Skip to main content
Scientific American

August 2, 2011

$50 off new genotyping kit purchases through 23andMe

By Michelle Clement

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

I got the following email from 23andMe this morning:

Dear Michelle,

Thanks to you we've made some pretty amazing DNA discoveries - from fun findings on curly hair and detached earlobes you can share at parties, to groundbreaking health-related discoveries about DNA and Parkinson's disease.

We'd like to thank you for your participation in research. Every survey question you answer allows us to push for new discoveries. The more people who participate, the more cool stuff we can find, and the more we can share with you and the rest of the world!

To show our appreciation and to encourage others to join in this research revolution we are giving you a $50 coupon that you can share with as many people as you like. This coupon expires in 7 days (August 9, 2011) so make sure you get the word out fast.

Thanks a million! You rock!

The 23andMe Team

To use this coupon, visit our online store and add an order to your cart. Click "I have a discount code" and enter the code below.

I highly recommend 23andMe's genotyping service, so I'm happy to pass on the savings to you. I also highly suggest using the various aftermarket services that are available once you've gotten your results and downloaded your data. I plan on re-posting some of my adventures with using aftermarket genotyping services, but you can also browse them at my old blog.

"Life creates [the Force], makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter," Yoda explains in The Empire Strikes Back, gesturing to Luke's physical body. This quote is striking because of the apt juxtaposition of the wonder of life with its often disgusting vessel. Like many other animals, we secrete, excrete, expectorate, defecate, flatulate, regurgitate, urinate, circulate, masticate, menstruate, ejaculate, and ventilate. We are filled with gas and feces and blood and guts and mucus and any number of rude things. Life as we know it is possible because of the countless impolite things we do every day. Are we luminous beings? Perhaps, but that's neither here nor there. This blog is about the crude matter that keeps us alive.

Michelle Clement has a B.Sc. in zoology (with a minor in American culture studies) and a M.Sc. in organismal biology from The Ohio State University. Her thesis research was on the ecophysiology of epidermal lipids and water homeostasis in house sparrows. She now works as a technical editor for The American Chemical Society. Her broader interests include weird human and animal physiology, obesity and enteric physiology, endocrinology, sexual and reproductive health, personal genomics, anthropology (physical and cultural), sociology, and science education and communication. She lives in Ohio with her boyfriend and two cats.

More by Michelle Clement