The Weirdest Things People Have Learned About Themselves From DNA Testing
Reddit user OmarBessa asked: 'Redditors who have gotten genetic tests, what's the weirdest thing you learnt from your DNA?'
At the end of the last century DNA laboratory companies began to offer direct-to-consumer home DNA test kits.
According to The Center for Genetics and Society, as of November 2023 more than 26 million people have taken an at-home ancestry DNA test.
These tests have helped people find and reunite with long lost family members. However not all revelations were well met.
Unknown ancestry was discovered.
Infidelity and secrets and lies were also exposed by these tests which led to strife in some families.
Reddit user OmarBessa asked:
"Redditors who have gotten genetic tests, what's the weirdest thing you learnt from your DNA?"
Unexpected Ancestry
"So my dad is from the Philippines and my brothers and I all assumed our whole lives we are half Filipino and half Polish/German from my mom. Even my brothers married Filipino women and are very much into the family culture."
"Anyway I’m the only one who did the dna test and it came back we are only a 1/4 Filipino."
"There’s a mix—1% Japanese, 1% South American, etc...—but the big surprise was our missing 1/4 was Iranian/Romanian."
"My brothers flat out refuse to believe it."
~ Accurate-Neck6933
"Learned that I (White) had a 100% Nigerian ancestor around 130 years ago. Now I want to dig deeper to find out who it was!"
"What’s funny is that I spent a gap year in Nigeria as a teenager, and I love the culture and food and still have a lot of Nigerian friends."
"It’s still a big part of my life."
~ MPD1987
Identity Confirmed
"For 29 years, it was assumed that my dad who raised me was not my biological father, that I was the product of an affair my mother was having."
"I came out with blond hair, freckles and blue eyes. A stark difference to my tanned, dark featured dad."
"My dad chose to raise me as his own anyways, refusing paternity tests. I was never made to feel like I wasn't his."
"I took 23&Me simply out of curiosity and found out that he is in fact my biological father."
"My dad has told me he didn't want to know the results either way, but I let it slip showing my sister's the app one time at dinner."
"He didn't react, but I got an extra big bear hug getting on the train to leave that night."
"It was assumed when my mom found out she was pregnant that the pregnancy was the product of the affair. My features only solidified that assumption."
"He was already raising my mom's first daughter as his own, who he'd met when she was 2 and told my mom he wanted to keep raising the kids together. They got married and he adopted her a few months after I was born."
She was also treated so much as his that I didn't even know she was adopted by him until I was a teenager."
"My parents stayed together for 14 years, and to this day are still best friends."
~ LamePennies
"As an adult, my father-in-law found out his mother was actually his grandmother and his older sister was actually his mom."
"Things were different in the late 30's."
~ CBus660R
"I think this is quite common, especially when the real mother is still very young and in school when they get pregnant."
"The grandparents will adopt the baby and say they’re the mum’s sister/brother, and so the mum can continue their life as normal as possible."
~ _leo1st_
Adoption Answers
"The daughter I adopted and I are actually distantly related!"
~ cherrybounce
"As an adoptee who is considering doing the DNA thing, this intrigues me."
"My brother (also adopted, not a blood related sibling to me) did the DNA thing and found his birth family! I got to meet two of his half siblings. It was fascinating seeing 'nature vs nurture' in real time."
"There were certain mannerisms, etc... that all three of them did, and then other things my brother did that are definitely from the family we were raised in."
"Really cool to watch."
~ MasterChicken52
"Not me but my grandma got a DNA test done because she was sold as a baby—this happened back in the 30s (Depression Era, USA)—and never knew her biological parents, so a family member urged her to do it so we could maybe find them."
"We found both sides—a half-sister from her bio mom and a half-brother from her bio dad."
"Although it was kinda weird to realize we have family close by (only 20 miles away in one case), it was much weirder for the bio families to discover my grandma’s existence, since neither side had anything to do with the other."
"Her bio mom and bio dad seem to have crossed paths at some point in the same city. He was a married man, she was an older teen. Not sure if it was a one night stand or whatever but her bio mom was pregnant as a result of that night."
"At some point in her pregnancy, she checked into a home/hospital for pregnant unwed teen mothers (using a fake name). The bio mom was told the home would find homes for the babies, so she delivered and left."
"Bio mom went on to marry and have her own family, while bio dad likely never knew of the situation."
"As it would turn out, the home was not adopting out babies, rather selling them. Since my grandma was blonde and blue eyed she was bought quickly for a higher price by a woman."
"My grandma didn’t know until her teens that she was sold."
~ very_bored_panda
"My grandparents—they were married at the time—had a biological son they gave up for adoption before my mother was born and never told any of us about."
"Turns out some of the extended family knew my grandma had been pregnant before my mom but kept it a secret."
~ Academic_Smell
"If it was during the great depression in the US it was sadly something that happened. Not even just with babies."
"Some families had to give away their children or some of their children (I can't imagine the trauma for everyone involved) because they couldn't afford to feed themselves, let alone a child."
