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A package came through the mail today. It’s the Genographic Participation Kit I ordered a couple of weeks ago. The Genographic Project is a 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. This five-year project was launched back in 2005, and is a collaboration between the National Geographic Society, IBM and the Waitt Family Foundation.

The kit came with a Genographic map, the project brochure, multimedia DVD and a buccal swab kit.

The DNA sample is collected using a cheek swab. This is done by scraping the cheek wall with the cotton swab for about one minute and then depositing the end of the swab into the liquid filled container tube. The kit includes two cheek swabs to increase the likelihood of obtaining a good sample. The collected samples will be mailed back to the Genographic Project for analysis.

Now I just need to wait two months for the result and I shall know which branch of the gigantic family tree of humankind I belong to.