Take a DNA Test, Then Buy an Airplane Ticket

Culture and identity is not transmitted genetically. Vogelin and Derrida might correctly call it a "participatory reality". Vonnegut would definitely call it a "granfalloon" which if one is lucky could be a "karrass". Having a better understanding of statistics would help immensely with understanding the quackery involved in these genetic tests.

Another example of intellectual ghettoization!! This inane desire to feel special, different only feeds marketers of all hues looking for "marks."

That's bound to generate some huge tourism to Africa: shouldn't we all visit aunt Lucy?

I've always though that I was from despicable Irish debtors stock essentially with a made-up family name and zero lineage. Taking a DNA test would be evermore upsetting if that was false or slightly-inaccurate. Imagine the worst case of coming from English gentry or Royalty. My bootstraps claim would be destroyed and I'd become another silver-spoon gadabout. I like my bootstrap image and hereditary tale as is.

I visited my grandfathers hometown in the Netherlands it helped explain a lot.

One more frivolous excuse to fly thousands of needless miles in a fossil fuel burning jet plane. That is progress.

Taking the DNA test only confirmed that I have ancestors who came from Ireland. Finding out exactly where in Ireland they emigrated from took several years of hard genealogical digging, some blind luck, and eventually turning over everything I had uncovered to a genealogist in Ireland who was able to put the final pieces together using Irish records. It's much harder than just taking a DNA test, but for me the hard work has been worth it. In May I'm traveling to Ireland where I'll join up with some relatives from Rhode Island, whom I discovered through my genealogical research, then we'll travel together to the townland our ancestors emigrated from where we plan to meet with some relatives whose ancestors stayed in Ireland. It will be much more rewarding than just blindly visiting Ireland.

I'm the odd-man-out in the whole DNA/genealogy process. To be fair, I did have my genetics scanned through 23&Me some time back to see what genetic based diseases/conditions I inherited. Fortunately, I got the results before 23&Me was told to stop providing this information. Now it's all about ancestry. That is what I don't care about. I separated from my family a long time ago and don't want anything to do with any of them. I do get the occasional message that I have DNA relatives - I ignore them. Besides, I'm sure that nobody in his/her right mind would want to claim a relationship to me. My guess is that H. L. Gates has investigated some families only to find people that you just don't ever want to talk about.

I took the DNA test and found that my great-grandparents were from Northern Ireland, so I looked a little further and discovered their home region near Rostrevor. Upon arrival I quickly learned that the region had a reputation of producing exceptionally tall people. I had always attributed my 6’8” height to the German side of my family but reconsidered that based on the new info. In Rostrevor I found a full size depiction of a local folk hero (real!) painted on the wall of a souvenir shop. This Irish giant loomed over me and I now treasure the photo of me next to the image of the 7’4” Mr. Murphy.

Had a family member send me the National Geographic test. What a waste of time and money! The accuracy of these (and similar) tests is dubious at best and I even know of twins who have had different results. My spouse is a scientist in microbiology and has done his/her own DNA test - with the results framed on our bedroom wall. I would advise caution! There is a potential for a lot of abuse! Police are now starting to do their own rapid scan DNA tests - without a search warrant. LE is also looking at test results on major websites and making arrests. How many results are being shared with insurance companies without the knowledge of those who paid for the kits? A lot of questions... again, caution is advised!

Funny, I was just thinking of booking a flight to Toledo, Ohio to see where my great grandma and great great grandma grew up. Through ancestry.com I've not only learned about my DNA but better yet I've met distant relatives who have invited me to come stay with them and show me my family history. This is the best part of doing a DNA test.

I agree concerning the need to be skeptical about the accuracy of genetic tests. When I first sent my DNA in to one of the big, national genealogy companies, the results said I had 27% Scandinavian ancestry (the largest single bloc in my profile); when I logged in a year later to see if anything had been updated, I was shocked to see that my supposed Scandinavian heritage had entirely disappeared, replaced by 38% central European (previously barely registered). Good thing I didn't summer in Oslo or Copenhagen or Stockholm to get in touch with my roots.

People might consider looking into the accuracy of the results before making travel plans. A recent investigation by CBC Marketplace, in Canada, showed that when twins did 5 different tests, they got different results- hard to explain with genetically identical people. The level of accuracy, admitted to by the companies when you look deep enough, makes these tests appear to be for "entertainment purposes only". Plus, as the databases they use change, where they say you are from can change.

The census started taking census information about former slaves in 1870, and procided the only documentation that some families had. Why do Democrats want the census to not ask about citizenship? That's data that could be used decades from now by their children.

I'm 1% Italian so I'm sure that's why it's first on my list!