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| This holiday season, consider giving a very different type of gift to family and friends: a journey tracing their ancient ancestors’ steps through history using DNA. The Genographic Public Participation Kit is more than a gift; it’s an experience. Not only will your recipients learn more about their past by tracing either their maternal or paternal lines, but they will also be active participants in a real-time scientific project. Kit proceeds go back to the Genographic Legacy Fund, which supports indigenous peoples aiming to revitalize their languages and cultures, making the Genographic Kit that much more of a special gift. Now, for a limited time, Genographic Kits are offered at a special price for multiple kit orders. Visit the National Geographic Online Store to view these offers and order your kits today. For more information on the Genographic Project, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic. |  | |
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| Q: Should I still give a Genographic Public Participation Kit as a gift to my family members if I or someone else in my family has already participated in the project? | | | | A: Possibly. Each Genographic Public Participation Kit can be used to test either your mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed down from mother to child and reveals your direct maternal ancestry; or your Y chromosome DNA (inherited by males only), which is passed down from father to son and reveals your direct paternal ancestry. While it is not necessary for more than one female member in your immediate family to take a test since she will be able to share the mtDNA results with the family, one can ask a direct male family member (brother, father or uncle) to test his Y chromosome DNA to reveal the paternal roots of the family. Because males carry both types of DNA, two brothers could participate: one can test for mtDNA while the other can test his Y-DNA. Together, the brothers will share a greater understanding of their ancestor’s journey by bringing the maternal and paternal stories together. | | | | Refer to our chart for more information. | | | Explorer Series:
"China’s Secret
Mummies" |  | | In a remote Chinese desert, archaeologists have unearthed mummies that are thousands of years old and completely misplaced in this part of the world. These mysterious mummies look European some have blond hair, stood more than six feet tall, and wore tartan plaids. Where did they come from? Dr. Spencer Wells, National Geographic explorer-in-residence and Genographic Project director, and Dr. Li Jin, director of Genographic's East Asian regional center, attempt to tease apart the complex genetic identity of these unusually well-preserved mummies. | | | | Premieres in the United States on December 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Watch it on the National Geographic Channel outside of the United States in February. See a discovery that could rewrite human history. | | | | Learn more about "China’s Secret Mummies." | |
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| Dr. Fabricio Santos, Genographic Principal Investigator for South America |  | Dr. Santos and his team of scientists journeyed into various Peruvian villages to witness the rich linguistic diversity and meet the members of ancient communities that have inhabited the region for thousands of years. | | Beyond the Pre-Columbian civilization | |
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| The History Inside Us Boston Globe Editorial Spencer Wells visits Boston's Museum of Science and shows how humans have been carrying information linking us all to Africa and why the "pull of ancestry is strong." | | | | | | Take your Genographic results and compare them with others who have tested. Visit www.mitosearch.org or www.ysearch.org and submit your results to see how you compare with others. You can search by name, genetic match or haplogroup. Opt to make your results available for comparison today and see with whom you match up. | |
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| Terry, a participant from Mount Kisco, New York, shared her unique journey with us. The Genographic Project gave Terry an opportunity to look 60,000 years beyond the mysteries of her birth certificate to explore where her real journey began. I was born in Venice, Italy in April 1951, but I was adopted by an American family in Long Island, New York. On my birth certificate, my mother's name is stated as Mariane. There is a scrawled line where my father's name should have been. My adopted family has their own history: German and Romanian Jews. Growing up, there were celebrations, rituals and stories that could never be reliably woven into my sense of self. I was never disturbed by the knowledge of being adopted; however, overtime I began to feel disconnected from a deep, cultural history. Through the Genographic Project I was astonished to find that my ancient ancestors migrated through the Baltic region. Now, while my immediate connections to my past can never be pieced together, the Genographic Project has connected me to the place where my ancestor's story began and from where my children can continue the journey. | | | | Share your story | |
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| For questions about your participation in the Genographic Project, click here. You received this editorial/commercial e-newsletter from National Geographic because the information for your account indicates that National Geographic may contact you via e-mail. To be removed from this distribution, please click on the link above or send your request to National Geographic; Attn: E-newsletter Program; 1145 17th Street N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20036-4688. | | Copyright © 2007 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. | |
