Genealogical tree This allows individuals to find out who their distant ancestors were and where they lived. Besides, it also shows exactly how they relate to living people.
Scientists have combined the human genome from a variety of sources, both DNA ancient and modern – to better understand history and evolution of mankind.
Just as a family tree shows how an individual is related to their parents or siblings, genetic pedigrees reveal which genes are shared between two individuals, said lead author Anthony Wilder Wohns. core. As such, it could point to similarities and differences in the human genome.
“Simply put, what we do is create the largest family tree that has ever been created by humans,” says Wohns. humanity and shows how related we are all today.”
The above resource makes it possible for anyone with access to their own genetic information to find out when their ancestors moved to a particular place and why they have certain genes. According to Mr. Johns, it basically understands the whole story of human history written in our genes.
The study of human genetics has developed rapidly in recent decades, generating vast amounts of new information. New techniques in analyzing ancient DNA have provided astonishing details about prehistory and revealed shocking information that humans interbred with Neanderthals.
However, it has proven to be very difficult to combine disparate databases, integrate ancient and modern genomes, and figure out how to handle such a large amount of data.
A team of Oxford scientists have developed algorithms that allow genomes to be incorporated into their tool. “It’s one of our biggest innovations,” Wohns said. “We’re basically trying to break through the curtain and see what it looks like.”
According to Wohns, the data shows that there is the greatest genetic diversity in Africa and that the oldest human ancestors are located on the continent. “It’s clear that most of human evolution happened in Africa,” he said.
First draft of genealogy
The study of human genetics has grown rapidly providing a vast amount of new information.
However, the above data also raises questions. Mr Wohns said it hinted at unidentified migrations that took place in the past. For example, there is some evidence that human ancestors were in North America earlier than is thought, although further research will be needed to uncover unknown migrations.
He likened the study to a “first draft” of the human genealogy and said further studies would make it more precise and comprehensive. More genomes will help with this, he says, but for complete accuracy we need to have the genomes of everyone that has ever lived. However, this is not possible.
Wohns hopes that other researchers in the field will be able to download the available resource, along with the manual, as a basis for answering more specific questions about migration in some areas. certain geographical area. “This will be a really rich resource for future investigation of the evolutionary history of the human species,” he said.
Wohns himself is working with artificial intelligence researchers to get more accurate estimates of when and where human ancestors lived.
The method can also be used to detect the genealogy of any organism, including diseases such as SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, and he is planning to study the relationship between genetics and disease. disability.
“Amazing promise” for evolutionary studies
Currently, the genes of 3,609 people from 215 populations have been sequenced, some dating back more than 100,000 years. This method allows the number of genomes to expand to millions in the future. The study confirms existing conclusions about human history, which includes most of human evolution taking place in Africa before a major exodus from the continent about 70,000 years ago.
Anders Bergstrom is a postdoctoral fellow in evolutionary genetics at the Francis Crick Institute, London (UK). The study provides a new way to estimate how DNA is related, he said.
According to him, deducing tree genealogies with DNA connections between different people is a great thing in genomics. While the problem can never be completely solved, it does represent an important step forward in the problem.
The genealogies they deduced, he said, give an incredibly rich view of human history and genetic diversity. Currently, there is a lot of excitement in genetics circles about the many possibilities offered by these new computational methods.
According to team leader Pontus Skoglund of the Laboratory of Ancient Genomics at the Francis Crick Institute, the study shows that this kind of approach could be beneficial for genetic and evolutionary studies in medicine.
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