23andMe DNA Test - Health + Ancestry Personal Genetic Service - Includes Reports on Health, Wellness, Ancestry & More
Oct 2018 Update adds Alzheimer's section at end.
I had DNA analysis from 23andme. My wife had DNA analysis from both Ancestry(Anc) and 23andme. This review is my comparison of the two. I highly recommend secondary analysis of your results by Promethease, see further discussion at end of this review. Basically I like 23andme. If 23andme offers a lower cost ancestry only test, this is OK. For developing an ancestry tree, Ancestry.com is MUCH better IF you signup separately for Ancestry's subscription search service. Do not use Anc & Promethease for Alzheimer's - see discussion at end of this review.
TAKING TEST and SIGNUP – Very similar test taking. 23’s signup was more secure. Anc’s was easier, but they automatically put my wife’s test on my previously existing Ancestry account.
Waiting on RESULTS – Both send emails confirming sample receipt and when results were available. After logon, 23 provided step by step progress reports on the analysis process. The analysis process itself took about 10 days, including a holiday weekend. Total wait time was 3-4 weeks. Anc took 5 or so days longer than 23.
WEB SITE SECURITY – 23 is better. 23 requires a typical logon and password to get to the site. Anc automatically remembers your logon and password and just opens up when you go to the site. However, actually downloading your DNA file from Anc requires a full sign-on and confirmation link via your e-mail..
Ethnic Origin Analysis – I think 23 is (more correct). However Anc in Sept 2018 updated their report with better results. My sister did an ANC test in 2016 and I did one in 2018, the ethnic origin results were a fair bit different - not sure why.
DNA RELATIVE IDENTIFICATION – Recognizing that allocation of relatives to 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins is somewhat imprecise. For my wife, 23 identified 4 second cousins and about 32 third cousins. Anc identified 1 first cousin, 2 second cousins and 9 third cousins. 23 also has ‘cousins’ outside the USA (in my case in the UK) which are really valuable contacts for ancestry searching. The web site does not directly identify a cousin’s location but you can easily guess this from supplementary info optionally provided by the cousin on 23’s site.
DNA RELATIVE CONTACT and ANALYSIS – Anc provides the e-mail for a contact and shared ancestors for each DNA relative. You get a lot more when you pay for their regular Ancestry services, see below. 23 provides an internal messaging application for communicating with contacts. The application works but is rudimentary and unsuitable for more than brief messages (especially with MS Edge); exchanging e-mail address’s after contact is more satisfying. Both have a couple levels of ‘sharing’ (aka privacy). Both have tools for grouping contacts.
Anc provides a powerful tree searching tool IF you subscribe to the regular Ancestry service. This is expensive, in the range of $200/year, but less with special offers. Given the moderate ‘tools’ in their basic DNA service, I view their DNA analysis as an (effective) teaser for their subscription service. UPDATE: I did signup for the Ancestry services and they are great. Specifically, with a subscription their DNA site shows a contacts pedigree chart if that contact already has built an Anc family tree. This is MASSIVELY better than 23's unsorted list of surnames. When you search for a particular name it searches all of the connected family trees - this is exceptionally useful.
MEDICAL INFO – Anc provides no medical info. In late 2016 23 had two test options - $100 for just the ancestry service and $200 for ancestry plus medical. As of Sept 2018, 23 provides FDA approved reports on your risk of 9 medical conditions, including Alzheimer's, plus several genetic carrier reports. Their discussion/explanation of your risks for these conditions is specifically approved by the FDA and is reasonably understandable, informative, and useful.
If you are so inclined, you can participate (answer a lot of online questions) in 23’s medical research. This is probably 20 ten minute questions sessions. I did this and feel like it was useful for medical research.
Analysis of you DNA results by Promethease, a third party service, provides excellent medical info.
CONNECTION to PROMETHEASE – Promethease (Prom) is a third party service that assess’s your detailed DNA results from either 23 or Anc and provides a detailed medical risk report. Go to the Prom site to get started. The download process is not too difficult. In Oct 2018 cost is $12 per report.
PROMETHEASE RESULTS –Prom generates 20,000 or so reports (hits) from the 700,000 or so genes that are tested by 23 and Anc. 23 and Anc test a different set of genes, although they mostly overlap. For my wife’s test from both 23 and Anc the corresponding Prom reports were about 85% the same for the 40 most significant hits (Prom magnitude 2.5 and above). There were 5 or 6 unique hits in the top 40 for each report. I judge that the unique hits were about equally important, between 23 and Anc - none were critical.
