The results are in!

Do you remember on my special Christmas present? The DNA analysis from “23andMe”? Well, I've since done the test and received the results.

The first batch did not interest that much as it was mainly focused on my future health risks, something I'm not looking forward to anyway, and since it failed to tell me when I will die, I remained rather dismissive about it.

The second batch of results involved my ancestral grouping and showed both my maternal and paternal lineages.

Starting with my mom's line, it confirmed that her group is one that dominates in Europe, reaching peak concentrations along the Atlantic coast. It's also common in many parts of the Near East and Caucasus Mountains, where it can half of the population. That group is about 40,000 years old and because it's so common in Europe, it also is shared by members of continent's royal houses. For instance, famous people like Marie Antoinette and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh must be related to me. Learning this made me extremely happy!

My dad's line is also extremely common in Europe, but somewhat younger at 17,000 years of age (see, I wasn't quite born yesterday), and spread after the end of the Ice Age. Various branches of that group trace the many migrations that have shaped Europe, from the arrival of farmers between about 10,000 and 7,000 years ago to the movements of ethnic groups such as the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Interesting, but nothing breathtaking like learning that I originated from some smart monkey, prehistorical horse or even a lowly insect.

Today, I feel a lot better about myself and am totally clear as to where my roots come from!