Published on 12, July, 2020
II had mine done a few months ago and it was really interesting, I'm 88% southern English with a smattering of European and 8% Iberian. To have such a high percentage in one area is quite unusual, if true, I dont' know where the Iberian link comes in, I can't see anything in the ancestors I've already traced that would suggest Iberian ancestry. 8% would mean that it's a fairly recent addition grand parents or great grandparents and they all came from southern England, more specifically Kent, Sussex and Berkshire.
My Mum had hers done and she's real mix of British, Scandinavian, Welsh and European but no Iberian, so if it's true that I have some Iberian ancestry then it dosen't come from her, we know her Welsh connection, thats her great grandad, but she's only got 4% Welsh, so you can see my quandary with 8% Iberian?
I might get it done again, with a different company and get my haplotypes done too, I think it would be really fascinating to know my deep ancestry, when my people came to Europe and by what route, are they fairly recent, or have they been here since the end of the Ice Age?
I read an article today that reminded me of this thread as it is quite relevant.
Ancestry (the company) has been bought by a company called Blackstone, one of the largest investment companies in the world.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201204005567/en/Blackstone-Completes-Acquisition-of-Ancestry%C2%AE-Leading-Online-Family-History-Business-for-4.7-Billion
I imagine they have quite a diverse portfolio of businesses but what struck me is that a massive investment company like this now has access to your already sequenced DNA.
What are the consequences? It does not require much of a stretch to consider:
1 - insurance companies under their ownership using this ti assess you for any health related issues so they can void your insurance in the event of a claim.
2 - Law enforcement being able to access the database to identify you if you left DNA evidence at a crime scene
3 - employers screening you for risk factors that would make you a risky hire (conditions with high absence rate, psychological issues such as autism etc).
etc
I'm not suggesting this will all happen but the potential is there, especially where there is money to be made / saved from it.
Oh and the deal was copleted 2 years ago - it was just an article I read with an update.
I did consider these things before having my tests done and thought I was old enough for most of the consequenses to things like insurance or employment to not apply to me.
Does the section of DNA that these companies test show everything that people fear? Whilst DNA testing is becoming cheaper, it's still an expensive and labourious process to sequence an entire genome.
Whilst scientists believe/know there are things that are inheritied, they're often not attached to one gene, but a variety of them, so something like a serious mental health disorder, might have markers across half a dozen genes. Nuture still palys a big role, recent studies on psychopaths, show that not all are serial killers waiting to happen, or sick, they may have certain traits that make them successful, particulalry in business, but its not an entirely negative picture.
The other thing I thought about was cloning and then decided if they cloned me then it would serve them right for releasing multiple versions of me on the world!
Iain said:What are the consequences? It does not require much of a stretch to consider: 1 - insurance companies under their ownership using this ti assess you for any health related issues so they can void your insurance in the event of a claim.
In the UK, under the Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance - an agreement between the government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on the use of genetic test results in underwriting insurance policies:
At present, the only exception where insurers may ask for, and consider, the result of a test is where a person has had a predictive genetic test for Huntington’s disease and is applying for life insurance which totals over the financial limit of £500,000. Any predictive test results obtained through participation in research do not need to be disclosed.
I read about this on X a couple of days ago. I see it as being an inappropriate decision by Ancestry(the company) but accept I may be wrong in thinking that.