[Nov 2017 Update] In October 2017 I resubmitted by 2016 23 test to Prom. About 15% of the hits were changed. A couple unusual hits were deleted. A very significant change was that one gene comment changed from 'increased risk of Type 1 diabetes' to '18x risk of Type 1 diabetes'!!! I read up on this. It turns out that the genetic > diabetes risk/connection is currently a very hot and complex research topic. The relevant research report was published in 2017. My suggestion is to update your Prom report every year or two if there are concerns.
USING PROMETHEASE – IMPORTANT – Use of general DNA analysis to identify general medical conditions is an emerging (not well developed) technology/business. My guess is that the info provided by Prom is perhaps 30% or so of what will be available in 10 years or so. I regard the info provide as indicative, definitely not complete and possibly incorrect (due to either testing error or interpretation error).
Having said that, it is interesting, likely useful and potentially lifesaving. The information will be disturbing (negative), but in most cases not surprising. I think most people will be able to absorb the info without getting too stressed out. If you are a hypochondriac, this could be a problem. If you want a chance of good news, you can write down the stuff your are concerned about ahead of time, and then see if they actually shows up.
My comments for using the report are:
• Make sure you download a copy to your PC for future reference, don’t just look at it online.
• After you figure out how to use the report, move the '0' Magnitude slider up to a range of 2.5 or so. This will limit you to the top 40 or so hits. Then go down to the bottom of the report and hit the '2X' bar a few times to see all the hits.
• You can then hit the ‘Table’ button at the top and print a summary of the hits to help see the big picture. You can also open this table in Excel and modify/save it for a more useful table. If you do this, add a Frequency column if it's not already there.
• To me, after Magnitude, the most important factor is ‘Frequency’. This is what percentage of the target population has this condition. If its around 40% or higher, I think it’s already ‘dialed in’ to the normal medical process – it is something your doctor and the medical community will look for in any case. Most of the hits fall into this category. If it’s less than 10%, it’s likely not on your doctors radar screen and you will want to consider if it’s worth mentioning to your doctor.
• The second most useful item is the relative increased risk in the item discussion. Recognize that the absolute risk is not provided – this could be 1 in 100,000, so a 1.1 relative risk is almost meaningless. On the other hand I looked up AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration-eye problems) on the internet; it affects 1 in 3 to 5 people by age 80, so 2x risk is really significant. Good to know this ahead of time.
• After you assess the top 40, which takes a while, you can expand the Magnitude to it’s full range. Then click on ‘Topics’ and click on sub topics of interest and see if any common concerns emerge. Do the same for ‘Medical Conditions’. This seems like a lot of work but only takes an hour or 2 once you get started. For me the common themes seem to be heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Rheumatoid arthritis – none of which are a surprise.
- When you find something that might be relevant you NEED to do supplemental research on the Internet. The Prom report is a brief and simple identification. Fuller understanding can significantly change (reduce?) your concern for the issue. Be aware that there are 'hypochondriac' web site for some of these issues. I like to start with Wiki, Mayo Clinic and WebMD. Search for the Prom gene name 'rs........'. Then find out what the common term(s) for the gene is e.g. MTFHR and search for that. Write stuff down, gene names can be confusing.
• Again, remember this is an emerging technology, so the results will change from year to year for a while. I guess that in 10 years it will be a routine consideration in a physical.
IMPORTANT. DO NOT Prom results from Anc for Alzheimer's. Anc almost always reports zero copies of the Alz APOE4 gene. Prom notes this in their report, but it’s carries a low Magnitude and is easy to miss. In Sept 2018 I did an Anc test and it returned (via Prom), Zero copies of the Alz gene. The Anc > Prom medical results were otherwise similar but slightly less extensive than 23 > Prom.
The testing is fairly simple: You receive a test vial (log in and register it on their website) and provide saliva up to the control line. Make sure you don't eat or drink for 30 to 45 minutes before providing your saliva sample. It is best not to brush teeth beforehand since it will only wash away valuable DNA and you want to ensure your sample has enough to process. Yes I had a few failed kits in my life and that set us back months of getting results on those kits. Anyway it’s fairly simple to provide saliva samples. Simple enough I had my 5 1/2 year old done and she was the easiest one to process. Then you place the kit back into included return envelope and wait for about 6 to 8 weeks for it to process. All while keeping tabs of the process online as each step finishes.
