National Geographic - The Genographic Project
The National Geographic Project is a multiyear research initiative launched in 2005. The Geno 2.0 Next Generation test kit enables members of the public to participate in the Genographic Project while learning fascinating insights about their own ancestry. The Geno 2.0 Next Generation test examines a unique collection of nearly 300,000 DNA identifiers, called “markers,” that have been specifically selected to provide ancestry-relevant information.
I received a DNA testing kit from National Geographic's Genographic Project for a Christmas present. After carefully following the instructions, I dropped my saliva/cheek swab sample into the mail at the end of December 2016. After many weeks of checking on the status, I received my results in March 2017.
Identified through mtDNA testing, my maternal haplogroup is J1C5 and is shared by 0.3% of all participants in the Genographic Project. I am also 1.1% Neanderthal compared to a project average of 1.3%.
My Regional Ancestry
Sandra's Results
My DNA results were then compared to the reference populations currently in the Genographic database to estimate which of these populations was most similar to me in terms of genetic markers. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I belong to these groups, but that these groups were a similar genetic match, and can therefore be used as a guide to help determine why I may have a certain result. This information is determined from the entire genome, so it reflects both parents’ information, going back six generations, or more. Results are a mixture of recent (past six generations) and ancient patterns established over thousands of years, so it is possible to see surprising matches!
