Freitag, 30. Dezember 2011

Respecting Synthia

since 23andme recently changed almost unnoticed their terms of subscription, most of V3 chip accounts after cancelling will turn into a sort of demo-accounts with only access to their rawdata.
When Jim McMillan put together a virtual person as a reference for a northwesteuropean person and I added a face to that, we both installed a demoaccount at 23andme and I even asked the staff for the possibility to upload Jims data to their database - as usual with no response.
Well, I have the impression, that 23andme is losing their capacity to differenciate between real and virtual people.
Installing a facebook account for Synthia Zaender, as I called her, I used the following text for my invitations:
 
"hi,
I'm Synthia, a synthetic woman, who's genome (about 570000 basepairs) was  compiled by Jim McMillan, using the most common segments,  he could find in the databases of 23andme testees of european descent. According to my snpedia/promethease results, as he could define, I'm light skinned, prone to freckling, lactose tolerant, with type A blood, red or light blond hair, blue eyes, would pick up 4 IQ points if breast feed, and more.
Following this, Hartmut Zänder made my portrait, including my possible mtdna haplogroup H1.

You can see my comparisons at:
http://www.box.net/shared/oskds8h9by"

This is, was Synthia ( not the real me! ) got today at her account:

"You really are as fascinating as you think you are.

23andMe in 2011: Helping Customers Tell Their Stories
   
Dear Synthia,
The 23andMe team made great strides this year in our mission to bring the world of genetics to you. Thank you for taking part in the personal genetics revolution, and making this possible. We take inspiration every day from the stories you share about the positive impact of our unique service. Here are the highlights of 2011, including some of the most inspiring of these stories:

New and Updated Content
   
    * Our scientists selected the highest quality information from thousands of research articles to deliver 78 new and updated reports about your health and traits.
    * Along with extensive reports on diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, we delivered “conversational” reports — for example describing how your genes might impact your coffee habit.
    * Our blog The Spittoon kept you current throughout the year on the latest discoveries in genetics and more.
Karen Durrett may have saved her life when she talked to her doctor about her increased genetic risk for breast cancer.
   
New Tools
    * Our improved Relative Finder tool connected more family trees than ever before, with most members seeing more than 250 new relatives.
    * The new Neanderthal Ancestry feature let you explore your caveman roots.
    * You can now team up with your family on your Family Health History to get a more complete picture of your health.
    * New community tools made it easier to share your stories and connect common interests.

Neil Schwartzman used 23andMe's Relative Finder to connect with the sister he never knew he had.
   

New Research and Discoveries
    * Thanks to the contributions of 23andMe members, we published a groundbreaking study on the genetics of Parkinson’s disease.
    * Our Roots into the Future initiative, a revolutionary study exploring the impact of genetics on health in African Americans, enrolled thousands of participants.
    * We continued to support research for rare diseases by launching the myeloproliferative disorders community.
    * We added 15 new Research Discoveries, on topics silly to serious, driven by the participation of people like you.

Jim Wong joined the Parkinson's Community and fought back against his Parkinson’s.
   
23andMe brings the stories in your DNA to life. We can't wait to add exciting new chapters in 2012.

Happy New Year!

The 23andMe Team           
   
Because no one is just like you.