![because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/tarahumara-84-1527619753.jpg)
‘From my bedroom, I could hear them screaming and crying all night’Īndrew, 26, New Jersey: Some background to this story is that I’ve always referred to my dad’s friend (we’ll call him John) as my uncle, even though he’s not my dad’s brother. So, to put your family’s uniquely chaotic holiday gatherings into perspective, we asked Andrew and a few others to tell us about the time 23andMe results completely unraveled their family units.
![because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago](https://media.newyorker.com/photos/6067de04f0f96e7f878e17fc/master/pass/210412_r38196.jpg)
In the event that several members of the same family get tested, customers are provided with data outlining exactly how related they are, from a genetic standpoint.īeing given the opportunity to learn more about your ancestry and genetic makeup surely sounds like a fun gift for your dad, right? Not necessarily, according to the many people who’ve learned the exact opposite the hard way. Among other health-related information, 23andMe’s report often details the customer’s genealogy and grants them access to a “relative-matching database,” where they may come across distant or unknown relatives. Customers spit into a test tube, mail it back to the company, and in a few weeks, they’re provided with their DNA analysis. “Five years later, I’m still confident that decision to buy a stupid $99 gift led to the permanent destruction of my entire family.”įor the uninitiated, 23andMe is a company that provides direct-to-consumer DNA test kits.
![because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago because manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwQfy3W3PiY/XlG4vf8EXcI/AAAAAAAAddk/iJcqVDyVX1InkQT3K9gUHW6jgOY205l4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Untitled740.png)
“I was 21 and saw 23andMe kits were for sale online, and convinced my dad we should each buy one to see our genealogy,” he tells me. This December marks the fifth anniversary of the time Andrew “unintentionally threw a grenade” into his family’s otherwise peaceful holiday plans.