April 13, 2005

The Genographic Project

The Genographic Project is a new initiative by National Geographic and IBM, headed by Dr. Spencer Wells, in which ordinary people can participate, for about $100. For this price you will learn your mtDNA and Y-chromosomal "deep ancestry", and it seems like a really good bargain for anyone interested on the subject, in addition to being part of a real research project!

Until now, the only way to obtain this information was through one of several DNA companies, and at a much higher price. It is not yet clear what information you will get from your sample, so anyone who has already learned their place in the mtDNA and Y-chromosomal phylogeny (::weep:: me) should probably wait before they join in.

Also, of interest in the Genographic Project site, the interactive Atlas of the Human Journey.

UPDATE

Actually, it appears that males only get the Y-chromosomal test and females get the mtDNA test.
How to participate

Samples will be analyzed for genetic "markers" found in mitochondrial DNA and on the Y chromosome. We will be performing two tests for the public participants:

Males: Y-DNA test. This test allows you to identify your deep ancestral geographic origins on your direct paternal line.

Females: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This tests the mtDNA of females to identify the ancestral migratory origins of your direct maternal line.

1 comment:

sbarrkum said...

They would have a bigger data set if they would allow submission of analysis from others sources.

I know its work to match output from two sources, but could be automated with a few days of work.