Indigenous people resist DNA-project
Genographic research as neo-colonial attitude
28.04.2005
Medical News Briefs By Marietta Gross
The ambitious DNA profiling "Genographic project" (See..
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic)
which seeks to
retrace the path of human settlement on Earth has been encountering
resistance among indigenous people. After a boycott-appeal by the US-
American Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism
http://www.ipcb.org,
now some Maori and African First Nations have
also announced concerns over the project .
The project which seeks to find the settlement of the Blue Planet
beginning from Africa by means of genetic samples of several 100,000
inhabitants was started in April by IBM and the science magazine
National Geographic. The main point of criticism by native people is
the argument, that the research is in effect a modern form of
colonialism, explained Paul Reynolds from the Maori Research Centre
at Auckland University.
"Indigenous people already have a history of their origin which was
communicated over generations by their ancestors. Further scientific
proofs are thus decrepit."
Additionally the Maori see the extraction of DNA-samples as Tapu,
meaning sacred or restricted.
Spencer Wells who is responsible for the five-year-project with an
estimated cost of US$40 million dollars doesn't see these worries.
He wants to track the accurate migration route of the human species,
who probably settled the Earth beginning from Africa 200,000 years
ago. Recent research suggests a volcanic eruption in Sumatra
decimated the species Homo Sapiens to only 2,000 individuals 70,000
years ago.
The ambitious project in which every citizen can volunteer – the
equipment for the DNA-saliva costs inclusive mailing expenses $137
Dollar – is primarily interested in indigenous people who are living
in isolation. Wells had detected the descendants of Genghis Khan in
Northern Pakistan by means of genetic analyses.
---------------------------------
Wanted: DNA To Track Roots of Family Tree
April 18, 2005
12:07PM
If scientists are right, all 6 billion people living on the planet
today have
ancestors who lived in Africa a long time ago. That concept has
prompted some
scientists to suggest that an African “Adam and Eve”—or at least a
small group
of genetically similar hunter-gatherers lie at the base of what is now
a
many-branched human family tree.
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The National Geographic Society has begun
what may be the ultimate search for human roots. For $99.95 and a swab
of spit,
anyone can join in and get a whole new perspective on the family tree.
The society last week launched a five-year project to seek the origins
of the
human species and map the migration of ancient peoples out of Africa
as they populated the globe.
The $40 million Genographic Project will collect blood samples from
100,000
indigenous peoples throughout the world, analyze them for genetic
markers and
try to determine their geographic origins.
”Our DNA tells a fascinating story of the human journey, how we are all
related
and how our ancestors got to where we are today,” says population
geneticist
Spencer Wells, who will head the project.
To generate public
interest,
Geographic is also offering a test kit that will allow anyone to take a
swab of
saliva and send it to a laboratory for DNA analysis. For assisting in
the
project’s finances, participants will get a “personalized genetic
analysis,” a
peek at their “deep ancestral history”—and assurances of totalprivacy.
The kits can be ordered at www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic.
Individual
test results are expected to take about six weeks.
Lest anyone be seeking proof that their ancestors came over on the
Mayflower,
National Geographic cautions that the test will “not provide names for
your
personal family tree or tell you where your great-grandparents lived.”
The
society does promise, however, that everyone will get a genetic profile
that
will tell them something about their “deep ancestors.”
Really deep. Most fossil evidence suggests that modern humans appeared
in Africa between 100,000 and 200,000
years ago and began
migrating to other continents about 60,000 years ago.
Some scientists say there was a single migration, some say more. Asia,
Europe
and Australia
were the next to be populated. The Americas were the last.
If scientists are right, all 6 billion people living on the planet
today have
ancestors who lived in Africa a long
time ago.
That concept has prompted some scientists to suggest that an African
“Adam and
Eve”—or at least a small group of genetically similar hunter-gatherers
lie at
the base of what is now a many-branched human family tree.
”We have some
indications from
prior studies about the migration of people in the last 50,000 to
10,000 years,”
says Ajay Royyuru of IBM’s Computational Biology
Center,
which is collaborating on the project.
”What’s missing is the detail, the ability for everyone on the planet
to be
able to see, understand, exactly how they got to be where they are.”
Ten research centers around the world will receive funding from the
Waitt
Family Foundation—founded by Gateway computer magnate Ted Waitt—to
collect and
analyze the DNA samples.
Each individual, from hair color to susceptibility to certain diseases,
is the
result of the unique combination of their parents’ genetic code.
But some genetic material, the male Y chromosome and maternally
inherited
mitochondrial DNA, is passed to the succeeding generations essentially
unchanged, except for rare natural mutations that enable researchers to
identify lineages extending back for thousands of years.
”Once a particular marker appears by mutation in a man, all of his
descendants
will also carry that marker,” Wells says.
”If we compile information on a large set of markers and project them
back in
time using computer algorithms, the trail of mutations coalesces in a
single
Y-chromosome whose owner lived between 40,000 to 140,000 years ago in
Africa.”
Because that mutation, named M94, is now carried by every man on the
planet,
Wells likes to call this man “Genetic Adam.” But even he concedes the
term may
be misleading. He says there were certainly other humans living at the
same
time. Their lineages simply didn’t make it to the present.
Subsequent random mutations define later branches of the human family
tree:
lineages that crept out of Africa into Mesopotamia, some that headed
east to
Asia, and others that moved north, with the advent of agriculture, into
the
Caucasus and Europe.
