Spencer Wells responds

Spencer Wells responds to some questions posed in the GENEALOGY-DNA list:

Here are some answers to a few questions on the listserv:
* We will be testing ancient remains. Alan Cooper, one of the pioneers in this field and arguably the best of the best technically speaking, will be heading up this center. As of May, Alan will be based at the University of Adelaide in Australia (he was formerly at Oxford). We will be attempting to obtain ancient genetic material, both mtDNA and nuclear, from human and non-human (esp. domesticated animal) remains.
* The public testing will be for the standard 12 FTDNA STRs (in the case of men) and HVR-1 sequences (in the case of women), with predicted haplogroups based on these results. New algorithms have been developed by the IBM team to allow us to predict haplogroups with great precision, but in those cases where we are uncertain, additional SNP typing will be conducted to confirm.
* The raw data (STR repeat numbers, differences from CRS, SNPs) will be reported.
* There will be an option to enter ethnographic data when you choose to upload your results to the database. No names (we need to keep it anonymous), but parents'/grandparents' place of birth, ultimate country of origin, specific region/village of origin, language(s) spoken, etc.
* All genealogical work will be conducted through FTDNA's existing procedures, and will require Genographic participants to opt into this aspect. If/when you opt in, you will be shifted over to FTDNA while still maintaining your Genographic record

Hope this helps,
Spencer Wells

See also the FTDNA Genographic FAQ.