Today, on the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project page, we find this announcement:
This is a sad day indeed.
- Effective May 31, 2019, you can no longer purchase Genographic kits.
- If you currently have an unsubmitted kit, you may still be able to submit it for processing. See this link for more information about your specific kit.
- The Genographic website will be taken down December. 31, 2020. Your results will be available for viewing until then, but not after that date.
- Data will be maintained internally by the Genographic project for scientific analysis, but will not be otherwise available to consumers. Miguel Vilar with the Genographic Project assures me that the underlying scientific research will continue.
Please Transfer Your DNA Results
The original Genographic project had two primary goals. The first being to obtain your own results, and the second being to participate in research.
If you are one of the 997,222 people in 140 countries around the world who tested, you may be able to transfer your results.
Depending on which version of the Genographic test you’ve taken, you can still preserve at least some of the benefit, for yourself and to scientific research.
- If you tested before November 2016, Family Tree DNA processed your kit for the Genographic Project, and you can transfer your results to Family Tree DNA for free by clicking here.
- If you tested internationally either before or after November 2016, your kit was processed by Family Tree DNA and you can transfer your results for free to Family Tree DNA by clicking here.
Note that only Y and mitochondrial DNA results can be transferred, because that’s all that was tested. How much information can be transferred is a function of which level test you initially took, meaning the version 1 or version 2 test.
According to the Family Tree DNA Learning Center, people who transfer their results also qualify for a $39 Family Finder kit, which is the lowest price I’ve ever seen anyplace for an autosomal DNA test.
- If you tested within the US in November 2016 or after, you tested on the Helix platform and your results cannot be transferred to Family Tree DNA.
If you have already tested your Y (males only) and mitochondrial DNA at Family Tree DNA, there is no need to transfer Genographic data. Family Tree DNA information will be more complete.
Salvage as Much as Possible
As a National Geographic Society Genographic Project Affiliate Researcher and long-time supporter, I’m utterly heartsick to see this day.
Please transfer what you can to salvage as much as possible. We already lost the Sorenson data base, Ancestry’s Y and mitochondrial DNA data base along with YSearch and MitoSearch. How much Y and mitochondrial DNA information, critical to genealogists and the history of humanity, has been lost forever?
Let’s not lose the Genographic Project information too. Please salvage as much as possible by transferring – and spread the word.
Please feel free to repost or preprint this article.
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