Clustering of 770,000 genomes reveals post-colonial population structure of North America



Despite strides in characterizing human history from genetic polymorphism data, progress in identifying genetic signatures of recent demography has been limited. Here we identify very recent fine-scale population structure in North America from a network of over 500 million genetic (identity-by-descent, IBD) connections among 770,000 genotyped individuals of US origin. We detect densely connected clusters within the network and annotate these clusters using a database of over 20 million genealogical records. Recent population patterns captured by IBD clustering include immigrants such as Scandinavians and French Canadians; groups with continental admixture such as Puerto Ricans; settlers such as the Amish and Appalachians who experienced geographic or cultural isolation; and broad historical trends, including reduced north-south gene flow. Our results yield a detailed historical portrait of North America after European settlement and support substantial genetic heterogeneity in the United States beyond that uncovered by previous studies.


https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14238



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2018 11:24AM by anybody.

And you have to pay for it!

They roll over for law enforcement request too so the cops can go DNA fishing. Match upa relative if not the perp ...

I noticed that many US states have no mormons (or non-mormons) willing to participate in using Ancestry . com's commercial package to test for ancestry.

Analyzing the data proves that mormonism isn't that wide spread throughout the US.

No doubt these DNA services are selling the information to health insurers to screen for potential health issues, and pricing individual insurance policies accordingly.

Is there no attempt to provide for anonymity of individual participants in Ancestry DNA analysis?

There is.
You need to agree to allow your results to be used (anonymously) in such studies when you send in your DNA test. If you don't agree, they won't be used (supposedly -- I have no idea if Ancestry is "cheating" or not).

And the results are anonymous. With specific provisions in the agreement prohibiting PII (personally identifying information) to be included, and prohibiting them from being sold to insurance companies, etc. Again, I have no way of knowing if they're "cheating" on that or not, but if they are it would open them up to oh so many civil lawsuits...

There was an infamous case (30 years ago, or so) involving an anonymous mail-in questionnaire attached to Psychology Today magazine (subscription edition). One subscriber became suspicious of the detailed questions (relating to income, etc) and put the questionnaire under a black light. He saw his subscriber ID number glowing away. There was a brouhaha, but no law suite, as I recall.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2018 04:20PM by 3X.

"Example: How Ancestry.com uses your information"

Is this a bad thing?

When you give them dna, they own your dna. Even if. You are dyed in wool genealogist, never let anyone else own your dna.

They own the data, maybe. They don't own my DNA. I can use and abuse my DNA as I see fit...

I'm too cheap to pay for what they sell.