ConnectMyDNA Lets You Find Out Which World Population Your DNA Most Closely Resembles

It's one thing to know your lineage and ancestry, but quite another to know about just what population your DNA is most similar to.  It turns out that the relationship between the two isn't as straighforward as you might think.  When I first heard about ConnectMyDNA, I wasn't too sure what to expect.  At first I thought it was one of those services that analyzes your genes and tells you which diseases you're likely to get. It wasn't.  Then I thought it was a science-y version of a genealogical analysis, but nothing was further from the truth.  What they actually do is sample your DNA, looking at a very specific set of genes, and they then compare it to several populations stored in their database (using the Hardy-Weinberg Equation) to tell you which of these you're most similar to.  That, I thought, was pretty interesting.

So I got a kit, and tried it out.  You receive an envelope in the mail with two sterile cotton swabs.  You rub it on the inside of your cheek, put it in a separate envelope with only a serial number (and no identifying personal information) and send it back.  A few days later, your results are available online.  Mine?  Well, here's the deal: both of my parents were born in Ecuador, and then then immigrated to Canada where I was born.  My mom has Ecuadorian parents, as well as my dad.  However, on my grandmother's side there's strong Italian ancestry so I wasn't completely surprised when my top result came in as Italy.  I was also given a GeneRing, which is a visual representation of the results which are specific to me.

If you want to try it out for yourselves, here's a coupon code: IZEA290512.  It'll give you $29 off on the price.  Link is below.

ConnectMyDNA™