American Indians still carry marker mutations that first occurred among
the
natives of Siberia, and their genetic fingerprints came with them when
their
ancestors crossed the Bering Strait
more than
12,000 years ago.
Wells says the dozens of other random mutations that have accumulated
in the
DNA of contemporary humans—in addition to Genetic Adam’s M94
mutation—constitute
a kind of genetic fingerprint that can reveal whether their distant
ancestors
passed through the Middle East or the land bridge from Siberia or
crossed the
ocean from Europe to America.
Initial efforts to use
DNA to
track human migrations, a project headed a few years ago by Stanford
University
population geneticist Luca Cavalli-Sforza, sampled the DNA from 52
indigenous
groups and found five clusters of lineages that closely matched their
ancestors’
continent of origin.
With a goal of collecting more than 100,000 DNA samples representing
every
indigenous group on the planet, the National Geographic effort hopes to
paint a
much more detailed picture of human migration.
The society also hopes to avoid the political fuss that, more than a
decade
ago, prompted the federal government to withdraw support for a similar
project
that was intended to study the human genome.
Unlike the federally funded effort, which was criticized for overtones
of
racism in looking for genetic differences among populations, National
Geographic will not gather any information on genetic diseases and will
make
all of its anthropological data freely available.
Wells says he feels a sense of urgency in the project.
He says as political upheavals, environmental disruption and air travel
prompt
more people to move, the world is becoming less genetically diverse.
Indigenous
populations in particular are under pressure.
”We need to take a genetic snapshot of who we are as a species before
the
geographic and cultural context are lost in the melting pot,” he says.
© 2005 Cox News Service.
© 2005 Top Tech News.
-------------------------------
New DNA project to trace human
migrations
By Jason Motlagh
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
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."
--
Jason Motlagh is an intern for UPI Science News. E-mail: sciencemail@upi.com
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050413-052535-4867r.htm
----------
Project digs into the
roots of mankind
Posted on Mon, Apr. 18, 2005
MIKE
TONER
Cox
News Service
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/11421095.htm
ATLANTA - The National Geographic
Society has
begun what may be the ultimate search for human roots. For $99.95 and a
swab of
spit, anyone can join in and get a whole new perspective on their
family tree.
The society last week launched a five-year project to seek the
origins of
the human species and map the migration of ancient peoples out of Africa as they populated the globe.
The $40 million Genographic Project will collect blood samples from
100,000
indigenous peoples throughout the world, analyze them for genetic
markers and
try to determine their geographic origins.
"Our DNA tells a fascinating story of the human journey, how we are
all
related and how our ancestors got to where we are today," says
population
geneticist Spencer Wells, who will head the project.
To generate public interest, Geographic is also offering a test kit
that
will allow anyone to take a swab of saliva and send it to a laboratory
for DNA
analysis. Participants will get a "personalized genetic analysis," a
peek at their "deep ancestral history" - and assurances of total
privacy.
The kits can be ordered at www3.nationalgeographic.-com/genographic.
Individual test results are expected to take about six weeks.
Lest anyone be seeking proof that their ancestors came over on the
Mayflower, National Geographic cautions that the test will "not provide
names for your personal family tree or tell you where your
great-grandparents
lived." The society does promise, however, that everyone will get a
genetic profile that will tell them something about their "deep
ancestors."
Really deep. Most fossil evidence suggests that modern humans
appeared in Africa between 100,000
and 200,000 years ago and began
migrating to other continents about 60,000 years ago.
Some scientists say there was a single migration, some say more.
Asia,
Europe and Australia
were the next to be populated. The Americas were the last.
If scientists are right, all 6 billion people living on the planet
today
have ancestors who lived in Africa a
long time
ago. That concept has prompted some scientists to suggest that an
African
"Adam and Eve" - or at least a small group of genetically similar
hunter-gatherers - lie at the base of what is now a many-branched human
family
tree.
"We have some indications from prior studies about the migration of
people in the last 50,000 to 10,000 years," says Ajay Royyuru of IBM's Computational Biology Center,
which is collaborating on the project.
"What's missing is the detail, the ability for everyone on the
planet
to be able to see, understand, exactly how they got to be where they
are."
Ten research centers around the world will receive funding from the
Waitt
Family Foundation - founded by Gateway computer magnate Ted Waitt - to
collect
and analyze the DNA samples.
Each individual is the result of the unique combination of their
parents'
genetic code.
But some genetic material, the male Y chromosome and maternally
inherited
mitochondrial DNA, is passed to the succeeding generations essentially
unchanged, except for rare natural mutations that enable researchers to
identify lineages extending back thousands of years.
"Once a particular marker appears by mutation in a man, all of his
descendants will also carry that marker," Wells says.
"If we compile information on a large set of markers and project
them
back in time using computer algorithms, the trail of mutations
coalesces in a
single Y-chromosome whose owner lived between 40,000 to 140,000 years
ago in Africa."
Because that mutation, named M94, is now carried by every man on the
planet,
Wells likes to call this man "Genetic Adam." But even he concedes the
term may be misleading. He says there were certainly other humans
living at the
same time. Their lineages simply didn't make it to the present.
With a goal of collecting more than 100,000 DNA samples representing
every
indigenous group on the planet, the National Geographic effort hopes to
paint a
detailed picture of human migration.
The society also hopes to avoid the political fuss that, more than a
decade
ago, prompted the federal government to withdraw support for a similar
project
that was intended to study the human genome.
National Geographic will not gather any information on genetic
diseases and
will make all of its anthropological data freely available.
----------------
RESIST
-----------------
ECOTERRA Intl.