Genographic Project Informative Speech

The Genographic Project I. INTRODUCTION A. (attention grabber): Everyone here probably knows what ethnicity you are, where your immediate family came from, or maybe can even trace your great-great grandparents. But what if I told you that you can find out where your ancestors came from tens of thousands of years ago from using this! (hold up a cotton swab) B. (thematic statement): Today I will be talking to you about The Genographic Project and what it has discovered in terms of ancestry. C. (establish significance/credibility): National Geographic has been conducting the Genographic Project since 2005.

Consider the following article:

They have been collecting DNA samples from people, and by studying and grouping the genetic markers people possess, it can be determined which path your ancestors took when populating the world! It can answer why we ended up where were are, and why there is a wide variety of colors and features amongst humans. Now, what I am going to be talking to you about today is National Geographic’s Genographic Project only, because the scientific community has not come to a concensus that their findings are valid, and the project is still ongoing. D. preview of main points): (pic) So today I will explain to what the National Geographic Genographic Project is, how it is being conducted, what their findings are, and how you can be a part of it. [transition]: But first, let’s talk about what this Genographic Project is, and a little about the science behind it. II. BODY A. (main point #1): In 2005, National Geographic Genographic Project was launched. a. According to National Geographic News. Com, Dr. Spencer Wells (pic)and a team of scientists are using technologies to uncover the truth of our genetic roots.

They are analyzing patterns in DNA from participants worldwide that can tell us where we came from. He created the project to further validate his previous research about where humans came from. There is great debate about where humans originated and the paths they took to populate the world. http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2002/12/1212_021213_journeyofman. html b. According to Genographic Project website, So lets get into a little science…here’s how it works: Fathers pass on Y chromosomes to their sons, and for Mothers and daughters, its different. Mothers pass mitochondrial DNA to their daughters, and their sons.

This “genetic code” becomes varied through the generations through occasional mutations. When a mutation occurs, it becomes a marker that can be traced, and serve as genetic signposts for tracing evolution. Scientists, like Dr. Wells, can actually follow markers through time and determine the earliest ancestor for each marker. These markers in our genes can also help us to chart human migrations from Africa to other continents. The markers continue to split and split and you can eventually identify the root of all these branches to a common ancestor in Africa. ttps://genographic. nationalgeographic. com/science-behind/genetics-overview/ [transition/with signposting]: Ok, Now we have an idea of what it is and the science behind it, let’s take a look at How they are doing it and what they found. B. (main point #2): How it is being conducted- The Results they are finding. a. Dr. Wells and his team are obtaining DNA samples from ordinary people like you and me, and they are also traveling around the world to indigenous peoples and traditional cultures and obtaining DNA samples from them also.

He is focused on obtaining very different samples of DNA to get the complete picture. https://genographic. nationalgeographic. com/about/ b. As can be seen in The Human Family Tree, (a documentary about this project), (pic)the team set up a booth at a street fair in Queens. Imagine the diversity they found in that one street that day. They took DNA samples from various people and contributed the samples to the project. (They did share their findings with the people who participated weeks later) (Movie source: The Human Family Tree- National Geographic) . The Results are amazing. (pic) They were able to chart a road map of sorts to identify the roots that people took when they migrated out of Africa, by grouping the markers they found in the DNA that was collected. (talk about chart/map and how to identify the markers) https://genographic. nationalgeographic. com/human-journey/ d. They estimate that all humans alive today can trace their DNA back to a woman who lived in Africa between 150,000 and 170,000 years ago. pic) She wasn’t the first human, of course, but when you trace the markers in our DNA, it ends with her. That means that all other lineages have died out prior to hers, and her genetic marker lived on and is in each and every one of us. http://www. oldthingsforgotten. com/dna/mtdna. htm [transition /with signposting]: Ok, let’s move on to how you can join in too, now that we know what the results are. C. (main point #3) How you can help/join a. (pic) If you’ve got about $200 bucks, you can purchase Geno 2. – Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit, in which you will receive these really fancy cotton swabs, and an envelope to return the results back to National Geographic. Let’s not forget you can keep the box as a keepsake! A portion of the proceeds from selling the kid goes back into the project for funding. You can then join their website, and your results will be posted there. You can also interact, if you upgrade your account, with various other people with the same genetic markers as you- Distant Cousins! http://shop. ationalgeographic. com/ngs/browse/productDetail. jsp? productId=2001246&gsk&code=MR20936 b. So basically, what you can expect to find out is which root your genetic markers indicate you traveled. (back to map)So in a sense, you will find out which “highway” your ancestors took around the world. So for instance, (talk about African-American gentleman who’s roots did not indicate what he thought it would). III. CONCLUSION A. (review of main points): So today we have learned about what the Genographic Project is, how it is conducted and what the results are.

Plus we are all going to run straight to the nearest computer and purchase the kit, right? B. (reminder of significance): National Geographic has been instrumental in documenting and researching all kinds of things around the world with respect to human and animal populations, across the globe. This project is no different. They have the resources and the scientists behind the research to determine where we all came from. C. (dynamic closure): So I bet the next time you look at one of these (cotton swab), you will remember that it can used the solve the mystery about where you came from!