

The 5 Worst Things to Learn from a DNA Test - alexbiz
http://www.chromosomechronicles.com/2008/12/24/the-5-worst-things-to-learn-from-a-dna-test/

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carbocation
Mistaken ancestry? That's a very American thing to have (not fear). For
example, the admixture is such that the African-American population has 20%
'white' ancestry. We're an admixed people. I always thought that was the great
part about being American...

Mistaken paternity? That would be pretty lifechanging. But how exactly would a
23andMe style test let you know if you father "wasn't your father?" I suppose
he would need to submit DNA as well? (Obviously if your true father is from
Asia or Africa but you always thought he was European, you could easily
discover this with principal components... but I'm sure that's not what this
blog post's author is talking about.)

In my opinion, there is little to be gained, currently, from commercial
genetic testing. Groups like 23andMe egregiously oversell their offerings:
<https://www.23andme.com/store/> "Learn your genetic risk for type 2 diabetes,
Parkinson's disease, and other conditions." Please - at present day, your
genetic profile tells you no more about your risk for T2D than does your
family history.

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alexbiz
Mistaken paternity would be readily apparent from a 23andMe test. There is a
section where they compare family DNA, and a child is expected to share 50% of
their chromosomal segments with their father. Of course, both child and parent
would have to be tested.

I agree completely, the disease predispositions in the 23andMe service fall
far from being of any value. <http://Navigenics.com> and
<http://www.deCODEme.com> do a better job at this.

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rcfox
Mistaken ancestry? That's one of the worst things for Americans? Really?

How about significant genetic overlap with your significant other? Or you
carry hereditary diseases that you'll pass on to your children? Or that your
DNA is partially composed of frog's DNA? (Why do you think those dinosaurs
were so angry?)

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alexbiz
I suppose mistaken ancestry is a very "American" fear (if one at all),
although I can think of other countries (like Japan) where any "surprises" in
ancestry might not be so hot.

Accidental inbreeding would be horrible.

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chipsy
"Nothing at all?"

