Not so ethnically ambiguous after-all

A while ago I decided to get one of those genetic tests to find out about my ancestry - I am adopted, know nothing about my genetic relatives, and am frequently questioned about my ethnicity, with suggestions ranging from just about every country around the Mediterranean, occasionally the Middle East, and sometimes even Indian.

With all those suggestions before the results are surprising! I am almost entirely Northwestern European 96% or so, and pretty solidly British (some 53.9%), there’s also a solid chunk of French/German in me, and a sprinkling of Scandinavian. There is a tiny bit of Southern European, maybe 1% Iberian, plus a couple of percent they can pin down more specifically than generally European. And then somewhere way back in my ancestry there’s a little bit of East Asian, they think specifically Japanese, a whole 0.1%!

So there you go, I am solidly Northwestern European, with maybe that bit of French in me, and the tiny bit of Spanish seasoning the apparent ethnic ambiguity I seem to generate?

Oh and I’m also 3.2% Neanderthal! Which is apparently more than average.

I should note this is fairy fuzzy science, there’s only so much you can get from genetics with this sort of thing, and it’s based on the effectiveness of the database of other samples. But it still gives some sort of indication.

There is also a health related reporting from the test, to see if you have any genetic risk factors for things like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. With no family history to call upon I was dubiously interested in these, and grateful to learn I have no risk factors (for the things they test for at least, it’s not impossible).

Thanks to my European ancestry though, I do have a moderately increased chance of baldness!