As of the beginning of this year, researchers at the MIT Technology Review estimated 26 million people have added their DNA data to the genealogical databases of the four major Direct-To-Consumer DNA companies. Between the quest for ancestral links and genetic health insights, the DNA test business is booming. While most people only send a sample to one DNA testing company, a team at Checkbook.org submitted their samples to eight different companies with surprising results. A University of Washington research scientist says the limitations of DNA tests for ancestry and health are just one factor that makes DNA testing a wild, wild west.
When Checkbook Executive Editor Kevin Brasler and two volunteers prepared their DNA samples, they knew the obvious about their ancestry. Brasler knew his father is Jewish and that his grandparents came to America from Eastern Europe. Nicole, who is African American, wanted to learn more about her specific regional connections to Africa. Anna, born in Colombia, was adopted by parents in the United States. She, too, had questions about her specific ancestral origins.
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