"My husband's grandmother told me about family members she knew who had to find new families for their children or even send them to live in an orphanage where they would at least be fed.
"Sometimes they were able to get the kids back after finances improved but not always."
~ EthelMaePotterMertz
Infidelity Exposed
"My ancestry is exactly what I grew up being told, I have several family members who were really into genealogy".
"But I found out I have a first cousin we didn't know existed."
"Apparently, my uncle had gotten married and had a son no one knew about when he was 19 and stationed across the country that he bailed on."
~ nelsonalgrencametome
"Ends up my bio dad was quite the dabbler."
"None of his relatives were surprised I existed, just that I was the only stray kid that did (so far). I keep an eye on my results for any other mystery siblings!"
"I told my new half siblings if I ever went to a family reunion I'd show up in a shirt that said 'Spare Parts' or 'I'm your plot twist'."
~ Catlore
Solving Unsolved Mysteries
"I had the same suspicions when I took my test. Turns out it was my grandmother instead with the secret babies she put up for adoption."
"Didn’t find out until 6 years after she passed away so we’re never getting answers as to what happened."
"Also got a surprise contact by the police, as I was a high match to a John Doe that was found drowned on the shores of Lake Superior in 1991."
"That was a fun family tree rabbit hole to dive down. Turned out to be a half 1st cousin from my grandmother’s firstborn."
"The local police were great about informing me and communicating. The case was assigned to them by the provincial police who were clearing out thousands of cold cases."
"I was also very excited to assist because I’d done a rather in-depth family tree about a decade prior."
"They have a team of forensic genealogists, most of them on a volunteer basis, and they were incredibly good at finding information. A lot of it was birth/marriage records and working off random dna matches to try and figure out where the Doe related to the match."
"In my case, I was a 422cm match to the deceased so we looked from my maternal great-grandparents on down."
"I assisted myself on a couple of cases afterwards, all just unidentified bodies found in water or bush, nothing criminal that would require clearance."
"To be honest, I felt a little morbid because of how interested I was in the process. I had to temper my enthusiasm when responding to the police initially."
I didn’t know the person, I had zero attachment to them and it was more of a scientific interest."
"It wasn’t until weeks later when I realized how close of a relation it was that it hit me. That plus he was likely murdered made me feel bad about my earlier enthusiasm."
"But in the cases I volunteered on, those people were loved and missed."
"One fella was a cousin of a beloved NHL enforcer that passed away a year before and I recognized the names of the immediate family we had to contact. They still had Facebook groups dedicated to searching for him with posts until the day before we contacted them."
"I’m sure there’s a relief at having answers but grief at the loss being confirmed."
~ Jrewy
More and more people are exploring their roots through DNA testing.
Have you taken a test? What was your DNA revelation?
People Share The Dumbest Thing They've Ever Written On A Test That Was Somehow Still A Valid Answer
Taking a written exam is like deliberately entering a fugue state.
Under beaming fluorescent lights, pen in hand, you flip the paper over and feast your eyes on on of the more stressful inanimate objects out there.
You blast through the questions and give the best answers possible. Hopefully you're prepared and the experience isn't pure panic and quickened breath.
But even if you did prepare it could still happen: you draw a blank.
You stare at a question and you haven't the faintest clue what to say. You stare for minutes, look around at the other poor saps also under the gun, and reread the question roughly 87 times in a row.
You have to write something, anything. And maybe, on the off chance, you'll guess right.
JXSTYLES asked, "What's the dumbest thing you wrote in a test that ended up being valid?"
About Sums it Up
"In tenth grade I was taking a test on All Quiet on the Western Front. One of the questions was an essay question."
"It read: 'In as few words as possible, summarize the main theme of the book.'"
"I responded: 'War sucks.'"
"I was correct."
-- CDC_
Social Capital
"I was in the gifted program through elementary and high school. With that label attached to me, teachers assumed I was pretty smart (I was a good student as well so I wasn't just riding on the gifted label)."
"Anyway, I had really messy cursive writing."
"Once, for a fill in the blanks question, I didn't know the answer for one space. I had everything else right, so I looked like I knew what I was talking about."
"Well, my writing was so messy that for the one answer where I wasn't sure, I just put a random scribble down. Not even letters - just the unhinged flow of my unguided fingers."
"My teacher just assumed I wrote down the right answer and I got perfect for that section"
Case and Point
"I remember I had a timed essay I had to write about hubris (basically just a high ego) in some books. (I believe Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, and Twelfth Night)."
"I had the hook line just be, 'This is the best essay ever written in the entire world, containing the best grammar, the best evidence, and the best analyses.' 'That sentence right there, is hubris.'"
"The title was also 'The Best Essay Ever.' I got probably my best essay grade then, somehow."
-- NJHarsh
Smart Alec
"Jim is making cakes and he has 1050 grams of butter. Each cake needs 25g of butter so how many cakes can he make?"
"None. He doesn't have any other ingredients to make the cakes."
