---
title: "Genographic Project"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genographic_Project"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:14:38.075080+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

The Genographic Project, launched on 13 April 2005 by the National Geographic Society and IBM, was a genetic anthropological study that aimed to map historical human migrations patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples.
The final phase of the project was Geno 2.0 Next Generation.
Upon retirement of the site, 1,006,543 participants in over 140 countries had joined the project.

== Project history ==

=== Beginnings ===
In 2005, project director Spencer Wells created and then led the Genographic Project, which was a privately funded, not-for-profit collaboration among the National Geographic Society, IBM, and the Waitt Foundation. Field researchers at eleven regional centers around the world began by collecting DNA samples from indigenous populations.

In the fall of 2012, the Genographic Project announced the completion of a new genotyping array, dedicated to genetic anthropology, called GenoChip. GenoChip was specifically designed for anthropological testing and included SNPs from autosomal DNA, X-chromosome DNA, Y-chromosome DNA, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The design of the new chip was a collaborative effort among Wells of National Geographic, Eran Elhaik of Johns Hopkins, Family Tree DNA, and Illumina.
The autosomal admixture analysis developed by Wells and Elhaik classified individuals by assessing their proportions of genomic ancestry related to nine ancestral regions: Northeast Asian; Mediterranean; Southern African; Southwest Asian; Oceanian; Southeast Asian; Northern European; Sub-Saharan African; and Native American.
In August 2015, a new chip was designed as a joint effort between Vilar, who was the Genographic Lead Scientist, and Family Tree DNA.
In the fall of 2015, Miguel Vilar took over leadership of the Project.

=== Geno 2.0 Next Generation ===
In 2016, the project began utilizing cutting-edge Helix DNA sequencing for a new phase of the Genographic Project called Geno 2.0 Next Generation.
Whereas earlier phases used 9 regional affiliations, Geno 2.0 Next Generation analyzed modern-day indigenous populations around the world using either 18 or 22 regional affiliations.
Utilizing a DNA-collection kit, Helix would acquire a saliva sample from a participant, which would then be analyzed for genomic identifiers that were designed to offer unprecedented insight into a person's genetic origins. The data would then be uploaded to the Genographic Project DNA database.

=== Endings ===
In the spring of 2019, it was announced that the Geno project had ended, but results would remain available online until 2020.
In July 2020, the site was retired.

== Legacy ==

For the duration of the initiative, from 2005 to 2019, Genographic engaged volunteers (in fieldwork and providing DNA samples) and citizen science projects. During this time the National Geographic Society sold non-profit self-testing kits to members of the general public who wished to participate in the project as "citizen scientists". Such outreach for public participation in research has been encouraged by organizations such as International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG), which is seeking to promote benefits from scientific research. This includes supporting, organization and dissemination of personal DNA (genetic) testing
The ISOGG has supported citizen participation in genetic research, and believes such volunteers have provided valuable information and research to the professional scientific community.
In 2013, Spencer Wells gave a speech to the Southern California Genealogical Society, in which he highlighted its encouragement of citizen scientists:

Since 2005, the Genographic Project has used the latest genetic technology to expand our knowledge of the human story, and its pioneering use of DNA testing to engage and involve the public in the research effort has helped to create a new breed of "citizen scientist". Geno 2.0 expands the scope for citizen science, harnessing the power of the crowd to discover new details of human population history.

== Criticism ==