Groundwork for genetic studies: communicating with communities saves time and money. (Profession).

The history of genetic studies offers multiple examples of poor planning, insensitivity to subjects, and illegible consent forms. Many times, it is scientifically necessary to name the populations studied to verify data and provide context. At those times, insensitivity can take on a political tone, and the politics can halt the research. "There's an increasing awareness that sometimes there are unintended political and social outcomes to such studies," says Dennis O'Rourke, a professor of anthropology at the University of Utah, who has participated in many genetic studies. "The more abuse and insensitivity there was in the past makes it that much more difficult to do this kind of work in the future."

Such concerns inform the new initiative to identify common human genetic haplo-types--the International Hap Map Project. The $100 million (US) study will rely on the trust and willingness of dozens of different communities and ethnic groups throughout the world to participate and donate samples. A similar project, the Human Genome Diversity Project, stumbled before its launch date amid bad press and activist attacks. One Native American tribal council issued a press release decrying the project as racist and misleading. A nongovernmental organization in Canada accused …