Markers / Gene
ANKK1
One position in this gene is readable from a home DNA test.
Dopamine receptor density, the Taq1A variant
rs1800497 · chr11:113,270,828 · G/A · evidence: moderate
The reward system evolved to make you chase scarce things: sugar, fat, salt, status, novelty. This variant is associated with fewer dopamine D2 receptors in the striatum, and it has been studied in addiction and in the pull of highly palatable food. It is the mismatch argument in a single gene.
| If you carry | What it means |
|---|---|
| No copies | You have the common version on both copies |
| One copy | You carry one copy |
| Two copies | You carry two copies |
| Ancestry group | A (the effect version) | |
|---|---|---|
| African | 38.5% | |
| American | 31.1% | |
| East Asian | 40.6% | |
| European | 18.8% | |
| South Asian | 31.5% |
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, via Ensembl, retrieved 2026-09-23. These groupings are coarse and flatten a great deal of internal diversity, particularly within Africa. A variant being common somewhere tells you where a piece of your ancestry probably comes from, and nothing else.
If you have taken a home DNA test, these positions are already in your file.
Read my file