Have you heard of 23 and Me ? It is an Ancestry DNA testing company that can tell you what regions in the world your DNA came from. My brother ( for fun and out of curiosity ) used this company’s services ( for a fee of about $110 ) and learned ancestral stuff that we already know, except one. DNA testing is fairly accurate , and this company takes pride in being 99.99 % accurate. ( I hope it’s well-deserved ) Anyway, my brother has not sent me the email with details of his ancestry DNA results yet, but basically, the result says we come from South East Asia, DUH !, ( Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia,) and Europe ….. , though we have more of Europe ( Iberian, / Southern Europe ) than Asia in our genes .. What we ourselves know is, in fact, even more accurate because we know exactly where our ancestors came from ( paternal side )….. my great , great grandfather Antonio ( my grandmother’s name was Antonia ) came from Sta. Maria de la Nueva , Segovia, Spain. My grandmother even attended a reunion in Spain many years ago. As per 23andMe’s geneology database, one’s ancestry can be traced as far back as 600 years ago with almost 100% accuracy.
What surprised us most , actually, is a variant in my family’s DNA that is common in ….. drum roll…… Middle East, most particularly , in Palestine/Israel region. The word that 23 & Me used is , specifically, Jewish. I guess this comes from my mother’s side of the family, and we’re excited to know that what my mother’s been telling us,( as we, her children, listen with eye-rolling skepticism ) has been confirmed to be true , as per 23and Me’s DNA analysis ) This is Mom’s story…… ……. when she was a kid , her grandmother used to tell her ( over and over, lest she forgets ) they had Jewish blood. Of course , it was in Filipino language ,which was ” dugong Hudyo “. Hudyo is Filipino for Jew, and dugo means blood. It was only a few years ago when my mother finally understood its significance.
So, why were there Jews living in a small, rural town 300 km. from the capital city of Manila ? From our research, we learned that Spanish Jews were either forced to convert to Catholicism by the Spanish monarchy or face persecution. Some fled ( Jewish Spanish soldiers ) and went to the Philippines and settled far away from the prying eyes of the government. My mother’s town was a Spanish military town ,with fortress, complete with cannons , to defend the area from Chinese pirates. Also, there was also a high concentration of Turkish Jews in that small town. My Mom still remembers the Adads who lived right across from their house. She had a humungous crush on one of the Adad boys for a long time. We also learned that ” Adad ” is a common Turkish last name.
San Diego de Alcala fort in my mom’s town. ( Hmmm, not well – maintained )
I guess they finally converted to Catholicism at one point, but saw to it generations of descendants were reminded of their heritage. It was just recently when my mother finally understood why they had to be told of their ancestry. It didn’t make sense to an 8 year old kid then . ( Her grandma died in 1964 ) It was so random. I mean, where did that come from ? Out of nowhere, out of the blue ? She didn’t even know what a Jew was . This reminds me of an article about a Filipina girl having her hair done at a Lousianna beauty salon when a blond, blue -eyed woman approached her and asked if she was a Filipina . When she said yes, the woman’s eyes lit up and told her she had Filipino blood too. Her ancestors were Filipinos who settled in Saint Malo and Manila Village , Louisiana in the 1700’s . ( they were sailors who deserted the Manila – Acapulco galleon ships ) . They pioneered the dried shrimp industry in Louiasiana.
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We’re not sure though if the company’s database is accurate. Does a particular race have a variant unique only to that race ? I did study DNA analysis extensively at school and I can affirm with 100% certainty results are super accurate. However, if the result of the test is 99.97 % East Asian ( Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese ) , but has a 0.10 % of DNA originating from Sub- Sahara , you can consider yourself pure East Asian. Here’s the thing….. my teacher in genetics told us all human beings have a certain percentage of African DNA in their genes. Current science tells us humanity’s origin is Africa . That is a fact, unless proven otherwise.
Whoa ! 733 words now ! Gotta break this with pics of yours truly in Spain.
This is all for now . Thank you for reading , and peace.
