Robert Maier

Testing Times: Challenges in Disentangling Admixture Histories in Recent and Complex Demographies

This study evaluates the performance of qpAdm and f3-statistic in admixture inference under historical and ancient DNA conditions, showing limitations in resolving fine-scale hypotheses but potential for improvement with better f-statistic methods.

Postglacial genomes from foragers across Northern Eurasia reveal prehistoric mobility associated with the spread of the Uralic and Yeniseian languages

Ancient DNA from 181 North Eurasian foragers traces a stable west-to-east ancestry gradient and ties Yakutia_LNBA ancestry, with Y-haplogroup N, to Uralic speakers and Seima-Turbino metallurgy.

Modeling of African population history using f-statistics can be highly biased and is not addressed by previously suggested SNP ascertainment schemes

This paper shows that f-statistics can be biased when using non-outgroup SNP ascertainment schemes and proposes a pan-African ascertainment approach to reduce bias in population history inference.

Three Reagents for in-Solution Enrichment of Ancient Human DNA at More than a Million SNPs

The paper tests three reagents for in-solution enrichment of ancient human DNA and introduces a subset of SNPs that can be co-analyzed with shotgun data.

An integrative skeletal and paleogenomic analysis of prehistoric stature variation suggests relatively reduced health for early European farmers

This study integrates skeletal and paleogenomic data from ancient Europeans to show that early farmers were shorter than expected based on genetic scores, suggesting poorer health.

The genomic formation of First American ancestors in East and Northeast Asia

The paper shows Ancient Beringians have admixture from Amur River Basin populations and are not the deepest American lineage.

A phenome-wide association and Mendelian Randomisation study of polygenic risk for depression in UK Biobank

This study identifies traits associated with polygenic risk for depression using UK Biobank data and finds causal links between depression risk and brain structure, as well as environmental interactions.

No statistical evidence for an effect of CCR5-Δ32 on lifespan in the UK Biobank cohort

The paper reanalyzes UK Biobank data and finds no evidence for CCR5-Δ32 affecting lifespan, attributing previous findings to technical artifacts.

Variably methylated regions in the newborn epigenome: environmental, genetic and combined influences

The paper examines how genetic and environmental factors influence DNA methylation at variably methylated regions in neonatal blood, finding that combined effects best explain methylation variability.

Applying polygenic risk scoring for psychiatric disorders to a large family with Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

The paper applies polygenic risk scoring to a large family with bipolar and depressive disorders to study genetic risk patterns and anticipation.

Quantification of genetic components of population differentiation in UK Biobank traits reveals signals of polygenic selection

The paper quantifies genetic components of population differentiation in UK Biobank traits to detect polygenic selection signals across geographic gradients.

Genome-wide association analyses identify 44 risk variants and refine the genetic architecture of major depression

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of 130,664 major depression cases and 330,470 controls identifies 44 independent risk loci enriched in cortical neurons, conserved mammalian regions, splicing networks, and antidepressant targets.

Causal associations between risk factors and common diseases inferred from GWAS summary data

This study uses genetic data to identify causal relationships between risk factors and common diseases, finding protective and bidirectional effects.