Forensic and Genetic Research

Haplotype-based inference of recent effective population size in modern and ancient DNA samples

HapNe infers recent effective population size variation in modern and ancient DNA samples using IBD or LD, showing improved accuracy and efficiency.

Genetic affinities and adaptation of the South West coast populations of India

This study analyzes genetic admixture and adaptation in South West coast India populations, revealing distinct lineage and early migration patterns from North West India.

Echoes from the last Green Sahara: whole genome analysis of Fulani, a key population to unveil the genetic evolutionary history of Africa

The paper analyzes whole genome data from Fulani individuals to explore their genetic origins, suggesting a possible link to ancient Saharan populations rather than recent Eurasian admixture.

Temporal variation in introgressed segments' length statistics sheds light on past admixture pulses

The paper uses simulations and paleogenomic data to infer past admixture events by analyzing temporal variation in introgressed segment length statistics.

Modelling the demographic history of human North African genomes points to a recent soft split divergence between populations

The paper models the demographic history of North African genomes, finding a recent soft split divergence between Arab and Amazigh populations and a back-to-Africa origin.

Revisiting the Briggs ancient DNA damage model: a fast regression method to estimate postmortem damage

ngsBriggs estimates postmortem DNA damage using a fast regression method, outperforming existing tools in speed and accuracy for ancient DNA authentication.

aHISplex: an imputation based method for eye, hair and skin colour prediction from low coverage ancient DNA

This paper develops an imputation-based method for predicting eye, hair, and skin colors from low coverage ancient DNA, showing it works effectively even with very low genome coverage.

Maximizing Efficiency in SedaDNA Analysis: A Novel Extract Pooling Approach

This paper introduces a pooled testing method for sedimentary DNA analysis, reducing costs and lab time by up to 70% while maintaining aDNA signal detection.

Increased homozygosity due to endogamy results in fitness consequences in a human population

The paper examines the fitness consequences of increased homozygosity in the Himba population, finding a significant association between higher FROH and reduced fertility.

Distinguished biological adaptation architecture aggravated population differentiation of Tibeto-Burman-speaking people inferred from 500 whole genome data from 39 populations

The paper analyzes 500 whole genomes from 39 Tibeto-Burman populations to uncover genetic differentiation and adaptive features linked to geography and environment.

Nationwide genomic biobank in Mexico unravels demographic history and complex trait architecture from 6,057 individuals

Defining cat mitogenome variation and accounting for numts via multiplex amplification and Nanopore sequencing

The paper develops a multiplex amplification and Nanopore sequencing method to analyze cat mitogenomes, revealing numt variants that improve forensic discrimination.

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.

Simulation-based Benchmarking of Ancient Haplotype Inference for Detecting Population Structure

This study benchmarks haplotype inference methods on ancient DNA by simulating aDNA data and shows that accurate phasing is possible even for very ancient individuals with sufficient contamination control and read depth.

Genome wide variation in the Angolan Namib desert reveals unique Pre-Bantu ancestry

The paper analyzes genome-wide data from populations in the Angolan Namib Desert to reveal unique Pre-Bantu ancestry in peripatetic groups.

An analytical derivation of the distribution of distances between heterozygous sites in diploid species to efficiently infer demographic history

The paper derives an analytical formula for the distribution of distances between heterozygous sites in diploid species to infer demographic history without simplifying assumptions.

Recombulator-X: a fast and user-friendly tool for estimating X chromosome recombination rates in forensic genetics

Recombulator-X estimates X chromosome recombination rates from pedigree data, reducing computation time from weeks to under an hour and supporting larger marker panels.

Allelic bias when performing in-solution enrichment of ancient human DNA

The paper identifies a systematic bias in in-solution enrichment of ancient human DNA using the Prime Plus kit, affecting population genetics inferences and genetic relatedness.

Retracing Human Genetic Histories and Natural Selection Using Precise Local Ancestry Inference

Orchestra improves local ancestry inference, revealing admixture patterns in Latin Americans, Ashkenazi Jews, and selection signals in British populations.

Slave Trade and Colonial Expansion Resulted in Strong Sex-Biased Admixture in South Africa

The paper uses genetic data to show sex-biased admixture patterns in South Africa due to colonial migration, with European males and Khoe-San females contributing disproportionately to different regions.

Whole mitogenome analysis highlights demographic history and shared connections among distal Indigenous groups of Mexico Complete mitogenome sequencing from 60 Mexican Native American groups

The paper analyzes complete mitogenomes from 60 Mexican Indigenous groups to reveal demographic history and shared genetic connections.

Higher-order co-mutation interactions in mitochondrial genomes

The paper introduces a method to analyze higher-order co-mutation interactions in mitochondrial genomes using 3-uniform hypergraphs and identifies altitude-specific genes based on hyperedge weights.

Ancient farmer and steppe pastoralist-related founding lineages contributed to the complex landscape of episodes in the diversification of Chinese paternal lineages

The paper uses ancient DNA and genomic data to trace the genetic contributions of ancient farmer and steppe pastoralist lineages to the paternal genetic diversity of modern Chinese populations.

Fine-scale sampling uncovers the complexity of migrations in 5th-6th century Pannonia

The paper analyzes paleogenomic data from 5th-6th century Pannonia to reveal genetic diversity and migration patterns in post-Roman communities.

Evaluation of population structure inferred by principal component analysis or the admixture model

The paper evaluates population structure inferred by PCA or admixture models by assessing model fit and identifying poorly represented individuals.

A Genetic History of Continuity and Mobility in the Iron Age Central Mediterranean

This study analyzes ancient genomes from the Iron Age central Mediterranean to explore population continuity and mobility, finding significant local contributions and diverse non-local ancestries.

Record-matching of STR profiles with fragmentary genomic SNP data

The paper evaluates using SNP data from poor-quality DNA to match STR profiles, showing similar accuracy to full-genome data with 5-10% coverage.

Ultra-fast genome-wide inference of pairwise coalescence times

The paper introduces Gamma-SMC, a method for fast genome-wide inference of pairwise coalescence times, showing it is >14 times faster than existing methods.

Whole-genome sequencing across 449 samples spanning 47 ethnolinguistic groups provides insights into genetic diversity in Nigeria

This study sequenced whole genomes of 449 Nigerian individuals from 47 ethnolinguistic groups to catalog genetic diversity and identify novel and medically relevant variation.

New machine learning method identifies subtle fine-scale genetic stratification in diverse populations

This paper introduces ALFDA, a machine learning method that improves identification of fine-scale genetic structure and preserves geogenetic distances better than existing methods.