Check out my anime/manga/video games blogsite @ https://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by gardeninacity on July 22, 2018 at 4:21 pm
Akhoti! (That’s Hebrew for “my sister”.) I knew you were one of us. Just kidding. Actually, I’m just reading a book called 1493 by Charles Mann. It talks a lot about how important the Philippines was for the trade between the “new world” and China. Something like half the silver mined in Bolivia (a huge amount) ended up going to China, and goods were exchanged near Manila. There was also a huge Chinese settlement there, except every once in a while the Spanish would get nervous and kill most of the Chinese.
Posted by renxkyoko on July 22, 2018 at 6:06 pm
So, what’s Hebrew for ” my brother ” ?
I wish my Mom’s grandmother had also passed on to their descendants the names of their ancestors. I guess it was more important to pass on who /what they were , originally. maybe if we research extensively like , getting the names of those Spaniards who were assigned to stay in my Mom’s town. Unfortunately, the town was burned to the ground by the Japanese during WW2.
Yes, it was called Manila – Acapulco Monopoly Trade. A lot of galleon ships sank between Manila and Acapulco…. this trade was the origin of deep sea treasure hunting,( tons of gold coins and gems from sunken ships….. I assume they pillaged all the gold from Mexico and brought them to Manila. ha ha ! )
The Chinese in Manila were forbidden to enter ” Intramuros” , The Walled City of Manila. They were allowed to live in Binondo, just a few kilometers from Intramuros. Binondo is the oldest China town in the world.
Posted by gardeninacity on July 23, 2018 at 5:29 am
Akhi is “my brother”. You can also say “chaver” or “chavera” (f) which is sort of like “comrade”.
Posted by Jay on July 22, 2018 at 5:39 pm
That’s cool!
Posted by renxkyoko on July 22, 2018 at 6:07 pm
I know , right. I don’t have the details yet, but my brother says our genes are all over, he he he. That’s cool.
Posted by Mona on July 22, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Wow… This is super interesting!!! I would love to do this test someday..(gotta have that much money) Even though I am pretty sure that my genes would be a lot less interesting than yours…
Posted by renxkyoko on July 23, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Ah, you’d be surprised. Our ancestors were wanderers , ha ha , it seems they’d spread their genes everywhere.
Posted by Denny Sinnoh on July 27, 2018 at 12:11 pm
One of the “Lost Tribes” of Sephardim?
Posted by renxkyoko on July 28, 2018 at 3:48 pm
I ‘ve read there are 2 kinds of Jews…. the ones whose origins were Northern Europe ( Germans, Hungarians, etc ) and those that came from the Southern part ( Spain, Portugal )/Middle East regions. ( Israel, Palestine, etc ) . Sephardic Jews ‘ origins are Spain and Portugal???? I guess my Jewish ancestors were Sephardic …. Ah, it’s so interesting.
Posted by Denny Sinnoh on July 28, 2018 at 5:44 pm
Yes, and the term “Ashkinazi” is used for European “white” Jews.
Posted by disperser on July 22, 2018 at 9:02 pm
Interesting. We tend to think people move around a lot now, but people were always willing to travel for better opportunities or less oppression or both. In that regard, the world is running out of room, but that’s another topic.
As someone with no kids, I’m not sure it’s worth it for us finding out more about our ancestors. Melisa can go back to the 1600s on her side whereas I stop my great-grandparents on my mother’s side (I don’t know anything about my father’s side).
Perhaps one day when I’m bored I’ll look into it but I don’t have much interest in it right now.
Meanwhile, glad you got a kick out of the information.
Posted by renxkyoko on July 23, 2018 at 7:37 pm
I don’t know the details of my brother’s DNA analysis…. maybe there was an African DNA somewhere…. Bro just passed on the ones that have significant percentage, not the ones that are like 0.10 % or 1.2 %
Posted by Robert on July 22, 2018 at 11:05 pm
Wow!
Posted by renxkyoko on July 26, 2018 at 11:35 am
Oooh, thanks ! ! It does seem like my DNA’s been scattered all over, he he he.
Posted by Ralph on July 23, 2018 at 7:59 am
Really interesting !
If I have it done, the results would say DNA>Do Not Ask. Heehee 🙂 ❤
Posted by renxkyoko on July 23, 2018 at 7:40 pm
It seems it’s the trend now. Companies like this are really earning a lot, it seems.
