Data from the 2010 census showed that about 13% of people living in the United States self-identify as African American, but from a genetic point of view, ethnicity isn’t so black and white. Most African Americans have genetic ancestry tracing back to both Africa and Europe and many Americans who consider themselves of completely European descent may actually have some African ancestry as well.
At a Las Vegas gala celebrating Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday, we premièred the video “Give Us Your Hand,” featuring the boxing legend and his involvement with 23andMe’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Initiative. By Emily Drabant As the Research Manager for the 23andMe Parkinson’s Community, I spend my days thinking about ways to advance this research faster, [...]
Last month we wrote about the challenging search for genetic influences on human longevity, touching on two of the most recent studies as examples of how elusive solid findings have been. Here, we review the latest genetic findings on longevity and conduct follow-up analyses in the 23andMe database. What we found indicates there’s still a long way to go in defining a predictive genetic model for longevity.
In the United States alone, about 100,000 people have sickle cell disease and roughly one in 500 black or African-American babies is born with it. The genetic mutation underlying this condition causes red blood cells to take on a “sickle” shape, which makes it harder to deliver oxygen to certain parts of the body. But why would a mutation that causes a harmful disease survive through evolution to the high frequency with which we observe it today?
Your doctor, undoubtedly, knows quite a lot, but chances are that she may not know very much about pharmacogenetics, the study of how genetic variation affects drug response. A new study analyzes responses from about 10,000 doctors on their attitudes and behavior toward pharmacogenetic testing. What it found underscores the need for better pharmacogenetic education in the medical community.
About one in six couples has trouble conceiving. While more attention is paid to infertility in women, half the time the difficulty stems from a condition on the part of the man. Many factors influence fertility, both genetic and non-genetic. A new study in Chinese men has now identified several genetic factors linked to male infertility.
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