal Traits.

My Neanderthal Traits.

I discovered that the only known Neanderthal trait I’d inherited was a tendency for less back hair, which was nice. On the “Scientific Details” tab, I was able to view the precise genetic marker they had found which was associated with having less back hair. I found I’d inherited both copies of the variant from my parents. Though I had many other variants inherited from Neanderthals, most of them had not yet been linked to specific traits.

There was also a short history of Neanderthals, who were thought to have encountered and bred with Neanderthals in the Middle East or Europe about 60,000 years ago.

I found it fascinating to think that I’m descended from another species of human living so long ago, and hoped that the research conducted by 23andMe and others would continue to tell us more about them!

Summary

I found 23andMe’s ancestry results to be interesting and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and a wealth of information to explore about my ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage.

I was impressed by the detailed breakdown I was given for my British and Irish results, and hoped that later updates would allow me to view my other ancestry results in more detail.

The DNA Relatives family finder tool was easy to navigate, and I imagine would be useful for people wishing to trace their relatives. All in all, I thought 23andMe’s ancestry analysis was great value for money, and look forward to seeing how my results will improve over time through their free updates.

See a description of this DNA test from 23andMe >

At a Glance

Editor's Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Customer Service:
5 out of 5 stars
Clarity of Results:
5 out of 5 stars
References Cited:
5 out of 5 stars
Value for Money:
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

23andMe’s ancestry services were informative, interesting, and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and was given a wealth of information to explore about ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage. The Ancestry Composition results could have been more specific, and I look forward to them growing more refined as more people are added to the database. The DNA Relatives tool was simple to use, and I imagine would be a useful tool for people wishing to trace their relatives.

The test was a competitively priced, lifetime service, which I look forward to continuing to explore as it’s updated.

Full Review

Founded in 2006 by C.E.O. Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Their ever-growing database currently contains the genetic data of over five million people, many of whom choose to share their data for research.

I was interested to see what 23andMe’s analysis of my genetic data would tell me about my ancestry composition.

Please note that reviews of the health-related aspects of the test can be found here.

Product Expectations

To find out more about their ancestry DNA test, I went to the 23andMe website. On the information page, I read that my DNA could tell me where my ancestors lived more than 500 years ago. I’d receive a regional breakdown showing where they came from, and I’d also be able to view my results on an “Ancestry Timeline”, showing an estimation of when certain populations had entered my family tree.

There was information about their family finder feature: DNA Relatives. I saw that this tool would allow me to connect with people who share DNA with me, and even message them. I could opt out of this feature if I wished to remain anonymous.

Connecting with genetic relatives would allow me to trace my population inheritance, and see which relatives I shared DNA with from the 150+ reference populations around the world. I would also be able to see which chromosome segments I share with my genetic matches, which could help me to place them in my family tree.

I would discover which maternal haplogroup I belong to. If I was male, I’d also be able to see my paternal haplogroup. People born biologically male could trace their paternal lineage through the Y chromosome they inherited from their father. Both sexes were able to trace their maternal ancestry through the mitochondrial DNA from their mothers.

Although people born biologically female would not be able to trace their paternal lineage using their own DNA, I read that could connect with my male relatives on my father’s side (such as my biological father, brother, paternal uncle, etc.), and discover my paternal haplogroup that way.

One feature I found interesting was the Neanderthal inheritance breakdown, which would show me how much Neanderthal DNA I’d inherited. Neanderthal traits included shorter height, back hair, and sneezing after eating chocolate – all things that our prehistoric ancestors apparently found attractive.

In the “How It Works” section, I found a picture of the kit, and a breakdown of the process of ordering a kit, using it, registering online, mailing it back, and receiving results. I’d collect the DNA sample myself using a saliva collection kit: no blood, no needles.

Ordering Experience

The ordering process was very straightforward. I could order an ‘Ancestry’ or ‘Health + Ancestry’ test from their website, and check out using their secure server or with PayPal. The kit was mailed to me within a few days. Before returning my sample, I had to register my kit online, which required me to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

In the Privacy Policy, I learned that my data would be used for research only with my consent. If I consented, they would use my “de-identified” genetic information and self-reported information in a large pool of customer data for research analyses.

They’d also use my data to improve their services. (I gathered my consent to this was implicit in agreeing with the Privacy Policy.) Analyzing customers’ data would allow them to – for example –refine their ancestry results.