Posted by Ralph on July 28, 2018 at 11:01 am
I have just read this. I think you may be interested Ren ❤
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5990423/Drug-maker-GSK-invests-gene-profiling-services.html
Posted by renxkyoko on July 28, 2018 at 3:36 pm
I’ve heard of this, Mister Ralph. My brother didn’t sign up for this other than ancestry. ( cheaper too…. ) he didn’t want to know his ” health wellness” ( that’s the term 23 and Me uses )
Posted by IaskIseekIdo on July 23, 2018 at 2:31 pm
Reblogged this on DayOff Blogging.
Posted by renxkyoko on July 23, 2018 at 3:07 pm
Oh. Ha ha Thanks ! ! Now my DNA has gone really all over WordPress. Ha ha !
Posted by Denny Sinnoh on July 27, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Better that than all over the keyboard!
… um … Too much? I’ll save it for my HBO comedy special if I ever get one.
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on July 27, 2018 at 1:43 pm
I’ve always been a bit interested in having this done but never got round to it. I’ve always presumed that particles of us come from all over the world but then I could be wrong as I so often am !
Posted by renxkyoko on July 28, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Haha ! I bet you’d be 99.92 % Northwestern Europe , 60% of which is Irish/British. ^__^ ,and maybe some Italian and Scandinavian genes somewhere. lol.
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on July 28, 2018 at 3:34 pm
As far as I know I am about 75 percent English, 25 percent Norwegian with a drop or three of German in there 😊
Posted by renxkyoko on July 28, 2018 at 5:04 pm
LOL Peter Wells ! You are so white ! !
Posted by Peter Wells aka Countingducks on July 28, 2018 at 5:20 pm
Almost invisible 😊
Posted by eslkevin on July 29, 2018 at 2:08 am
Reblogged this on Eslkevin's Blog.
Posted by renxkyoko on July 29, 2018 at 2:43 am
Thanks ! Another reblog…. my DNA ‘s really all over WP now, he he .
Posted by My Ancestry from 23andME | Eslkevin's Blog on July 29, 2018 at 2:08 am
[…] via My Ancestry from 23andME […]
Posted by luisa zambrotta on July 31, 2018 at 6:08 pm
Really interesting
Posted by Lwbut on August 6, 2018 at 8:18 am
2 points worth remembering about our DNA and ancestry:
1. All of us have half of our Mother’s DNA and half of our Father’s and the same applies to them, and to their Parents, etc. This means 25% of our DNA comes from each of our 4 grandparents; 12.5% from our Great-grandparents and so on to the point where around 1% (1.5625% to be exact) comes from 6 generations ago which is usually people who were born between 100 and 150 years before we were. This involves 64 different people (usually, but not always).
The other thing to consider – although is rarely mentioned, recognised or inquired after, although we can now easily detect it as per 23 and me, is the fact that while we can be reasonably sure who our mothers are (unless we were adopted and not told about it) we are considerably less sure about who our actual biological fathers are – it seems there is a significant number of husbands out in the real world who remain unaware that their offspring are not biologically related to them! 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on August 7, 2018 at 3:45 am
. I’m a Forensics Science grad , as well, which is basically all about DNA analysis, so yes, you are right.
Posted by Lwbut on August 8, 2018 at 8:34 am
I had another thought re: DNA.
Humans share between 96 and 99% (depending upon which report you read) of the same DNA with our closest relative, the chimpanzees and benobos.
Given that we only share 50 % with either our Mum and Dad it puts our ancestral line in a whole new light! 😉
Posted by Dracul Van Helsing on August 7, 2018 at 12:49 am
That’s really interesting.
How fascinating that you are descended from the Marranos (the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula who were forced to convert to Catholicism).
Christopher Columbus was actually descended from Marranos- something that is not mentioned in many History books.
Posted by discontentmillennial on August 8, 2018 at 9:09 am
Looking forward to my 23andme testing and results, too. My dad told us we have Spanish and Irish heritage and I’d want to know if that’s true.
