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Now that Cavalli-Sforza's mammoth study is finally complete, it's time to start a fresh survey. Reason: new analytical techniques that in recent years have revolutionized the field of genetics. Instead of using indirect markers like blood groups, researchers can now determine the exact chemical sequences of long strands of DNA itself. Cavalli-Sforza and his colleagues believe this technology can be used to resolve questions they were ill-equipped to answer, such as the origins of the Negrito tribes in the Indian Ocean, Malayan peninsula and the Philippines. Anthropologists suspect that they are descendants of a wandering people who had once formed an ancient human bridge between Africa and Australia.
The daunting task of making a more refined genetic atlas now lies with the Human Genome Diversity Project (an offshoot of the ambitious Human Genome Project), which was set up by a committee of scientists chaired by Cavalli- Sforza. Its objective is to create a global data base over the next 10 years using the new techniques -- and unlock more secrets of the human gene pool.
Before the researchers can even get started, however, they will have to confront some major questions: How will the genetic sequences be used, and who will benefit from them? Genetic information is the raw material of the burgeoning biotechnology industry, which uses human DNA to build specialized proteins that may have some value as disease-fighting drugs. Activists for indigenous populations fear that the scientists could exploit these peoples: genetic material taken from blood samples could be patented for commercial use without adequate compensation to the tribes that provide the DNA.
The researchers believe they can ease such concerns. Already, the Human Genome Diversity Project is working with a U.N. organization to establish some guidelines. Cavalli-Sforza stresses that his mission is not just scientific but humanitarian as well. The study's ultimate aim, he says, is to "undercut conventional notions of race" that cause discrimination. It is a goal that he hopes will resonate among indigenous peoples who have long struggled for the same end.