the mellow tigger's musings

A few weeks back, I bought a new 23AndMe test kit. I wanted testing on newer chip technology. The results are finally back.

On my "Carrier Status" report, I have no detections at all. That's good news.

On my "Health Predisposition" report, I have only two conditions detected.

1. Age-Related Macular Degeneration - "Increased risk", with 2 markers tested
   
   • I have the "C" variant for Y402H, gene CFH, marker rs1061170. I have 2 copies, which means both of my parents likely have their own copies too.
   • I have the "T" variant for A69S, gene ARMS2, marker rs10490924. I have only 1 copy, so only one of my parents would have that too.


2. Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HFE-Related) - "Variant detected, not likely at increased risk", with 2 markers tested
   
   • I have the "G" variant for H63D, gene HFE, marker rs1799945.  I have only 1 copy.  My mother was told recently by a doctor about her own risk for hemochromatosis, so I'm reasonably sure that I got my copy from her.  Wikipedia says this trait is particularly common in people of Celtic descent.
   • I was normal on the other variant tested, which means I have very low risk of developing iron accumulation problems myself.  My body can create the proper proteins to metabolize iron safely.

Still, after all these years, 23AndMe provides no risk predisposition assessment for the many genes already associated with autism.  I still want to update my assessment, but I have too many other things to ponder (and avoid) these days.  It's very unlikely to happen any time soon.

I am 3.0% Neanderthal. 

Scientists have been slowly gathering testable dna samples from Neanderthal remains, but the best sample came from a 130,000-year-old toe bone.  It allowed sequencing for the entire genome, published just a month ago.  Various companies that do genetic testing are able to offer this comparison now, but my results are from 23 And Me.  Apparently interbreeding between human species happened a very long time ago, so Neanderthal genes are found in both European and Asian populations today.  Supposedly the typical European holds only about 1.7% similarity.  I'm placed in the 88th percentile among Europeans, according to 23 And Me.

I figure it's only a matter of time until somebody tries to revive the species, just as predicted in the book "Existence" (which I liked).  I'd like to meet them.  I think I'd have more in common with them than the typical Homo sapiens, besides just the eyebrows and bigger skull.  I suspect that Neanderthal psychology will have a lot more in common with modern autistics than modern neurotypicals.  I guess we'll all find out soon enough.

Slightly less dramatic, but another patron at 23 And Me might actually be a blood relative.  The website has long notified people of distant ancestry relations based on their genetic sequencing, but they added a new feature where people can build an actual family tree with names and dates.  Someone contacted me recently, and we share a suspiciously similar name in our pasts.  One of his ancestors is a "William B Walker" (born 1789) and one of mine is "Willie Burkes Walker" (born 1889).  Both family lines include tales of Tennessee before relocating to Texas.  Alone, those similarities are just coincidences, but the genetic similarity suggests that my "Willie B" might have been named after somebody's memory of a related "Willie B".  Again, time will tell.  This technology will just keep improving as the years go by.

Someday, as in the movie "Gattaca", babies will be sequenced routinely by the time of their birth.  Probably, they'll be sequenced soon after conception, so potential diseases can be addressed while the body is still in development.

Strange.  Someday, genetics might allow me to meet kin from ancestors a few centuries ago or a few hundred millenia ago.  Throw in an uplifted chimpanzee, then we'll hold a proper family reunion.