A privately-funded project is seeking blood samples from 100,000 indigenous people around the world in order to trace the patterns of human migration.

The Genographic Project, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and IBM, aims to find out how people ended up in different parts of the world, including the Americas. Researchers at 10 sites -- Philadelphia is one of them -- will use blood samples to perform DNA tests and create "maps" of migration.

To get the samples, the project is inviting the public to participate. For $99.95, a person will receive a kit that includes instructions to send a DNA sample -- taken from inside the cheek -- for analysis. Within 4-6 weeks, the analysis will be ready.

Blood sample studies have been in the news with lawsuits filed by the Havasupai Tribe and its members. They gave blood for a diabetes project but researchers at Arizona State University also used it for studies on human migration and schizophrenia.

Get the Story:
Gene Project Aims to Trace Human Migration (AP 4/13)
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'Genographic Project' aims to tell us where we came from (USA Today 4/13)
Geographic Society Is Seeking a Genealogy of Humankind (The New York Times 4/13)
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Gene Project to Trace Migration (The Los Angeles Times 4/13)
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Relevant Links:
Genographic Project - http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic

Related Stories:
Scientist not sorry for using tribal members' blood (03/24)
ASU refutes claims of misuse of tribal members' blood (03/18)
Havasupai Tribe files $50M suit over misuse of blood (3/16)
Havasupai tribal members sue over use of blood (3/1)