-- mrcuboid56
Equal Parts Valid and Snarky
"Music exam. 'Name similarities and differences between these two pieces of music'"
"Two Audio files are played to the room"
"I write, 'both make me want to stab this pen in my ears' instead of the expected analysis of structure and musicality."
"I get the exam back with one mark on that question and the note, 'valid opinion bassed comparison, but do try to be more polite next time'"
Ageless Wisdom
"We were doing an exam in 8th grade and I couldn't think of a single piece of evidence (personal anecdote, quote, historical example, statistic, etc.) to add to my essay."
"So what did I do? Make one up."
"I believe my quote was along the lines of 'something something climbing the ladder of success something something the rungs are made of your goals -unknown ancient Roman author.' I thought for sure I was going to fail."
"At lunch the teachers called me into the lounge."
"I thought oh sh**. I'm in trouble."
"Turns out they called me in there to discuss that I got a perfect score and said they were all talking about my essay all day and that it was the best one they'd ever seen. I was in shock."
"Then the dreaded moment came. 'Where'd you get that quote from??'"
"'Uhm... I made it up because I thought I was going to fail' I thought my a** was gonna be sent home or something but instead they all just laughed. It would've been funny to me too but my anxiety said no."
-- bleujjay
Ahead of Their Time
"In a human biology test, there was a question that asked what viruses were useful for. It was meant to be a trick question, and the answer was meant to be that they weren't useful for anything."
"I wrote that they might be used to cure genetic problems."
"And they are. Now."
"I was right, they were wrong, I want my point."
A Fellow Fan
"There's a Calvin and Hobbes strip where he answers a question like 'It would be against my religious principles to answer this question.'"
"I wrote that under a question that I was baffled by. It was not valid, but the teacher knew the comic and threw me a half-credit on it."
-- elevenghosts
Bold Move
"Had to do a German verbal exam. Learned a few handy phrases to bail me out - so near the end after muddling through I had a question I just didn't understand a word of."
"So busting out my final piece I confidently responded (in German) 'That, is a stupid question'"
"The examiner paused, then laughed out loud, said something I took to mean 'yes I guess it is' then scribbled something on her paper."
"Never did find out what the question was."
-- hennell
Never Wrong
"Back in middle school, there was a kid in my religion class who developed a stupid strategy."
"Every time he didn't know the answer to a question on the tests, he would write 'God is always the answer.' It hurt me to see him have that work more than twice."
-- Koca-Soda
Just as Long as High School Class Period
"'What was the duration of the shortest war in history?'"
"I wrote '40 mins' on impulse, partly as a joke."
"I was right."
"During the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, the East African island state Zanzibar fought back against the British Empire. The fighting began at 9 a.m. on August 26 and ended by 9:40 a.m., making the world's shortest war a mere 40 minutes long."
"We had a teacher who always said 'write something.'"
"My friend wrote 'something' and got half credit and a smiley face."
Untestable
"In college, in a logic class - the very difficult question started out with 'In your opinion........' I answered that I did not have to complete the question as my opinion is personal to me and therefore not open to judgement in an exam."
"I got full credit."
-- Mike-ipedia
Way Too Fun for Hepatitis
"I wrote 'hepatitis is a virus that will make your liver quiver. It can travel through your blood like a salmon swims up river.' On a short answer portion of the exam."
"I thought I was bombing that exam so by the time that question came along I was like meh might as well have a lil fun. I ended up getting an 88! Way better than I thought I would."
-- theWildBore
H. Truman
"I wrote my entire AP US History essay on 'Henry Truman' instead of 'Harry Truman' and still got a perfect score."
"I was shocked and to this day wonder if the grader actually didn't catch the mistake or if they allowed it because the rest of the essay was accurate. Shrug"
-- 268458
The Historical Figure Approach
"Went to a Christian high school and we were all required to take this one biblical class. One of the assignments was writing an essay on 'Who Jesus is to us.'"
"As an atheist, I knew I should have made something up but I decided to write about how he was just another carpenter in history to me."
"Thought for sure my hardcore Christian teacher was going to fail me or give me the minimum to past."
"Ended up with an A."
-- librarytower
It's Tough Out There
"In 9th grade English we were supposed to read the book 'The most dangerous game' I being a slacker of course did not read it and didn't have time to get the spark notes version before we had to write an essay on it."
"The question was 'In your opinion what is the most dangerous game?'"
"I wrote a two page paper about Ice Hockey."
"My teacher said that technically i wasn't wrong because it was an opinion question but clearly i hadn't read the book."
-- Ayy0hh
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Divorced People Share The Thing They Wished They'd Asked Their Spouse Before Marriage
Marriage is a complicated situation, it's been shrouded in fantasy and fairytales since the beginning of time. We've been indoctrinated to believe that it is essential for living a happy life. We're all -straight, gay and all in between- suppose to find that missing half of us to be complete. Marriage, kids, house = HAPPINESS. What a load.
Redditor u/m1ke156 wanted divorcees to discuss hindsight by asking.... Divorced members of Reddit, what is one thing you wish you asked your spouse prior to marriage?