http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/participate.html

Washington, DC, Apr. 18 (UPI) -- The National Geographic Society and IBM Corp. have launched a joint five-year study to attempt to trace definitively the migratory history of the human species using DNA analysis.

The Genographic Project is a non-profit research partnership in which a team of international scientists, spearheaded by Spencer Wells, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, will gather genetic samples to map and analyze how Earth was populated.

"We see this as the 'moon shot' of anthropology, using genetics to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of human history," Wells said.

He said more than 100,000 DNA samples will be gathered from indigenous groups and the global public to be analyzed at 10 research centers worldwide. The project is expected to reveal details that provide a new understanding of the connections and differences that make up the human species.

"National Geographic has been exploring and mapping the world for 117 years," said John Fahey, the society's president and chief executive officer. "This is the biggest thing of its kind we have ever done. The field science work ... will go into a virtual museum of human history."

Fahey said that unlike the Human Genome Project, this collaboration has no medical objectives and is "at its core a historical and anthropological project."

The resulting database is expected to become a vital resource for geneticists, historians and anthropologists seeking answers to age-old questions about the genetic diversity of species Homo sapiens.

"The more we can improve our understanding of the common origin and journey of humankind, the greater the possibility for all of us to see each other as members of the same family," said Ted Waitt, founder of the Waitt Family Foundation, one of the project's underwriters. "I believe this is vital at a time when people tend to emphasize differences."

One of the Genographic Project's core components involves field research. Scientists will collect blood samples from indigenous populations whose DNA has remained relatively unaltered over hundreds of generations. The samples should serve as reliable indicators of ancient migratory patterns.

The project also encourages public participation, inviting individuals to purchase a DNA-sampling kit for $99 and submit cheek swabs for analysis. The kit purchase and sample submission entitles participants to obtain information about their own migratory histories and track the project's overall progress securely online.

This way, a person can "understand his (or her) connection to people around the world -- that we are all linked to each other by a genetic thread, and that our threads are interwoven through the migration of our ancestors," Wells said.

Fahey noted that people had purchased 1,200 kits within the first few days of availability on the National Geographic's Web site.

Some of the proceeds from the sale of the genographic kits will fund the Legacy Project, designed to support education and cultural preservation among indigenous groups.

The project builds on a body of work by Wells that includes a book and a television documentary -- both titled "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey." He said the goal is to capture a "genetic snapshot" of human diversity before it is permanently erased by the homogenizing effects of globalization.

"Our DNA carries a story that is shared by everyone," he said. "We'll be deciphering that story, which is now in danger of being lost as people migrate and mix to a much greater extent than they have in the past."

Wells explained that as people increasingly move to urban centers, diverse native languages that are critical markers to understanding migratory histories are disappearing. Of the roughly 6,000 languages reported to be practiced worldwide, one is said to be lost every two weeks. Some have estimated that over 50 percent will vanish by 2050.

When asked what he saw as the effort's primary possible outcomes, Ajay Royyuru, IBM's lead scientist on the project, said he hoped to build a statistical model for human variation and migration.

"There are a host of questions ... that are unique to each indigenous population -- language, dialects, appearance -- we want to answer," he said. "What correlations will we find? Can we trace how these particular characteristics are unique to individual indigenous groups?"

Three representatives of indigenous communities that are participating in the field research attended the launch ceremony in Washington last week. Each had agreed to undergo DNA analysis, and the results of their tests were made known to them for the first time.

Julius Indaaya Hun!un!ume, a Hadza Chieftain from Tanzania whose tribe is the last of his nation's hunter-gatherers, learned that his genetic lineage can be traced back to the very origins of humans in East Africa.

Battur Tumur, a Mongolian émigré now living in San Francisco, discovered he was a direct descendant of 12th century warlord Genghis Khan, a revered symbol of strength and stability in his homeland.

Phil Bluehouse Jr., a Navajo Indian living in Arizona, found out that his ancestry linked to nomads that once roamed present-day Mongolia, a recurring notion he said had permeated his dreams since he was a boy. He said he now felt more complete as a person knowing all people are connected, and the Genographic Project had confirmed a belief the deeply spiritual Navajo peoples have long held to be true.

"Because we know who we are, we can better understand the being that links us all together," he said. "We're all beautifully connected, there's no other way to put it."

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