Spencer Wells, Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of ’56 Professor and Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic and Director of the Genographic Project, has adventured to almost 80 countries, ridden ex-Soviet tanks in -70 degree temperatures in far-eastern Russia, traversed the worst part of the Sahara Desert in Chad and crossed mine fields in Bolivia, while on a quest to discover how the human race migrated the globe. 

At a panel on Thursday, the Cornell University Genetic Ancestry Program released the results to the genetic lineages of 200 randomly selected undergraduates.

Five years and over 400,000 samples later, Cornell’s most recent Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of ’56 Professor, Dr. Spencer Wells, enhanced the public’s view of genetic anthropology.  His work re-traces humanity’s migrations over the past 60,000 years.