Largest yet survey of human genetic diversity

Nature News ^ | 21 February 2008 | Erika Check Hayden

[neverdem]

DNA analyses highlight human differences — and similarities.

Scientists have taken an unprecedented look at worldwide genetic diversity to illuminate the history of the world’s populations.

In two papers — one published today in Science 1, the other published yesterday in Nature 2 — two teams performed the most thorough genetic analysis yet on samples from the Human Genome Diversity Project, which covers more than 50 geographic groups from all over the globe.

The group publishing in Nature looked at 29 different populations; the group publishing in Science examined 51. Both analyzed variations in single letters of DNA, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), at hundreds of thousands of sites within the human genome. The group publishing in Nature also examined another source of genetic diversity — so-called 'copy number variants', which involve rearrangements within longer stretches of DNA.

“It’s like looking back at the earth with a telescope a thousand times more powerful than what you had before.” Richard Myers

Their analyses provide more evidence to support existing ideas, including the concepts that populations lost genetic variation as they migrated farther from Africa (see On the origin of deleterious mutations), and that it's possible to trace an individual's geographic heritage through their DNA. They also turned up some new findings: the team reporting in Nature found for the first time that copy number variants differ between human populations similarly to SNPs.

“It’s like looking back at the earth with a telescope a thousand times more powerful than what you had before,” says Richard Myers of the Stanford University school of Medicine, part of the team publishing in Science . “You confirm what you already knew from the big picture, but you also start to see islands and rivers and houses where before you just knew there were land masses.”

[neverdem]

These first two links are to the Nature News stories that were restricted access. You can link the Nature and Science abstracts at the end of the Nature News story.

So similar, yet so different

On the origin of deleterious mutations

Proportionally more deleterious genetic variation in European than in African populations

Signatures of strong population differentiation shape extended haplotypes across the human CD28, CTLA4, and ICOS costimulatory genes

[SuziQ]

Bump for later reading.

[rfp1234]

Yay, 51 more minority/victim groups for the Democretins to exploit.

[hh007]

the intellectual police

[kitchen]

ping

[ovrtaxt]

The most interesting conclusion of this study is the acknowledgment that I happen to be the premiere genius on the planet.

[zeestephen]

“Both teams’ analyses confirm the genetic similarities that tie together the human family: ‘.....A huge amount of our genomes are the same across the world, and that helps to argue against racism in my view,’ Myers says.”

Terrific.

Let’s end Affirmative Action and racial quotas.

[neverdem]

Thank you nuconvert for posting your thread. Thank you Squantos for the ping. My sister, a public school teacher in NJ, had obvious signs of trouble last summer, red blood with a bowel movement. She was born in 1944 and couldn't get a colonoscopy scheduled satisfactorily until early Dec. 2007. It was positive for adenocarcinoma. They sampled twelve lymph nodes when the primary cancer was removed during surgery. One lymph node was positive. Chemotherapy was one intolerable event after another, from the chemotherapy access port malfunction to adverse drug effects from chemotherapy. The access port was removed. She had enough of chemo.

If you're 50 years old or more, then please get screened before you have trouble. I have no family history of colon cancer before my sister. I'm pinging everyone on all of my lists because it is serious, and I don't want to make redundant pings.

Dave Barry: A journey into my colon -- and yours (funny but serious)

The Coming of a New Ice Age

[Cagey]

Thanks for the important information. And more importantly, I hope your sister is doing well.

[metmom]

I had one of those. Came back clean as a whistle. I know they want one every ten years, but I can think of a bazillion other things I’d rather do first.

[martin_fierro]

	Genetic Genealogy
Send FReepmail if you want on/off GGP list Marty = Paternal Haplogroup O(2?)(M175) Maternal Haplogroup H
GG LINKS: African Ancestry DNAPrint Genomics FamilyTree DNA mitosearch Nat'l Geographic Genographic Project Oxford Ancestors RelativeGenetics Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Trace Genetics ybase ysearch
The List of Ping Lists

[ovrtaxt]

Um, maybe you shouldn’t use references to a colonoscopy and ‘whistle’ in the same sentence haha!

[Mercat]

ouch. get back to me when this stuff is in plain English and can tell me whether my ancestors were from Phoenicia or India

[neverdem]

ouch. get back to me when this stuff is in plain English and can tell me whether my ancestors were from Phoenicia or India

"Their analyses provide more evidence to support existing ideas, including the concepts that populations lost genetic variation as they migrated farther from Africa (see On the origin of deleterious mutations), and that it's possible to trace an individual's geographic heritage through their DNA."

I'm sorry but stories in Nature News are about as "plain English" as you can get for an increasingly specialized topic such as genetics. Geographic heritage means that we are different enough to tell where your ancestors came from with a high probability of being correct. They can tell where your ancestors didn't come from.

With forensic DNA samples, the innocent can be ruled out, but if the suspect can't be ruled out, then the result is only presented as a probability such as one in a million that it could be someone else.

Here's a medical dictionary.

[mcshot]

OK Boss, time to go to work.

:-)

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks kitchen and neverdem. No ping, this appears to be duplicative of another topic. :') To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[martin_fierro]

	Genetic Genealogy
Send FReepmail if you want on/off GGP list Marty = Paternal Haplogroup O(2?)(M175) Maternal Haplogroup H
GG LINKS: African Ancestry DNAPrint Genomics FamilyTree DNA mitosearch Nat'l Geographic Genographic Project Oxford Ancestors RelativeGenetics Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Trace Genetics ybase ysearch
The List of Ping Lists

[valkyrieanne]

Would you mind adding me to the Genetic Genealogy ping list? Thanks!