I started using 23andme in 2012 before the FDA had gotten nasty and demanded they stop providing such detailed health analysis. Most of the kits I purchased (all but 2) included the ancestry with health but the ancestry portion was the sole purpose for us using 23andme services. I have tested both of my parents, my two children, two paternal aunts, my daughter's paternal grandmother as well as myself and two cousins whom I tested to confirm our relationship. If you test at least one parent, you can easily sort matches that are shared with that parent to determine which matches are maternal and paternal. Since both my parents have tested mine literally shows who matches me from each side and my children can sort their matches based on me being tested too.
My paternal grandfather died in 1995 and took with him the secret of his past. He had ran away as a young boy and changed his name so we knew him only by the name he had taken. My family always yearned to know more about my grandfather's past but he had endured some sort of trauma or something and for whatever reason chose to never speak of it again. So we grew up only knowing half my father's ancestry - that of his mother.
After my grandfather died, I set out on a mission to try to figure out more about his past and his identity. I sent off for birth and school records and hit one dead-end after another trying to prove he was who he said he was. I spent hours going over census data on Ancestry's website, writing to courthouses across the country. The evidence pointed to the conclusion he was not who he said he was and so I had nothing solid to go by. Until 17 years into chasing cold trails, I discovered ancestry type DNA testing. I figured it wouldn't hurt to order my dad a kit and see where that would take us. If I could just find one close enough match then maybe it would give us a good lead on figuring out my grandfather's real surname.
After waiting for what seemed like months (it was actually only about 6 weeks) my dad's DNA was online (on 23andme’s secure site) and accessible along with all his many matches - which were basically cousins at various degrees of distance. It was one cousin (a predicted second cousin) in particular that gave me access to their family tree and actually dove in with me searching for clues that would lead us to my grandfather.
Just 6 months into researching my father's DNA, I found my grandfather's family and figured out who he really was. I wanted to ensure that my information was correct and so I contacted the daughters to the man I believed to be my grandfather's brother and offered to test them both. Their test results confirmed they were indeed our 1st cousins. I have since been in contact with close and distant family via this newly discovered paternal side and even obtained a copy of my grandfather's family surname book. His absence was even recorded in the book! I solved an 83+ year mystery and gained a family I longed my entire life to know about. I cannot be more thankful that these tests are available and that it gives us such ability to solve things that seem impossible.
Granted this all sounds way easier than it was and in all honesty it took planning and sorting and meticulous record-keeping to rule out my father's maternal matches. I literally mapped my father's DNA and researched every match labeling in an Excel document, which chromosome location that relative fit and what surnames fit within those matches. It’s given me new found respect and interest in knowing about each and every ancestor that left their mark within our DNA. It’s time-consuming, rewarding and addicting. I can say that with all honesty as I now manage 15+ kits on various DNA web sites. I tested myself and both parents on 23andme as well as AncestryDNA and Dad was also tested on FTDNA but I met my most useful matches on 23andme. It was on 23andme that I found the best ability to pour over chromosomes researching every detail I could.
Oddly between 23andme and Ancestry their tests show a discrepancy in ethnicity estimates. One shows that my dad has a tiny trace of Native American (23andme) yet AncestryDNA does not show any trace whatsoever of Native American. My son has confirmed Native American and was only tested on 23andme and his percentage came back at nearly exact what is on his BIA blood quantum card. So I lean in feeling more comfortable with 23andme’s ethnicity estimates.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You can take your raw data (once your DNA is processed) and download it from any of these DNA testing sites and upload them for free to GEDmatch. That site allows you to cross compare other matches on there from all the DNA sites. As long as others have their data on their too you can look at those matches and even see where the match is on individual chromosomes, etc. It’s a great tool to utilize along with your DNA testing sites.
FINAL THOUGHT: If you are looking to solve a mystery, 23andme is great. If you are looking to just fill in a family tree and you have a paid Ancestry membership or you are willing to pay for it, I would also suggest AncestryDNA. AncestryDNA gives you immediate access to your matches’ trees and you can in turn build on your own tree with the information. But if you are NOT a paid member to Ancestry, their AncestryDNA features are limited. I personally think its poor business practice for Ancestry to force people who already fork over money for the DNA kits to further pay to utilize services that should be totally included within the purchase of the kit. With 23andme, there are no additional hidden usage fees.
Whichever one you choose, be prepared to discover a new you.
Excellent, but I would get the $99 kit over the $199 one. Then go to Promethease.com and dna.land.com and import your results (when their available from 23andMe), For $5.00 they give you loads of medical and other misc. insights from your genetic information. Importing is quick and easy, do it right from the Promethease website (links to 23andMe directly and grabs your data. dna.land requires you to upload data yourself). Just be sure to download a copy of the final results to your computer for future reference (as Promethease will automatically delete information from their servers after 4 months). DNA.LAND is free (it's a research project) well worth the extra effort and produces some more interesting results.
