video about genetics and where we came from

That was uplifting.

My brother and my sister did the genetic testing and found no real surprises. Predominantly European with some Native American. I can't claim to find much emotional impact in the results. Interesting to see some of the folks in the video seemed quite surprised and moved.

Even with seemingly homogeneous populations, the mix of genes is surprisingly heterogeneous. Even many African populations contain a good amount of gene markers from other areas. An individual may have DNA from one predominant area yet also cantain markers from far ranging populations. It only takes one Marco Polo to spread genes like a plague of syphilis.

Rumi

Maybe Americans are the least surprised because it's almost an assumption that you're going to a mixture of various backgrounds. It's those of us who think we're "100%" something that are the most shocked, especially if there are any long-held grudges and prejudices against nearby countries/ethnicities/races.

Personally, I would like all white supremacists to take the test and maybe discover not-so-pristine ancestors... [evil grin]

I've said this before in other threads, but there is no such thing as a "white race." That would be one of the first things I'd like white supremacists to get through their heads. The entire idea of a "white race" is an invention with no genetic validity. "White" has been used at various times in history to include or exclude some ethnic group — with little rhyme or reason beyond some goofy arbitrary expedience.

"Caucasian" is another myth. There being no such thing as a "white race," there is also no validity to the notion that somehow it originated near the Caucasus Mountains. The term "Caucasian Race" was a total invention of an 18th century philosopher with some obscure notion of beauty and virtue being first centered upon the Caucasus and thence to Northern Europe.

When I say that my genetic heritage is predominately "European," I am in effect admitting that my ancestors came from a "continent" that at various times in history experienced wide-ranging invasions and immigrations from far away. And barely a fraction of those movements of people are actually known to history. Who knows about prehistory? Just recently the term "Celtic" being tied to the Irish has come under scrutiny for lack of evidence.

Sarah Silverman has told a joke about how, in looking into her ancestry, she found that her (great)-grandmother had been raped by a Mongolian invader. But then she sat up straight and with mock pride said, "Do you realize that that makes me part Mongolian rapist?" Yes, it's silly — as is any serious pretense to superiority because of some made-up story about "white" pedigrees.

The video showed a couple people getting some rather humbling surprises, which in the end do nothing to deprive them of self-worth. We are all human.

Well, yeah, because he was French. His father, Henry II, was basically French and his mother was Eleanor of Aquitaine. They all lived most of their lives in France and are buried in France.

My wife & I both did the 23andMe tests a couple years ago. A couple small surprises, yeah. Apparently I'm roughly 0.2% East Asian. Didn't have a clue. Many of the rest weren't big surprises (French/Germanic, Northern European/Scandinavian, some English). It was pretty cool.

The bigger benefit (to me) was seeing all the genetic health reports that come with it. Good stuff to know.

My $.02,

- Mike