DNA Part Four: Spice

Spice

I recently moved.  I noticed while cooking the other day that I gave up a spice advantage.  The “community” spice rack had all sorts of wonderful grounded herbal ingredients.  One of my favorites is smoked paprika.  My current meager collection is about 6 things: two kinds of salt, a black pepper grinder, curry and… well four items (you can’t count chicken stock as a spice).  Spice is expensive.  It will take a while to build up my own rack.

Food would be bland without some spice.  This is also true with DNA.  Looking at my genetic make up, although the majority tracers are 85.9% European, I like seeing the “dashes” of Italian, Iberian, West African, and Native American; it’s the spice in my DNA.

It’s been almost a month since I received the results from my 23andMe DNA test.  (see DNA: part three)  I’m working the social aspects of the site to find any relatives closer than 4^th cousin.

I may have found a 2^nd, but the person responded to my story with “Let’s continue cautiously”.  They have two female cousins that MAY have moved to the Pacific Northwest and “married Anglos” around the time I was born.  The adoption label has a shock value that works both ways.  I am once again reminded of the taboo label attached to me since before birth.  A child that is a living reminder of a moment someone wanted to forget. Despite an unknown reason for my origin, I am an advocate for adoption over abortion.  I’d like to think somehow my  life has a needed affect on this pool table of a planet that rides on the back of a tortoise.

CUBA is now open

It’s been an especially encouraging week regarding CUBA, position #1 for my Country of Ancestry above the United Kingdom, #2!

“President Obama will move as soon as next month to defang the 54-year-old American trade embargo against Cuba, administration officials said Thursday, using broad executive power to defy critics in Congress and lift restrictions on travel, commerce and financial activities.”  

-New York Times, December 19, 2014 

It’s almost as if Cuba is calling me.  If this is true, soon I will be able to visit it.

 % of Cavewoman

The test also shares how much Neanderthal you have.  That’s right, the closest evolutionary relative of modern humans. The first Neanderthals arrived in Europe as early as 600,000 to 350,000 years ago.  They lived along side modern humans for thousands of years. Genetic evidence suggest that they interbred and although Neanderthals disappeared about 30,000 years ago, traces of their DNA — between 1 percent and 4 percent — are found in all modern humans outside of Africa.  The average European has 2.7%, I have 2.6%.

I am 2.6% Neanderthal.  While I contemplated what that means I notice a t-shirt is available for purchase, readily available with my percentage on it.  Talk about a conversation starter.  While wearing it perhaps I’ll walk around and use the word “Cronk!” for every word, and smash stuff.  “It’s OK I’m just letting my inner Neanderthal out”

Article credit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/us/politics/obama-intends-to-lift-several-restrictions-against-cuba-on-his-own.html?_r=0