Distinct from the Human Genome Project launched two years previously, the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) is run by a group of scientists at Stanford University's Morrison Institute who collaborate on an unprecedented study to understand genetic diversity in human populations, and how it has developed through migration and evolution.

The project begins collecting tissue samples from hundreds of Indigenous people, citing concern that Indigenous communities are "disappearing" and that their genetic data is needed for preservation.

All of the data is intended to be publicly available in preserved gene banks. There will be an uproar from Indigenous communities around the world who believe the project's data collection process is both unethical and dismissive of Indigenous spiritual beliefs about life.