How It Ties Together
The National Geographic Society's Genographic Project would not have been possible without the discovery of DNA, The Human Genome Project, DNA fingerprinting and even Natural Selection. DNA, which stands for deoxyribose nucleic acid, is made up of sugar (deoxyribose), nucleic acid and phosphate, and is two-stranded in the form of a double helix, unlike the single-stranded RNA. Watson and Crick received credit for finalizing the model of DNA, however, the first picture of DNA was actually taken by Rosalind Franklin. Using DNA, Wells is able to go backwards through time and follow the journey of how man went to the different continents and populated the Earth. DNA, also known as the "blueprint of life", this is because very living thing uses DNA asa code for making proteins, which in turn determines our traits. This is important because when Dr. Spencer Wells travels throughout the world visiting different isolated villages he also sees the different people. Over time, due to climate, the people changed; for example, when humans first landed in Europe, or more specifically France, their skin color changed in order to absorb the available sunlight, because it was much cooler in Frnce than in Africa. In addition to this, their nose shape, increased height, and body shape also changed.
DNA fingerprinting has also played a major role in the creation of the Genographic Project. A DNA fingerprint is a unique band pattern made of DNA fragments, and this DNA fingerprint is different from everyone else in the world, except for identical twins. In this case, DNA fingerprinting would be used for gel electrophoresis, in which an electrical charge and pushed through a gel, and then compared to other DNA samples. This is important for the Genographic Project because it could show how different or similar individuals DNA fingerprints are. This allowed geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells to identify connections between even the most isolated populations to other parts of the world.
The Human Genome Project is a collaborative effort among scientists worldwide to map the genes of humans, and detect gene variations on the chromosomes which may indicate a disorder. The goal of this project is to develop gene therapy or genetically based medicines. The Human Genome Project is similar to the Genographic project because the scientists are also trying to map the genes of humans, but in an effort to create a human migration map of sorts, a family tree for the world, in order to see how all humans are connected, how we all came from the same ancestor, and our jourey to eventually populate the Earth. Spencer Wells also had to closely study the DNA of humans, and using a DNA sequence machine looked for a single mistake in order to find the ancient markers that connect everyone, much like the way that scientists of the Human Genome Project look for gene variations.
Natural Selection also played a key role in the Journey of Man. Natural selection, theorized by Charles Darwin, is the process by which new species could develop. This is done through adaption, survival of the best adapted, competition, overproduction and variation. Natural Selection is important because it was said that for the small group of humans to have made it out of Africa, they would had to have been "super humans". This is also apparent in the Chukchi people who adapted to the extreme freezing temperatures of the arctic circle within Russia. They adapted to the colder temperature because their surface area was smaller, due to their shorter arms, legs, fingers and toes, in order to preserve theire body heat in the extreme cold.
The Genographic Project is an amazing project run by geneticists and scientists that will find how closely related we all really are.
DNA fingerprinting has also played a major role in the creation of the Genographic Project. A DNA fingerprint is a unique band pattern made of DNA fragments, and this DNA fingerprint is different from everyone else in the world, except for identical twins. In this case, DNA fingerprinting would be used for gel electrophoresis, in which an electrical charge and pushed through a gel, and then compared to other DNA samples. This is important for the Genographic Project because it could show how different or similar individuals DNA fingerprints are. This allowed geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells to identify connections between even the most isolated populations to other parts of the world.
The Human Genome Project is a collaborative effort among scientists worldwide to map the genes of humans, and detect gene variations on the chromosomes which may indicate a disorder. The goal of this project is to develop gene therapy or genetically based medicines. The Human Genome Project is similar to the Genographic project because the scientists are also trying to map the genes of humans, but in an effort to create a human migration map of sorts, a family tree for the world, in order to see how all humans are connected, how we all came from the same ancestor, and our jourey to eventually populate the Earth. Spencer Wells also had to closely study the DNA of humans, and using a DNA sequence machine looked for a single mistake in order to find the ancient markers that connect everyone, much like the way that scientists of the Human Genome Project look for gene variations.
Natural Selection also played a key role in the Journey of Man. Natural selection, theorized by Charles Darwin, is the process by which new species could develop. This is done through adaption, survival of the best adapted, competition, overproduction and variation. Natural Selection is important because it was said that for the small group of humans to have made it out of Africa, they would had to have been "super humans". This is also apparent in the Chukchi people who adapted to the extreme freezing temperatures of the arctic circle within Russia. They adapted to the colder temperature because their surface area was smaller, due to their shorter arms, legs, fingers and toes, in order to preserve theire body heat in the extreme cold.
The Genographic Project is an amazing project run by geneticists and scientists that will find how closely related we all really are.