The Genographic Project

National Geographic launched their Genographic Project in 2005. It is a research project from the National Geographic Society which encompass work carried out by their scientific team. The public is encouraged to join. The Genographic project focuses on deep ancestry from an anthropological perspective.

The Genographic Project uses advanced DNA analysis to work with indigenous communities and the general public. The goal is to answer fundamental questions about where we originated and how we came to populate the Earth. More than 450,000 members of the public took part in the first phase of the project by purchasing a Genographic Project DNA Public Participation Kit to trace their own ancient ancestry.

In 2012, the Genographic Project was relaunched as Geno 2.0. It grew to include more DNA markers and to provide even more detailed ancestral results. More than 200,000 people have joined Geno 2.0. The newest version of the DNA kit has been enhanced to include many more ancestral regions and to analyze more than 750,000 DNA markers.

The Geno 2.0 Next Generation test uses what National Geographic learned from the first two phases of the Genographic Project and gives participants a richer picture of their genome, genetic makeup and ancestry. The DNA test kit costs $199.95 (but may cost less if they are having a sale).

Geno 2.0 includes improved results based on a higher-capacity DNA-testing chip and more accurate regional ancestry. It includes double the number of regions that the original test did and 60 reference populations. It improved the mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA haplogroup calls and includes more than 20 ancestral stories.

Geno 2.0 analyzes more than 3,500 genetic markers on your mitochondrial DNA (which is passed down from mother to child) to reveal your direct maternal ancestry. It also examines more than 15,000 markers on the Y chromosome, which is passed down from father to son, to reveal a man’s paternal deep ancestry. The test can also offer insights into your ancestors who are not on a direct maternal or paternal line for both men and women.

Participants can choose to register for the Genographic online community and connect with other people who have also taken part in the Genographic Project. You might be able to find a shared ancestry between you and someone else. Connecting with others might help you fill in the gaps between what you may know about your recent genealogy and your genetic results. This opportunity was not available during the first phase of the Genographic Project.

(The URL for the Genographic Project is https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com )