Charlotte Hu / Business Insider
It's been three years since 23andMe, a consumer genetics company, relaunched a new test that passed the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration and told you everything from how much DNA you share with our Neanderthal ancestors to how much caffeine you likely consume.
But in addition to the ancestry data, it also gives you details on certain genetic variants that can increase your likelihood of developing certain diseases. Starting in March, 23andMe got the go-ahead for a breast cancer test that tells users whether they have certain mutations related to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
Consumer genetics tests like 23andMe have been gaining in popularity. Over Thanksgiving weekend last year alone, shoppers bought 1.5 million of 23andMe rival AncestryDNA's kits.
In October, 23andMe opened up an interactive pop-up exhibition in the middle of Manhattan to help consumers visualize what their tests can do and better understand the data they might receive if they choose to take the test. It's part of the company's new ad campaign aimed at highlighting the information you can glean from a report beyond ancestry.
The limited-time exhibit was open to the public last weekend. In case you missed it, here's what it was like to visit.