Found out my husband of 35 years is my sixth cousin, eeew!!!!!! No lie! Now I spend my days trying to figure out the link. We bought two of these and he did it as well. He found out he is a descendant of Lewis, as in Lewis and Clark! He met a cool cousin he never knew he had (other than me, lol).
The traits were a bit off. I love cilantro for example and it suggested I wouldn't. Little things.
It asks you a bunch of questions before you get your report, like hair color, eye color, health history, weight, age, etc., then you get a report that says you likely have red hair,......no duh 🙄
I bought this for my husband.. the results are AWESOME and he loves it. However, I am apparently married to a Neanderthal.
Feature Product
- Includes Ancestry Service PLUS more than 85 DNA-based online reports on Health Predispositions*, Carrier Status*, Wellness & Traits with just one test
- Before purchasing, review important information at 23andme.com/test-info
- Subject to 23andMe's Terms of Service at 23andme.com/tos and Privacy Statement at 23andme.com/about/privacy
- Accurate, reliable reports developed and designed through a rigorous process by world-class scientists and medical experts
- Provide a saliva sample using our at-home kit and send it back. No additional lab fee required. Results ready in about 6-8 weeks
Description
ANCESTRY FEATURES
Ancestry reports
- 35+ reports including: Ancestry Composition, Ancestry Detail Reports, Maternal & Paternal Haplogroups, Neanderthal Ancestry, Your DNA Family
- DNA Relative Finder: Find and connect with relatives in the 23andMe database who share DNA with you. (opt-in)
HEALTH FEATURES
Health Predisposition* reports
- 10+ reports including: Type 2 Diabetes (Powered by 23andMe Research), Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Celiac Disease
Carrier Status* reports
- 40+ reports including: Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, Hereditary Hearing Loss
Wellness reports
- 5+ reports including: Deep Sleep, Lactose Intolerance, Genetic Weight
Traits reports
- 30+ traits including: Hair (Color, Curliness, Male Bald Spot), Taste & Smell (Sweet vs. Salty, Bitter), Facial Features (Cheek Dimples, Unibrow, Freckles)
OTHER FEATURES Raw Data - Access your raw, uninterpreted genetic data file.** Must not be used for medical or diagnostic purposes. Share, compare and discover more with friends and family - Trace DNA through your close family and explore the genetic similarities and differences between you and family members.
I bought this with Prime and it took exactly 2 weeks from the moment I clicked "buy" until my reports were published. I may be one of the lucky ones but I think it is because I bought the kit April 20 2018 - so it wasn't during any holiday rush periods. From reviews, I would hesitate buying this around Christmas time if you aren't patient - they seem to get slammed and delays seem normal.
This and Ancestry.com seems to be the top 2 kits in most comparison reviews. Ancestry for heritage related results due to larger database & this for health related results. I chose this one because of the health related results and because Ancestry requires extra costs to integrate DNA results into their extensive database. Ancestry does not offer health related results to my knowledge but I think you can export the data into 3rd party tools to get those results.
One note of warning - there are kits on ebay that are a bit cheaper but most of those do not include the lab work - and I've not seen any that were cheaper than buying the kit with lab on Amazon. Read the fine print if you look on ebay.
2nd note of warning - I wouldn't do this at all if you are concerned about your DNA being hacked and shared. There are reports on Internet that FBI is searching these databases for criminals - and if you believe the government is able to secure secrets the way x-files portrays, then maybe it's safe forever. Personally, I can't think of any realistic consequence to my DNA being shared that outweighs the benefit of knowing my DNA. If I get tied up in a lab so they can harvest my stem cells because I'm the beginning of an x-men mutation, I guess I'll have plenty of time to think about my decision.
The kit itself is very simple. Once you receive the kit (2 days with prime) and before you collect specimen (saliva), you open an account with 23andMe and enter the code off the vial in the kit. You will make some decisions about the process at that point - such as if you want your data used for research and if they can keep your dna samples for future use, etc. Once that is done, you will need to clean your mouth very well and not eat/drink for an hour or so before spitting into the vial. I cleaned my mouth very well before going to bed, drank a big glass of water when I woke (so I could spit easily), and waited an hour and filled the vial. Spit until clear saliva is just above the indicated line - the bubbles will all be floating above that line. It doesn't take much and you don't want to overfill it by much or you may not have enough stabilizer for the amount of saliva. The vial initially has a funnel on the top that you close the lid and it will release the stabilizer into the vial. Once you have stabilizer in saliva, remove the funnel and replace it with the round cap. Shake it well and put the sealed vial into the included baggie. Box it back into the original box which is addressed and has prepaid postage - ship it off. I had mine back in the mail on the 3rd day after ordering.
