This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. The products that I advertise are the ones I believe in.
Ancestry DNA Traits is the latest offering by Ancestry.com that allows its users to peer into the genetic looking glass in ever more personalized ways. With Ancestry DNA Traits one gets a very personalized tour of ones own genes in terms of specific inherited traits such as cilantro aversion, iris patterns, and earlobe shape; in fact there are 18 total traits you may never have been aware of. This is my initial review.
My question goes: is this simply a gimmick for the less genealogically inclined or is there actual useful information here? Well, I guess that question of beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure there are those that see the new Ancestry DNA Traits as something of a silly notion and others that will relish the opportunity to delve deeper into their own genetic predilections.
My eye was immediately drawn to this banner. It’s very well-balanced and tempts you in all the right ways to want to ‘learn more.’ Ancestry has done a bang up job in creating new, vivid advertising layouts for all of its latest offerings. You can find out more about Ancestry DNA Traits by visiting the Ancestry DNA Traits page.
For a nominal price ($9.99 and up) you are offered the ability to unravel that portion of your genes dealing with inherited traits and learn everything heretofore unknown about your primal genetic self lying deep within the recesses of your DNA, I guess that’s not a bad price. I did not take the Ancestry DNA Traits test just for full disclosure, I’m writing on its perceived utility although I lovingly subscribe to Ancestry.com.
The 18 traits that are advertised on Ancestry are as follows.
- Sweet Sensitivity
- Savory Sensitivity
- Male Hair Loss
- Cleft Chin
- Hair Type
- Unibrow
- Bitter Sensitivity
- Hair Color
- Finger Length
- Cilantro Aversion
- Hair Strand Thickness
- Skin Pigmentation
- Asparagus Metabolite Detection
- Iris Patterns
- Earlobe Shape
- Eye Color
- Freckles
- Earwax Type
Many of these so-called “traits” seem fairly intuitive to me. For example, while the test offers to tell me about my earlobes, skin color, and chin cleft, I can just as easily walk over to a mirror and tell you the same thing. I guess the magic comes in determining if these traits carry over to siblings and other DNA matches.
I would recommend reading up on basic GENETIC PARLANCE before taking the Ancestry DNA Traits test, or any DNA test for that matter. It’s good to arm yourself with knowledge.
It seems you can also compare yourself with other relatives but I’m not sure how that process is handled, maybe through their new DNA Compare tool. This is definitely a utilitarian feature! I’d certainly like to know what types of features I share with my immediate and close DNA matches.
The comparisons available with this new Ancestry DNA Traits are also regional in the sense that it can tell you what types of traits are more common among various ethnic backgrounds from across multiple regions. This type of information might be useful in determining from which side of your family did your earlobes or hairline come from, if you care about that sort of stuff. Either way, it’s a fun feature to explore.
Overall, my first impression is that the Ancestry DNA Traits tool may be attractive to some, but not everyone. It seems to be a very personalized test that might draw in specific users either looking to validate some predefined notion or just a laugh over a cup of coffee (or a cuppa). Either way, Ancestry is definitely forging ahead with new and cool temptations to take back control of the DNA testing market. Give Ancestry DNA Traits a try and let me know what you think!
SIGN UP to stay up to date on the latest posts from the Family History Foundation.
I was pretty disappointed in Ancestry DNA Traits. Compared to 23 and Me, which my uncle did, the report was quite generic. I was hoping for something more scientific. “The DNA we tested suggests your hair is naturally straight. Your response: Wavy. Sometimes your trait doesn’t match what your genes say-that’s totally normal. Genes don’t always tell the whole story.” It was that way for most of my questions. To me, it just sounds like they’re guessing… 🙁
I guess they have an answer for everything! It’s almost like a bad psychic lol. Did you have any experience comparing traits across siblings? That’s where I thought this DNA Traits feature would be of some use, not just as a mirror. Thanks!