WEBVTT STEVE: WHERE ARE YOU REALLYFROM?IN THE MELTING POT THAT ISAMERICA THE ANSWER TO THATQUESTION IS NOT OFTEN CUT ANDDRIED.MORE AND MORE COMPANIES ARESTACEY:MORE AND MORE COMPANIESARE TRYING TO ANSWER IT FOR YOUBY MAPPING YOUR DNA.SHAINA HUMPHRIES ASKED AN EXPERTWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUTTHESE TRENDY TESTS.SHAINA, YOU TESTED IT OUTYOURSELF?SHAINA: I DID.THESE THINGS ARE FASCINATING BUTAS FUN AS THEY ARE, IT'S NOT ADECISION TO TAKE LIGHTLY.YOUR GENOME CAN TELL YOU SOMETHINGS, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TOKNOW.THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: HA>> I WANTED TO KNOW WHO I AM ANDWHAT -- WHERE I CAME FROM.SHAINA: HAS INSPIRED AN ENTIREINDUSTRY AROUND DNA TESTING WITHTHE PROMISE OF AN ANSWER.>> ON MY GERMAN?IRISH?THAT IS WHAT THE MARKETING ISBUILT ON, THE INHERENT INTERESTTO LEARN ABOUT YOUR HISTORY.REPORTER: UNIVERSITY OF IOWAPROFESSOR BRYANT MCALLISTER ISAN EVOLUTIONARY GENETICISTHE FINDS IT MOSTLY ENTERTAININGTHAT MAPPING ONE'S DNA HASBECOME SO COOL BUT HE SAYSTHERE'S GOOD REASON FOR IT.>> THAT IS A UNIQUE GENETICSIGNATURE OF YOURSELF THATULTIMATELY COULD BE USED TOREVEAL YOUR REAL PERSONALIDENTITY.>> ACCURATE AS IT POSSIBLY CAN.SHAINA: HUNDREDS OF COMPANIESNOW OFFER THE SERVICE BUT THEMOST WIDELY-USED ARE 23ANDME,AND ANCESTRY.>> THEY REALLY USE THE EXACTSAME TECHNOLOGY REACTION A BANKI DECIDED TO PUT 23ANDME TO THETESTFOR ABOUT $100 THE COMPANY MAILSYOU A KIT, WHICH YOU SEND BACK,WITH A SMALL SALIVA SAMPLE AFTERA FEW WEEKS, YOUR REPORT ISREADYAS I LEARNED FIRSTHAND THERE CANBE SURPRISES, EVEN FOR THOSE WHOTHINK THEY KNOW THEIRBACKGROUNDS PRETTY WEL>> AS FAR AS I KNOW, I AM 50%LACK, 25% ITALIAN, IS THT WHENTHE REPORT SAYS.>> THE GENETICIST SAYS, KIND OF.>> YOU SAID 50% OF YOUR IN -- OFYOUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN ANCESTRY.REPORTER: IN POST-SLAVERYAMERICA, THAT IS A COMMONDISCOVERY FOR AMERICANS OFAFRICAN DESCENT.>> IN MANY CASES, THEY HAVE SOMEPROPORTION OF EUROPEAN ANCESTRYAS WELL WHICH MAY CAUSE THEREDUCTION FROM 50% TO 37.5.SHAINA: MCALLISTER SAYS PART OFTHE BEAUTY OF THESE TRENDY DNATESTS, IS DISCOVERINGCONNECTIONS TO PLACES THAT HAVESINCE FADED FROM ORAL HISTOR>> THESE REPORTS SORT OF BREAKACROSS POLITICAL BOUNDARIES.SHAINA: THEY NOT ONLY SHOW YOUYOUR ANCESTORS ORIGINS, BUT ALSOREVEAL LIVING RELATIVES AROUNDTHE WORLD.IN MY CASE, NEARLY 1200 OF THEM.THEY RANGE FROM 2ND COUSINS, TOMUCH MOR DISTANT RELATIVES,IT'S AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO.BUT FOR SOME PEOPLE IT COULD BEWISE TO AVOID, ESPECIALLY AROUNDTHE HOLIDAYS.>> DO YOU WANT TO FIND THAT NEWHALF-SIBLING OUT THERE OR DO YOUWANT TO FIND OUT THAT THEADOPTED CHILD OF AN AUNT ORUNCLE.SHAINA: THERE'S ANOTHER, NEWERFEATURE THAT MAY BE TOO MUCH FORSOME PEOPLE, A GENETIC HEALTHREPORT CAN TELL YOU IF YOU'REPREDISPOSED TO ANYTHING FROMLACTOSE INTOLERANCE TOALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, IT CAN ALSOHELP WITH FAMILY PLANNING.>> THEY WILL IDENTIFY WHETHER ORNOT YOU'RE A CARRIER OF THECYSTIC FIBROSIS MUTATION.SO, 2 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARECARRIERS, WOULD HAVE A 2CHANCE OF THEM HAVING A CHILDTHAT HAS CYSTIC FIBROSIS.SHAINA: SOME PEOPLE, ESPECIALLYTHOSE WITH ANXIETY OR DEPRESSIONMAY BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT THATINFORMATION THOUGH IT'SIMPORTANT TO NOTE A GENETICPREDISPOSITION IS NOT ADIAGNOSIS.>> YOUR INCREASED RISK OVERTHAT LOW LEVEL RISK, ULTIMATELYDOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE GOING TODEVELOP THAT DISEASE.SHAINA: FOR THOSE WHO ACCEPT THERISKS AND USE THE GENETICINFORMATION WISELY DNA TESTINGIS AT THE VERY LEAST,ENTERTAINING, BUT IT CAN ALSOPROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION,AND SHOW YOU'RE MORE CONNECTEDTO THOSE AROUND YOU, THAN YOUMIGHT EXPECT>> WE HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR, WEJUST HAVE TO GO BACK 18,000YEARS OR SO TO GET TO HER.WE ARE ALL RELATED ON THE HUMANFAMILY TREE, AND YOU ARE NOT ARECONNECTED.SHAINA: ALRIGHT, THANKS, I WILLSEE YOU AT THANKSGIVING.[LAUGHTER]STACEY: THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT ISFASCINATING.REPORTER: YES IT IS.STACEY: WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THISFOR YOUR FAMILY?>> I WOULD.IF YOU AR WORRIED ABOUT ANYPOTENTIAL SURPRISES, MAYBE THINKTWICE ABOUT IT.STEV ANYTHING ELSE THATSURPRISED YOU BESIDES BEINGRELATED TO THE GENETICIST.>> ONE THING DID.MY BROTHER GOT A TEST DONE AND IFIGURE WHO WOULD HAVE THE EXACTSAME RESULT.BUT THAT WAS NOT SO.YOU GET 50% OF YOUR DNA FROM