I used the iphone app at this point. The app tracks progress of each step. It didn't show the post office received the package, but in 2 days or so the status jumped to the vial being received and being pre-checked. Each step seemed to complete about 2 - 3 days apart until the reports became available.
Be sure to switch to a computer at some point. It either has more options, or they are easier to find there - especially where contacting others is concerned.
I am no DNA expert, but the results are interesting to read over. It found my niece who took the test successfully and correctly identified her in my lineage. She had shared her ancestry results so people could find her. Contacting matches is easy with the messenger in the online tool.
I think the results I've seen are pretty accurate - some of the expected traits are off - it seems to do better with hair, eye color and skin tone than things like attached/detached earlobes and which finger is longer. Since some of those are wrong, I'm not sure there is much more value in that than going to an old gypsy woman looking into a glass ball but it's entertaining to see the predictions.
Recognize you can export the raw data into other tools - Prometheus seems to be most popular - to have reports run to interpret the data. 23andMe seems to keep things at a level that is more manageable. I only exported to Prometheus which is about $5 to $10 usually, but free for this week. If you really get into this stuff, I think it's worthwhile to see those results, but Prometheus gets a little confusing because you can have one result reducing your risk for something by some multiplier and another increasing your risk for it. Do they cancel out? 23andme tends to just tell you increased or decreased risk.
Where I think this is weak - is for determining Native American ancestry. If that is your goal, you may want to research DNA accuracy for that before spending your money. My research shows that getting matches on that must be fairly close to the ancestors - mine showed none in my lineage. My grandmother always said she was part Indian and she looked the part so I tend to believe her. It wasn't until I found no matches that I started researching why - and it sounds like it is common for that to be missed by most DNA ancestry kits.
My overall thoughts - I question the accuracy of some risks indicated - I just don't think we are really there yet. I personally think one can only say labs see this sort of trend when this strand is found. Prometheus shows relationships for genes and medicines that may not metabolize properly for me. I am capturing that to discuss with my doctor - just in case. The ancestry part does work reliably to find relatives and seems to be fairly accurate to place them where they branch off from your family tree.
Buying this test was the best money I have ever spent in my entire life. The knowledge they give you is incredible. I wish everyone had a chance to know and understand their DNA. I wish 23andme was given automatically to all newborns. I just ordered kits for 3 family members.
23andme is not just ancestry, you get so much more. Here's a few things I got out of it...
1) I learned about my ancestry and how I am 24% Lithuanian, which was spot on as my grandma was born there.
2) I have at least 1000 cousins (3rd, 4th and 5th cousins.)
3) I can see a map of where my relatives are located and can be contacted/contact them if they also opted in for communication.
4) I learned I do not carry the breast cancer genes (thank god!)
5) I learned I do carry a mutation that lowers cholesterol and helps guard against heart disease (looked that gene up after seeing it in the news.)
6) Anytime I see any study in the news about genetics and how they found this gene associated with this disease etc, I can log in to 23andme, pull up my data and see if I carry that mutation or not. So geeky, but soooo cool.
7) I learned I have the mthfr mutation and was able to read more about what this means so I can make better choices regarding which types of folate I consume.
8) I learned I have a double mutation that effects b12 processing which could explain why I have always been low in b12. I will now ensure I get more b12 and monitor my levels with my doctor for the rest of my life.
9) I gained a new outlook on people. I think it's so incredibly that we are all essentially "written in code." It's this code that defines our health, how we look and to an extent, even how we act.
Expensive, but I wish I knew I was 70% Native American when I applied to colleges.
I am so happy with this! I got my results right after Christmas. I placed my raw data file in Prometheus and saw that I was at risk for blood clots. So I went to the Dr because I wasn't feeling well and told her about my results. She did a test and they found high amounts of the protein that gets rid of blood clots. This thing helped me know I need to get serious about my health because it is true stuff you're reading! The ancestry part was spot on and very surprising at the same time! The actual information you get from the company is limited and not what I expected, but... When the raw data is placed in to another processor, like Prometheus, it is amazing. You can do this with your ancestry kit as well.