I found I would be given control over how my genetic information would be stored and used. If I wished, I could choose to have my saliva sample destroyed after analysis. It would be up to me whom I shared my information with. If I wanted to, I could share it with friends, family members, healthcare providers, other 23andMe customers (i.e. DNA Relatives), and third-party services that accept 23andMe data. 23andMe would not share my information with public databases, or sell, share or lease it without my consent.

In the Terms of Service, I read that sometimes the lab is not able to process a saliva sample. If that was the case, I would be asked to re-test free of any additional charge.

Once I had registered online, I returned my kit using the same box it came in, which had a pre-paid postage label on it. I was able to track the progress of my sample online, and was even told who had signed for it once it reached the lab!

It took about two weeks for my sample to reach the lab, and another two weeks for my data to be analyzed. In the meantime, I was able to read up on ancestry analysis, the laboratory process, and so on, and watch a video explaining how they would extrapolate my genetic data.

I could answer a research survey, which contained mostly health questions. If I consented to have my information used for research, then my answers would be used in conjunction with my genetic data.

The Results

Two weeks after my sample reached the lab, I received an email telling me my results were ready, with a link to view my reports. Clicking this took me to my account login page. After logging in, I was taken to a user homepage, where I could see summaries of my ancestry analyses, and browse my ancestry results (and health results too, if I had them). I could also choose to download my raw data.

Results Section: Ancestry Composition

The first thing that greeted me on the Ancestry Composition page was my ancestry map. According to this, I was – uninterestingly enough – 100% European.

Click to see larger
My Ancestry Composition map.

My Ancestry Composition map.

The map was interactive, so I was able to zoom in on different parts by clicking on the various population percentages, which gave a little information about those regions.

I found I was 65.8% “British and Irish”, a slightly lower percentage than I’d anticipated, since for all I knew my family was exclusively English, Irish and Scottish. My next highest percentage was “French and German” at 15.9%, followed by “Broadly Northwestern European” at 12.8%, and Scandinavian at 5.2%. These categories were a little broad, but I hoped that as 23andMe gained more information from their members they would become more refined.

There was also an Ancestry Timeline, which gave an estimation of when ancestors from different populations had entered my family tree (shown below).

Click to see larger
My Ancestry Timeline.

My Ancestry Timeline.

Hovering over the different populations gave more information about when the ancestor had entered my family tree, and their likely relation to me. My Scandinavian ancestor was probably a third- to sixth-great-grandparent, and was born between 1750 and 1840. For my more closely-related French or German ancestor, the estimation was a bit narrower: they were probably my great-grandparent or second- or third-great-grandparent, and were born between 1840 and 1900, meaning they might have lived through the First World War!

If one or both of my parents were 23andMe customers, I would be able to see which ancestries I had inherited from them by connecting with their profiles.

There was an Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting section, which showed which segments of my chromosomes I’d inherited from which region (shown below).

Click to see larger
My Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting.

My Ancestry Composition Chromosome Painting.

Clicking on the different population names painted different parts of the diagram, so that I could see which parts of my chromosomes were French or German, Scandinavian, and so on. I could also change the confidence level to get more conservative results.

Results Section: DNA Relatives

One tool that has got 23andMe (and other DNA ancestry sites) a lot of attention recently is their family finder tool: DNA Relatives. This was an optional tool, and I discovered that even while using it I could choose the amount of information I wished to share, and so I could be fairly anonymous if I chose.

I could choose whether I wanted to participate in “Open Sharing”, which would allow my DNA relative matches to see my full name, results from my Ancestry Composition report, and our overlapping DNA segments (which could be used to identify familial relationships). I could use the tool without opting into Open Sharing, and I could still – if I wished – respond to share requests.

If I didn’t opt into Open Sharing, then I could choose whether my full name, first or last name, or initials were visible. My gender would be automatically displayed.

For my profile, I could add an introduction about myself, choose whether or not to display my birth year, enter my location (which could be as broad as the country I live in), and choose whether or not to share the locations of my grandparents’ birthplaces. There was a tick box for people to indicate Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and I could also enter surnames I knew belonged to my ancestors, and share a link to an online family tree.

I had 941 relatives in the database, most of which were in the US, though some were in Canada, Britain and Ireland, and Australia. My closest relative was estimated to be a second to third cousin, with whom I shared 1.31% of my DNA, and 9 chromosome segments.

If I wished, I could contact my DNA relatives, and share ancestry reports with them. If I had close family in the database (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.), I could “Share and Compare” genetic traits and ancestries with them.

