SILCHAR, Dec 3 - A scientist from Silchar, Raj Pradip Chakraborty, based on Genographic Project, has claimed that �apparently, we all are relatives, irrespective of our cast and religion�.
The �Genographic Project�, launched on 13 April 2005 by the National Geographic Society and IBM, is a multi-year genetic anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.
Since its launch in 2005, the National Geographic�s project has used advanced DNA analysis and worked with indigenous communities to help answer fundamental questions about where humans originated and how we came to populate the Earth.
Speaking on the reports of the �Geno 2.0: Next Generation (Geno NextGen)�, Chakraborty, who is associated with the study, said that the next level of the Genographic Project attempts to trace the ancient journey of man through the genetic analysis of present day populations on every continent.
He said, �DNA can be called as the codebook human body and there is a lot to be explored regarding the study.� A report published in The National Geographic magazine says that the Geno 2.0: Next Generation is the next phase of the Genographic Project; National Geographic�s pioneering effort to decode the story of individuals� deep ancestry hidden within their DNA.
Geno Next-Gen builds on the success of Geno 2.0 by growing the analytical capabilities of the test and enhancing the participant Geno 2.0 experience, he said.
According to him, the simplest technique at hand is the identification of markers which move in an unchanged manner from one generation to another. Also, the paternal and maternal ancestral details could be obtained from Mitochondria and Y-chromosome.
�The dawn of humanity began in Africa around 70,000 years ago and if Africa is the cradle of humanity, then surely Central Asia is its nursery. When modern man arrived in the Arabian Peninsula, they were probably not alone. They encountered the Neanderthal or Neandertal (an extinct species of human). Similarly, there are enough possibilities of coming into contact with the Denisovan or Denisova hominin (an extinct species of human) in south-east Asia and Oceania,� Chakraborty said.
Moreover, the Genographic Project is a multiplier initiative led by National Geographic explorer team of renowned international scientists where they are using cutting-edge genetic and computational techniques to analyse historical patterns in the DNA from participants around the world to understand human genetic roots, he added.
The scientist, who works at the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Silchar, said that around lakh people from across the world, mostly of them are from European countries and the United States, have registered their DNA into this process. More than 20,000 people from Indian have also registered their DNA.
However, he lamented that the study is yet to gain popularity in the Northeastern states. He urged the universities of the region to organise more workshops and seminars on the subject.
The three components of the project are:
1. To gather and analyse research data in collaboration with indigenous and traditional peoples around the world.
2. To invite the general public to join this real-time scientific project and to learn about their own deep ancestry by purchasing a Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit.
3. To use a portion of the proceeds from Genographic kit sales to further research and the Genographic Legacy Fund, which in turn supports community-led indigenous conservation and revitalisation projects.