The estimated time of completion (once received and the sample passed screening) was 6-8 weeks. I ordered this product November 24th, received it on the 26th, sent it out on the 27th, it made it to the facility late on the 30th and the reports were complete on the 8th of December! That's fourteen days from clicking the purchase button to receiving the results or one day over a week from passing inspection!
I purchased this as a Christmas gift for myself during a Black Friday deal ($100 versus the usual $200 or $150 during Black Friday on the website). I've always wanted to find out some of my genetic information and possibly use it to create a family tree. I felt like this was a really great deal and therefore the perfect time to try this out.
When it arrived it looked very much like the kit pictured (will upload pictures at a later point). The instructions were easy to follow. I was worried about the quality of the sample, so I brushed my teeth before going to bed and immediately (before breakfast or brushing my teeth again) collected a spit sample. They are quite serious about the fill line. Don't try to be an overachiever. The coagulant still has to go in the rest of the tube! Shake for about 5 seconds and marvel as your clear saliva produces a filmy substance (THAT'S YOUR DNA!!!!). It's pretty cool. Absolutely DO NOT forget to register your tube. I took a picture, registered it, and wrote it down in several places. After packing it up and putting it in the mailbox, I realized that I'd forgotten to take down the tracking number (the kit box has the prepaid shipping label on it). I was a bit distraught, but when I logged onto my 23andMe account, there was a chromosome timeline with each step (there's approximately 9 steps) clearly defined and the first step was having the package scanned at a mailing facility (so tube # is associated with the tracking number). I'll admit, I checked daily and filled out as many survey questions as I could. I really wasn't anticipating any surprises, the very skinny family tree that I'm aware of pretty much all goes back to Germany or Prussia in the 1700s. Well, my family and I were in for a shock when the results came back and said that I had an Irish/English ancestor and a bit further back, an Ashkenazi Jewish ancestor. The overall composition was 100% European, mostly in the Northwestern Region. No other surprising ancestors in the wood works. While I fully understand that this cannot be used as a medical diagnostic tool, it was neat to see the genetic health results (it should be noted that these are not conclusive by any means). The Carrier Status reports were interesting. I didn't have anything flagged, so I didn't spend much time looking at those results. The Genetic Health Risk reports did have a bit of a surprise. Apparently I am at an increased risk of developing Celiac Disease because of my genome (doesn't mean I'll get it, but it's something to look out for). The Trait reports were fun to go through, they all lined up. I haven't really dug into those reports yet, but so far they look fun from a scientist perspective (Biology major). I think the Wellness reports are perhaps the most immediately useful results for your individual health. I did find one report to be a bit faulty (but I'm weird). I'm likely to be lactose intolerant, which most of the world is despite the mutation to produce Lactase into adulthood occurring 3 times in human evolution (Anthropology as a second major). Milk and other dairy products make up a considerable amount of my diet and I am considered an adult. I'm really not sure how to explain that one hiccup.
23andMe found 1175 people that are related to me. This is out of the pool of people who have actually used 23andMe. My relatives on 23andMe are all 10th degree relations (google coefficient of relationship), so the most closely related person is about a fourth cousin with less than 0.4% shared DNA. So we shared a great-great-great-grandparent.
I would definitely recommend this product if you are curious about your ancestry or just want to secrets your DNA may hold, or if you know someone who just loves this type of stuff.
Before purchasing, I was definitely a bit leery of what I was getting myself into. Is it really worth up to $200 to spit in a tube? Yep. If you want to break it down shipping a small flat rate box is approximately $6.45, multiplied by two because you got it shipped to your house and then you mailed it out. If they mass produce the kits, the kit itself isn't going to be too expensive, maybe $5-10, it's very simple and elegantly put together. So rounding up, we're at a max of $25 just for the test and mailing. Then there's the process that your DNA has to go through (6-ish steps once it has passed the inspection) before your reports are generated. There's scientists working on your DNA and processing it through various techniques (there are tutorial videos that explain the process on the website), so there's expensive machinery that most people have limited access to being utilized (don't really know how to put a price tag on this). Then, there are the 79 reports. If you bought the kit for $100, each report is less than $1, if you bought the kit for full price at $200, each report is close to $2 each. There's a wealth of information that you really can't put a price tag on.
I also purchased the AncestryDNA kit through Ancestry.com. I have not yet submitted it, but when it's complete, I will add a comparison. The kit itself was $65 (on sale), but lots of people recommended having an Ancestry.com account in order to unlock the full potential - so not really that much cheaper than 23andMe.
