July 28, 1995

Biological Anthropologist Traces Blacks' Genetic Heritage

Fatimah Jackson and her colleagues have developed a way to measure genetic variations inherited by African Americans

If Fatimah L.C. Jackson were an artist, she probably would paint murals.

Ms. Jackson, a professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland at College Park, likes to stir together studies of DNA samples, geography, ethnicity, health, and diet into big-picture research. Now she has begun one of her most ambitious projects yet.

Together with many colleagues, she has developed a model for measuring the genetic variation that African Americans have inherited from their