The Genographic Project
The Genographic Project seeks to chart new knowledge about the migratory history of the human species and answer age-old questions surrounding the genetic diversity of humanity. The project is a not-for-profit, five-year, global research partnership of National Geographic and IBM, launched in 2005, using genetics as a tool to address anthropological questions on a global scale. At the core of the project is a consortium of 11 global regional scientific teams who, following an ethical and scientific framework, are responsible for sample collection and DNA analysis in their respective regions. The project is open to members of the public to participate through purchasing a public participation kit from the Genographic website, where they can also choose to donate their genetic results to the expanding database. Proceeds from kit sales support the field research and a Legacy Fund for indigenous and traditional community-led language revitalization and cultural projects.
Net proceeds from the sale of the Genographic Project Public Participation Kit are returned to the research and support a legacy fund that provides grants to indigenous and traditional peoples around the world. To formulate the genetic markers that expand the basis for the migratory analysis, a team of Genographic scientists from eleven global research centers are collaborating with indigenous and traditional groups to analyse DNA samples.
The Genographic Project’s field research teams in Australia hail from Melbourne’s La Trobe University, where the study is overseen by Assoc Prof. John Mitchell as well as from the Ancient DNA Centre at Adelaide University led by Professor Alan Cooper.
