Celebrating National DNA Day
The quote “To Know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” has been attributed to various philosophers throughout history, including Socrates and Aristotle.
The idea behind this quote is that true wisdom and personal growth begin with self-awareness and an understanding of oneself. This concept of self-discovery has become increasingly popular, with many people turning to tools such as DNA testing to learn more about their genetic makeup.
DNA testing has exploded in popularity in recent years, with millions of people around the world using these tests to uncover information about their ancestry, health, and even personality traits. The process of taking a DNA test is relatively simple: a small sample of saliva or blood is collected, and then sent off to a lab for analysis. The results of these tests can reveal a wealth of information, from a person’s ancestral origins to their predisposition to certain health conditions.
Ultimately, the quote “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” holds true in the context of DNA testing. By understanding our genetic makeup we don't only gain valuable insights about where we come from and our past, but it can also help us make more informed decisions about our health and therefore our future.
As an inquisitive team of researchers, we were eager to gain a deeper understanding of the information that DNA tests can provide. To accomplish this, we gave our team the option to select either @23andMe or @ancestry test kits, and the results were eye-opening!
We asked each team member to share a brief insight on what results surprised them the most.
“Growing up, I was always led to believe that my ancestry was solely German. However, after using 23andMe’s test kit, I discovered that the majority of my ancestry composition is, in fact, German (84.1%) To my surprise, the remaining 14.7% is Scandinavian. I had the difficult task of breaking the news to my parents that our family heritage is not exclusively German as they have long believed.” - Heather S.
“I enjoyed learning about my heritage. My genes show a nearly even split between eastern & western Europe. I am roughly 50% Ashkenazi Jewish from eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Romania, etc.) and also roughly 50% from northwestern Europe (England, Ireland, France & Germany). I also learned that I have a 98% chance of blue/green eye color in my DNA, vs. only a 2% chance of brown eye color.” -Andrew
“My DNA ancestry results proved what I already suspected. We are a lazy, boring family that did not leave the area until the beginning of the 20th century when my grandparents' families came over from Greece. My ancestors originated in the Mediterranean region and never strayed far from there. However, there was one spicy result revealed in my list of relatives. I found out that I have a mystery first cousin whose son came up as a relative. I have yet to determine from which side this cousin is from, but I suspect it's from my philandering, biological grandfather who was kicked out of my grandmother's and dad's life before I knew him. I am debating whether to message my first cousin, once removed, but I'm sure curiosity will win out and I'll eventually reach out.” -Maria
“I was surprised to be mostly Congolese and Angolan (58%). Being from Cameroon, I expected to be Cameroonian (and even Nigerian, which was 44%) but I did not expect my ancestors to have come such a long way. When you're African, you think you know exactly where you came from down to the tribe and village, but I guess even my tribesmen came from somewhere else as well.
I also really appreciated the health insights. It helped me make sense of some of what I've been dealing with including sleep issues. Though it didn't exactly present a solution, it helped make me feel less crazy (or self-blaming).
What I absolutely loved was the bragging rights around certain features and characteristics such as my athletic ability. Maybe I just might do another bodybuilding competition soon!” - Joyce
"Even though it isn't a high percentage, it was so interesting to find out that 1.3% of my ancestry is Arab, Egyptian, and Levantine. As far as I know, none of my relatives or known ancestors actually lived in this area, so to see that I'm somehow - even if just a little bit - connected to it was definitely a surprise!" -Tal
“With an ancestry rooted in lands of the Vikings, Scots, and Irish, my genetic blood is a force to be reckoned with. I am a light-sleeping, caffeine-fueled, elite power athlete. My "elite" status even extends beyond my athletic muscle tone, beating the odds in order to have green eyes, a widow's peak, and LOTS of hair at birth. Alas, my coddled upbringing has made me prey to everything including the sun, which threatens my genetically fair skin that I keep baby soft and callus-free. I can feel the burning pride from the graves of my ancestors.” -Brittany
Finally some proof that mosquitos have a thing for me!! When outside in the danger zone, my strategy is to find people who smell even more delicious than I do to mosquitos and stand right next to them. Works like a charm…. well, sometimes!” -Lindsay
"I really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to take Ancestry's DNA test! Although there is some oral history in my family, I don't know a ton about where we are from, past a generation or two. Learning that both of my parents have roots in Cameroon and Nigeria has inspired me to learn more about who we are and what our story is.
It was also interesting to discover I have cousins I never knew about still living in the same town in Arkansas my dad is from and now we have the opportunity to connect with them to learn more.
“Learning about some of my genetic traits was also fun. While some of them seem off, such as me being a morning person, it is nice to know that I'm unlikely to lose my hair anytime soon and I'm genetically predisposed to having this awesome beard! Also, learning that I have genes that help me with sprinting and weightlifting is a nice confidence booster now that my days of being a competitive athlete are mostly behind me." -Dwight
“I have always wondered why staying up late and sleeping in came so easily to me when most people I knew were ‘morning people’. Now I can confidently say sleeping in is in my DNA!” -Vanessa (Night Person)
“Interestingly I thought I was 75% Italian and 25% Irish, very close, but apparently somewhere along the lines there were some changes! According to Ancestry I am 55% Southern Italian (Central Southwest Italy, Calabria, Southeast Sicily), 8% Northern Italian (63% total), 25% Irish, 4% French, 2% Greek, 2% Portuguese, 2% Welsch, 1% Norwegian, 1% Eastern European/Russian.
In terms of interesting traits it says I'm an introvert (obvi not true), but in terms of introspection of ideas and the inner world there's some truth to it. My favorite stat is that I’m 60% more likely than the population to take risks.
I loved reading that my DNA is similar to elite endurance athletes. Short-distance runners aren’t the only ones who benefit from the ‘sprinter gene’. It also seems to give a boost to elite weightlifters and bodybuilders.” -Daniel
“My family has always loved sharing and updating our family tree so I wasn't all that surprised by my ancestry results. The DNA health results were interesting to me, it is a great reminder to stay proactive about heart and eye health!” -Meg
“My family was excited to find out that Benjamin Franklin and I belong to the same haplogroup on my maternal side. It will definitely provide a ‘cool factor’ for my kids’ school ancestry projects! I also learned that I am 99.7% Northwestern European, with an emphasis on Scandinavian countries, along with France and Germany. My Viking blood helps explain my ill-fated relationship with the Minnesota Vikings, while my French roots allow me to pridefully cheer for the Paris Saint-Germain FC.” -Ruth
“My DNA test results built me up by telling me I have the genes of an athlete athlete, confirmed my suspicions that mosquitos love me, then knocked me a down a bit by saying I’m less likely to be able to detect a musical pitch - my collegiate marching band career must have defied the odds!” -Heather M.