The Africa Genome Education Institute, supported by local genealogy website Ancestry24.com, has initiated on a multi-year project to trace the ancient origins of all South Africans; no matter what their language, ethnic origins, or skin colour. The study will fill a gap in the current DNA databases available world wide and establish the diversity of ancestry in the South African population.

Molecular anthropology is a fast-growing field which is generating popular interest world wide. Vanity Fair, in July 2007, features an article that outlines the migration route of U2 front-man Bono's ancestors from east Africa to Ireland.

Looking at what is known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA, scientists are able to reconstruct the hereditary lineage of individuals and their families as far back as 100,000 years. The limitation of this approach is that those ancestors who did not pass on their genes by having surviving children are excluded from the studies. ‘Still, we are able to enrich beyond measure our understanding of who we are and where it is we come from’ said Dr Wilmot James, the co-leader of the studies.

Dr James, who is about to spend a month at the University of Edinburgh’s Genome Forum, believes that the new molecular anthropology which the Ancestry24 grant inaugurates will revolutionise historical knowledge, inform the debate about who is to be regarded as a settler and who is not, and explore the emerging consensus that we are all of African origin.

Anton van Dorsten, co-leader of the Living History Project of Ancestry24, says, "Our division will be moving into an interesting arena where traditionally recorded genealogical information of ethnic populations in the southern regions of Africa do not exist. This information is now going to be aggregated through direct DNA profiling."

The first phase of the study will focus on South Africans who believe they are originally of Niger-Congo descent; people who, in South Africa today, are referred to as ‘black African’. Researchers will go on to study the entire South African population.

Dr Wilmot James, Chief Executive of the Africa Genome Education Institute, will lead the sampling process.

The testing will be undertaken by Associate Professor Himla Soodyall who is the principal medical scientist at the National Health Laboratory Service and holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Division of Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Wilmot James is Chief Executive of the Africa Genome Education Institute and Honorary Professor in the Division of Human Genetics, University of Cape Town. He is also Chairman of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, director of Sanlam, Media24, the Grape Co and Trustee of the Ford Foundation of New York.

Anton van Dorsten is a senior channel manager of Media24, a Naspers company, and heads up the Ancestry24 division and the Learn24 division developing large scale genealogical and educational electronic libraries.

For more information visit the website http://www.ancestry24.co.za/