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23andMe kits are on sale for Black Friday
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Save Up To $100 With 23andMe's Black Friday Deals

by Kristina Johnson
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Holiday deals are starting early, and one of the most popular DNA testing companies out there is offering an especially good one. So if you've been holding off on exploring your genetic makeup, 23andMe's Black Friday deal makes now the perfect time.

23andMe is actually offering two different kits during their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year. But you don’t have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving or the Monday following it to score the sale prices, since the promotion is already going on and lasts through December.

If you just want to know your family background, you can nab the Ancestry + Traits Service kit for $79. That’s down from the regular price of $99. It’ll review your ancestry based on more than 1500 specific regions, and it’ll build out a DNA-based family tree (which is a potentially awesome way to link up with long-lost relatives). It’ll even detail more than 30 traits based on your DNA, which include super interesting facts like how likely you are to be able to match musical pitch, have freckles, or even which flavor of ice cream you’re likely to prefer. It can even tell you the odds of having a unibrow or a widow’s peak. Who would have guessed that all those seemingly random things all have a link to your genetic makeup? Definitely not me.

Courtesy 23andMe

For a bit more of an investment, you can get the Health + Ancestry 23andMe kit. That will cost you $99, down from the regular price of $199. You not only get all the same services as above, but you also get a trove of health-related information. That means personalized genetic reports on about a dozen health predispositions, including whether you have gene variations linked to things like developing Alzheimer's disease or breast cancer, or whether you're a carrier for cystic fibrosis. You can also get wellness reports with this kit, which include personalized suggestions on how to stay healthy based on your genes.

One very cool feature of the 23andMe site is that you can see sample reports to get an idea of exactly what the information you'll get with your test results will look like. But of course, there are a few disclaimers that you should know about before you purchase. When it comes to health information, the company stresses that the kits are not meant to diagnosis any conditions, or influence medical decisions. The company also warns that the kits can inadvertently bring family skeletons out of the closet — like finding out that a person you thought was your biological relative actually is not. Definitely something to consider before buying your whole family one of these kits for Christmas.

If you're interested in checking out a 23andMe kit, you should also know that they are incredibly easy to use. All you have to do is spit into a tiny collection tube, send it back, and wait. In a few weeks, you can have a treasure trove of information about yourself at your fingertips — not bad for less than 100 bucks.

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