Results Section: Maternal Haplogroup

Since I lack a Y chromosome, I was unable to view my paternal haplogroup unless I connected with my father or paternal male relative. However, both men and women were able to view their maternal haplogroups thanks to the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) we all inherit from our mothers.

I discovered that I belonged to the maternal haplogroup J1. I was able to view a diagram of my haplogroup’s migration out of Africa and into Europe and Asia as far back as 150,000 years ago! (Shown below.)

Click to see larger
A diagram showing the migrations of my maternal line.

A diagram showing the migrations of my maternal line.

I read that my haplogroup, J1, was rare among 23andMe customers, with only 1 in 16,000 belonging to it! The J1 branch dated back to a woman who lived about 27,000 years ago in the Middle East, where many of her descendants still live today. After the Ice Age ended (about 12,500 years ago), agriculture flourished in the area, causing the population to boom, and leading many of her descendants to migrate west and north into Europe and Central Asia.

One of my J ancestors reached western Europe about 4000 years ago, eventually ending up in the British Isles.

Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry

The Neanderthal Ancestry section was really interesting. I discovered I had 271 Neanderthal variants, which sounded like a lot at first, until I saw that this was fewer than 57% of 23andMe customers!

Some of these genetic variants have already been associated with certain traits, which could be traced back to Neanderthal ancestors (shown below).

Click to see larger
My Neanderthal Traits.

My Neanderthal Traits.

I discovered that the only known Neanderthal trait I’d inherited was a tendency for less back hair, which was nice. On the “Scientific Details” tab, I was able to view the precise genetic marker they had found which was associated with having less back hair. I found I’d inherited both copies of the variant from my parents. Though I had many other variants inherited from Neanderthals, most of them had not yet been linked to specific traits.

There was also a short history of Neanderthals, from their discovery in the Neander Valley in Germany, way back to our common ancestor: homo heidelbergensis, which inhabited Africa, Europe and parts of Asia from at least 700,000 years ago up to about 200,000 years ago. Modern human beings (homo sapiens) are thought to have encountered and bred with Neanderthals in the Middle East or Europe about 60,000 years ago.

I found it fascinating to think that I’m descended from another species of human living so long ago, and hoped that the research conducted by 23andMe and others would continue to tell us more about them!

Summary

23andMe’s ancestry services were informative, interesting, and fun to use. I was able to view the scientific basis for my results, and was given a wealth of information to explore about ancestry, haplogroups, and Neanderthal heritage. The Ancestry Composition results could have been more specific, and I look forward to them growing more refined as more people are added to the database. The DNA Relatives tool was simple to use, and I imagine would be a useful tool for people wishing to trace their relatives.

The test was a competitively priced, lifetime service, which I look forward to continuing to explore as it’s updated.

See a description of this DNA test from 23andMe >

At a Glance

Editor's Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Customer Service:
5 out of 5 stars
Clarity of Results:
5 out of 5 stars
References Cited:
5 out of 5 stars
Value for Money:
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

In summary, the genetic ancestry test from 23andMe was excellent. All the interactive features were beautifully displayed, easy to use, and there were a dozen more tools compared to the other ancestry providers I've tried.

The Neanderthal section was an unexpected highlight, and I was impressed by the scientific details accompanying each result. The abundance of diagrams and explanations also made the report easy and enjoyable to go through.

Although the differing number of matches between the DNA Relatives and DNA Family sections caused slight confusion, I haven’t seen any other test that provides such a wide range of information about DNA relatives, which was both fun and informative. This test is great value for money and I would definitely recommend it.

Full Review

23andMe are one of the largest DNA testing services in the world, with over two million genotyped members. I was intrigued to see what their test would tell me about my genetic ancestry compared to the others I've tried.

Product Expectations

I was told the test would cover my maternal and paternal lineage going back over 500 years, that I’d receive my Neanderthal DNA percentage, and would be shown what proportion of my DNA comes from various populations around the world. I’d be able to break down my European ancestry by region, contact living relatives in the 23andMe database, and even build an extended family tree. I also learned that the test would compare my DNA to 31 reference populations from around the world, all of which were listed.

I really appreciated being able to preview what I should expect to find in my kit, as well as the thorough explanation of how they would test my DNA and interpret it to provide me with results.

Ordering Experience

The ordering process was really straightforward and once I had paid, I received the kit within five working days. I was charged $9.95 for shipping, which seemed a lot, but this did include the cost of return postage as well. After sending it off, 23andMe confirmed receipt in under a week.

