23 & Me Files for Bankruptcy

Actually, grandfather could have still been Mexican with ancestors migrating from Spain at some point. My father always claimed a Finnish heritage (born in Helsinki), but when I did the DNA test the Scandinavian piece came back Swedish. Obviously somewhere my ancestors migrated over. Just a thought.

 

I did Ancestry some time back. I took the results with a grain of salt and still do but find it interesting nonetheless.

I logged in last week, knowing they adjust numbers over time based upon new information, analysis, and/or cheating. My numbers have changed pretty significantly, with some places being added and/or removed entirely. For example, I went from 30% Irish to 9%. The 1% I had for Cameroon, Congo and Western Bantu Peoples has vanished; however, I've picked up relatively small percents for France, Sardinia, and Spain.

I'm reading this book now on Audible. Really interesting and well-written and only small part of it even talks about DNA tests. Anyone who enjoyed Sapiens will probably enjoy this book.

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived - Wikipedia

 

The scary potential ramifications of this 23&me sale, which is not being discussed, it that Health Insurance companies are salivating over getting access to tens of millions of people's DNA sequencing profiles.

Why? Because that genetic information contains DNA sequences that will show whether or not you are susceptible to any diseases/cancers. The fear is that Health Insurance companies can then use that information to discriminate for coverage.

 

It's an interesting thought, particularly for places with for-profit health insurance. Presumably, though, if the law can forbid insurers from refusing to cover people due to pre-existing conditions, the law could also preclude discrimination based upon genetics. The fairness arguments for the latter seem even easier to make since we have zero control over the genes we inherited.

 

Why I’m not worried …

The DNA HOAX

 

Now they're saying the company is going to sell their client's DNA. Lol... The stock went up on that news. How is that stock still trading?

I should have bought some Hertz stock before today... it went up 24% last time I saw it.

 

We've traced our ancestry back until the 1600's, just using documents and online searches. We're English, English, more English, Welsh. My husband's family is English, English, English, and German.

 

Our families probably came over in the same boat. Both sides of my family were living in adjacent counties in MD in 1650. Amazingly, they wound up living in adjacent counties in FL.

 

Quite apart from the murky science of DNA extraction, they’ve already got the goods on us. Having worked in security, for years, I’ve been fingerprinted on a number of occasions. Also, sites like 23AndMe cull heavily from Mormon records.

Why I'm not deleting my 23andMe genetic data

 

My ancestors didn't come through Ellis Island. They immigrated to the Bahamas, and then to Key West, way, way back in the day. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are pirates on my family tree.

 

We were way too early for Ellis Island as we were in the Colonies no later than 1650. Now my Dad’s side moved from MD into Eastern North Carolina around 1730 where Blackbeard hung out.