DNA project to study human migrations through history

BBC News:

A project spanning five continents is aiming to map the history of human migration via DNA.

The Genographic Project will collect DNA samples from over 100,000 people worldwide to help piece together a picture of how the Earth was colonised.

Samples gathered from indigenous people and the general public will be subjected to lab and computer analysis to extract the valuable genetic data.

And here are some of the questions that the scientists hope to answer:

"There are still many questions we haven't answered. Was there any interbreeding with Neanderthals as modern humans moved into Europe? Did any of the migrations to the Americas come across the Pacific - or even the Atlantic?"

These and other unanswered questions form the research goals of the project. They include:

Who are the oldest populations in Africa - and therefore the world?

Did Alexander the Great's armies leave a genetic trail?

Who were the first people to colonise India?

Is it possible to obtain intact DNA from the remains of Homo erectus and other extinct hominids?

How has colonialism affected genetic patterns in Africa?

Was there any admixture with Homo erectus as modern humans spread throughout South-East Asia?

Is there any relationship between Australian Aboriginal genetic patterns and their oral histories?

What are the origins of differences between human groups?

A total of 10 DNA collection centres located around the world will focus on obtaining samples from indigenous peoples. The genetic markers in the blood of these groups have remained relatively unchanged for generations.

In the news:

National Geographic and Ibm Launch Landmark Project to Map How Humankind Populated Planet

UA lab to analyze DNA to chart human migration

Genetic analysis will focus on humanity's family tree

Gene project will map humans' global spread

Scientists to study migratory patterns of 100,000 people

Finding the roots of modern humans

Tracing Humanity's Genetic Roots

'Genographic Project' aims to tell us where we came from

Around the Blogosphere:

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