Posted by renxkyoko on August 8, 2018 at 12:30 pm
How exciting ! Does it include Wellness ? My brother didn’t include that .He didn’t want to know anything about ” future Illnesses ” . ~_~
Posted by discontentmillennial on August 8, 2018 at 2:25 pm
I haven’t really purchased the kit yet. 😀 The ones with wellness is quite expensive but I am still interested. I will let you know when I get there. 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on August 8, 2018 at 2:57 pm
I think it’s double the cost of just your ancestry…. and there’s additional fee if you want to look for relatives.
Posted by discontentmillennial on August 8, 2018 at 7:54 pm
Thanks for this info. 🙂
Posted by DNA Technology and Crime | renxkyoko's space on August 8, 2018 at 8:33 pm
[…] « My Ancestry from 23andME […]
Posted by usfman on August 11, 2018 at 9:46 pm
My wife and I obtained similar results using Ancestry.com.The main question seems to be now that you know this info., what do,you 8ntend to do with it? Make a family tree, contact distant relatives…
Posted by renxkyoko on August 12, 2018 at 7:40 am
We have a relative in the Philippines who actually researched on our paternal ancestry, and had it published ( just for the relatives ). I remember my parents sending him our resumes, where we work, etc. We have not received the book, though we did learn who our relatives were thru a huge family tree, that included a very famous ” Latino” singer here in the US ( he is half Spaniard, half Filipino ) . He isn’t a blood relative, but we do share common relatives with him, ha haha. He’s famous so we’ve included him. ^_^
Posted by theburningheart on August 12, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Very interesting posts, I always enjoy your posts, as a Latin American I share a lot of Spanish genes, as you do, and yes Spanish Jews were expelled out of Spain just when Columbus run into America, therefore a lot of Jews flew into the colonies of Spain into the New World, and spread from there all over the place, like the Jews who arrived in the island of Manhattan via Amsterdam, Portugal, Brazil, and finally Manhattan Island.
Also remember because the Papal treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 the Spanish in order to go to the Philippians had to do it from the port of Acapulco in then New Spain (Mexico) and cross the pacific Ocean, since they have no permission to use the Indian Ocean, only the Portuguese could use it.
So in order to reach the Philippines they relied on the Nao of China as it was named at the time, and it took for ever, first from Spain to new Spain, then from New Spain to the Philippines, and the reverse trip in order to get back!
And a dangerous trip it was!
But thanks to that, a rich commerce between many countries in South East Asia, like China, and India, took place in the Philippines, via the New World, and Spain existed at the time for three centuries.
And with it in consequence the spread of genes, that in my opinion it’s overrated, since as our Australian friend mentioned where around 1% (1.5625% to be exact) comes from 6 generations ago which is usually people who were born between 100 and 150 years before we were. with so many ancestors multiplying themselves backwards, in just a few generations.
Curiously in about a thousand years, every human in the planet, was related to every Human in the planet a Thousand years ago, or so. give, and take a few factors. 🙂
Posted by Carl D'Agostino on August 12, 2018 at 9:10 pm
I have always wanted to get this DNA done. One of these days. Am half Sicilian and half Roman. Wonder what else it may show. As you suggest African. So close and so much ancient world trade and interaction, probably Egyptian and Ethiopian I would guess.
Posted by imagesbytdashfield on August 14, 2018 at 1:05 pm
I used Ancestry.com and found five of my Jewish second and third cousins! We’ve been chatting away since. I even know what country and village they immigrated from to the USA and have pics and everything. The UK and African parts I knew about but this was a big surprise. So you and I could be distant relatives too 🙂
Posted by Liora on August 18, 2018 at 4:04 am
Interesting that your grandmother mentioned that you have Jewish blood. Did you know that if your descended in an unbroken matrilineal line of Jewish women that means you’re Jewish? It might be unlikely given that your grandmother didn’t mention that her grandmother or great grandmother were Jewish, however. Still interesting!
Posted by equinoxio21 on August 28, 2018 at 10:37 pm
I’m 75% French, 25% Brit (grandmother born in India), blonde and green eyes. I guess I am so white! 😉
Family heritage is always interesting.
Disfruta España.
😉
Posted by sharonchyy on November 22, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Great post