The Results

Four weeks later, an email indicated my results were ready in my online account. I was quite impressed with this as the website had warned that results could take up to 12 weeks.

Upon signing in I was shown a dashboard which contained a contents of my results, a ‘What you can do’ section, with links to surveys and video resources, and a 'Research' section that prompted me to answer survey questions. There was also a slider at the top with suggestions of specific results to take a look at.

There were a range of possible ways in which to view the reports. As well as being able to view my results one-by-one, I was given the option to download and print a report summary. I could also do this for each individual result, each of which contained links that allowed me to share them via email, Facebook, or by copying the link to my clipboard.

Results Section: Ancestry Composition

The first section I looked at started with an 'Ancestry Composition' map (shown below) which revealed that my DNA was 100% European. This didn’t come as a huge surprise, as I’m Irish, but I have to admit I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t come across any unexpected ethnicities in my DNA.

Click to see larger
The Ancestry Composition Map.

The Ancestry Composition Map.

My European ethnicity was broken down into Northwestern European (99.2%), Ashkenazi Jewish (0.3%), Southern European (0.3%) and Broadly European (0.2%). A huge 95% of my Northwestern European DNA was British & Irish and the rest was determined to be Broadly Northwestern European and Finnish.

I was also able to view this information as a proportion of each of my 23 pairs of chromosomes, which was accompanied by a more detailed breakdown of the different populations. This provided a good way of visualising these results and made it easier to understand how they were worked out.

For some of the ethnicities identified in my Ancestry Composition, yet other diagram showed me the approximate time period in which my most recent ancestor had likely lived. This added an extra level of information that helped me to understand my ancestry composition even more clearly than before.

Results Section: DNA Relatives

Another section was titled ‘DNA Relatives’ and gave me the chance to view and connect with those that shared sections of my DNA.

Before I could see my matches, I was given the chance to choose the name that was displayed to them. There were a range of options: my initials, my first initial and surname, my first name and surname initial, or my full name. I was also given the option to share my results in ‘Open Share’, meaning that my matches would be able to view my full name, my ancestry results and any overlapping chromosome segments we had. I really appreciated being given this choice, and it made me feel in control of my own data. I was also pleased to see that I could change my preferences at any time, and even opt out of the DNA Relatives feature if I wanted.

Once I had completed these preliminary sections, I was shown the list of my matches. This list showed that I had 1180 DNA relatives in the 23andMe database; one of which was a second cousin, and the rest of which were third to fifth or even more distant cousins.

All of these relatives were displayed in a list and I was given the option to contact them to share ancestry details, view the surnames of their relatives and compare their haplogroups to my own. For those that had opted to Open Share, I was able to see the chromosome segments that we shared. Most of my matches had not chosen this option, but I was able to request this information from them.

I was slightly disappointed to find that my closest match (second cousin) had chosen to remain anonymous, as I initially thought that I wouldn’t be able to access any of their information or contact them. However, this wasn’t the case and I was able to view their maternal haplogroup (not their paternal one as they were female) as well as the percentage of DNA that we shared. I was also able to request to see the rest of their ancestry information, presumably including their name. All of my anonymous matches were accompanied by a notice informing me that this option is no longer available. Those that are currently showing as anonymous will have to set up a username to continue to use this tool, so hopefully this won’t be an issue in future.

Results Section: DNA Family

In addition to the DNA Relatives tool, I was able to see more general information about my matches in the DNA Family section. This sorted my relatives into different levels of relationship, showing how many were ‘Close Family to Second Cousins’, ‘Third to Fourth Cousins’ and ‘Fifth to Distant Cousins’ (shown below).

Click to see larger
My DNA Family relationship diagram.

My DNA Family relationship diagram.

The diagram made it easy to assess how many of my matches were closely related enough to consider as family, and added a bit more explanation about what the different relationship categories actually meant. The one thing that was slightly confusing was that in the main ancestry menu, that showed all of results, it was stated that I had 1175 relatives, whereas this feature showed 1216. Seeing as the former of these numbers matched the figure in the DNA Relatives section, I assumed that this was the correct, but had no idea where the extra 41 had come from.

The other features in this section offered a range of general information about my matches. Whilst a lot of this wasn’t particularly related to ancestry, it was a great bonus to have this information, and was fun to compare to my own results. One of these features was a map of the US, with the states coloured different shades of blue according to how many of my matches lived there. It was interesting to see that the place where I had the most relatives was my own state, California, especially as none of my close family were matches.

The other main feature of this section provided information about the traits and experiences of my matches (shown below).

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My DNA Family traits.

My DNA Family traits.

Whilst this information wasn’t particularly serious or useful in terms of my ancestry research, it was really fun to see the general trends. It was funny to see, for example, that, just like me, my relatives were coffee snobs, being 50% less likely than other 23andMe users to drink instant coffee.

Results Section: Haplogroups

The ‘Haplogroups’ section revealed that my paternal haplogroup was 'R-L21’ and that my maternal one was ‘H2a2b1’. I wasn’t entirely sure what haplogroups actually were, so was pleased to see, below this result, a short explanation. It described how a haplogroup was a family of maternal or paternal lineages that descend from a common ancestor. It went on to explain what my haplogroups could tell me (eg. where my ancestors came from thousands of years ago), but also what they couldn’t be used for (eg. confirming that someone is a close relative), providing just the right amount of detail to make it useful without becoming too complicated.

Alongside the result, I was shown a map. My maternal one is shown below.

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The maternal haplogroup map.

The maternal haplogroup map.

I thought that this was a great way of visualizing my result, but also provided extra information. It started with ‘Haplogroup L’ which was dated at 180,000 years ago. It was explained that every living person today could trace their maternal line back to this haplogroup. From here it went through various other haplogroups that had eventually led to H2a2b1, giving information about each and showing the migratory paths of the populations within it.

I also learned that Luke the Baptist may have belonged to haplogroup H. This really put in to context how long ago haplogroup L was!

In the Scientific Details section, a ‘Haplogroup Tree’ was displayed to show how far back various paternal groups branched from each other. I was given the option to move it around to see more details of different parts of the tree. Whilst I enjoyed the interactivity of this feature, I would have liked the option to see the whole thing at once, or at least a larger section, as well.

Results Section: Neanderthal Ancestry

The ‘Neanderthal Ancestry’ section was probably the most fun part of the report, and showed that I had 291 Neanderthal DNA variants (more than 71% of other 23andMe customers!). Although this seemed like a lot, I was surprised (and somewhat reassured) to learn that this accounted for less than 4% of my overall DNA.

As well as this information, however, the impact that this DNA may have had evolutionarily was included (shown below). I was fascinated to discover that as a result of my Homo sapiens ancestors mixing with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, I have a genetic variant that means I’m likely to have slightly less back hair than average!

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The physical impacts of my Neanderthal DNA.

The physical impacts of my Neanderthal DNA.

This section also included a timeline of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens history, which was interesting and included information about different physical traits that evolved in each species, as well as where and when the species are thought to have encountered each other. I was particularly impressed with this part of the report, as it provided so much context, making my result much more meaningful.

Results Section: DNA Data

A big advantage of this test was that I could download my digitized DNA data, which could then be uploaded to third party sites. I expected the tool to simply provide me with an indecipherable digitized file of my genetic variants, but there was a lot more offered in this feature.

I was able to search any gene or SNP (genetic variant) and was given information including its position and my personal genotype. Even those which weren’t screened for in the test were included in the search results. There was also an option to ‘browse by chromosome’ which allowed me to see the locations of different genes and genetic variants.

I would say this is a feature mainly aimed at those that want to explore their DNA further than is possible from the results in the main report. There were words and phrases (eg. intergenic) that I was unsure about, which, unlike throughout the rest of the results, these weren’t accompanied by an explanation. However, I definitely understood enough of it for it to be a worthwhile feature, and I’d recommend at least having a quick look.

Results Section: Share and compare

A ‘Share and compare’ tool allowed me to build my family tree by entering details about my known relatives and linking them to my distant relatives in the 23andMe database. This formed an extended family tree which was easy to interact with and was very intuitive.

Summary

In summary, the genetic ancestry test from 23andMe was excellent. All the interactive features were beautifully displayed, easy to use, and there were a dozen more tools compared to the other ancestry providers I've tried.

The Neanderthal section was an unexpected highlight, and I was impressed by the scientific details accompanying each result. The abundance of diagrams and explanations also made the report easy and enjoyable to go through.

Although the differing number of matches between the DNA Relatives and DNA Family sections caused slight confusion, I haven’t seen any other test that provides such a wide range of information about DNA relatives, which was both fun and informative. This test is great value for money and I would definitely recommend it.

See a description of this DNA test from 23andMe >