Forensic and Genetic Research

On the distribution of tract lengths during adaptive introgression

This study investigates how positive selection affects the distribution of genomic admixture tract lengths and shows that selection can increase tract lengths on average but decrease them conditional on allele frequency.

A genomic dating tool for ancient genomes resolves the origins of hundreds of Eurasian genomes

The paper introduces TPS, a genomic dating method for ancient genomes, which accurately dates Eurasian samples and resolves conflicts in paleogenomic data.

Cultural variation impacts paternal and maternal genetic lineages of the 1 Hmong-Mien and Sino-Tibetan groups from Thailand

The paper analyzes genetic variation in Hmong-Mien and Sino-Tibetan groups from Thailand, finding cultural practices like patrilocality and matrilocality influence mtDNA and MSY lineage frequencies.

Fine-scale genomic analyses of admixed individuals reveal unrecognized genetic ancestry components in Argentina

The paper analyzes genomic data from 87 admixed individuals in Argentina to identify sub-continental ancestry components, revealing four Native American components and additional European and African origins.

Fine-scale Population Structure and Demographic History of Han Chinese Inferred from Haplotype Network of 111,000 Genomes

The paper constructs a haplotype network of 111,000 Han Chinese genomes to reveal fine-scale population structure and demographic history, identifying subclusters linked to geography, immigration, and cultural-linguistic factors.

Human-Genetic Ancestry Inference and False Positives in Forensic Familial Searching

This paper demonstrates that using ancestry inference on query profiles can reduce false-positive rates in familial searching by avoiding extreme allele-frequency misspecifications.

AN ADMIXTURE SIGNAL IN ARMENIANS AROUND THE END OF THE BRONZE AGE REVEALS WIDESPREAD POPULATION MOVEMENT ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST

This study analyzes genomic data to show Armenians remained unadmixed until the Bronze Age, then experienced a Sardinian-like genetic input, suggesting large-scale population movements in the Middle East.

Ancient admixture into Africa from the ancestors of non-Africans

The paper uses a Bayesian method to infer ancient demographic events and finds evidence of migration from Eurasian ancestors into Africa 40-70 thousand years ago.

Human Parental Relatedness through Time - Detecting Runs of Homozygosity in Ancient DNA

This paper detects runs of homozygosity in ancient DNA to infer parental relatedness, finding low rates of close unions and a decline linked to agriculture adoption.

Kinship, acquired and inherited status, and population structure at the Early Bronze Age Mokrin necropolis in northern Serbia.

The paper analyzes ancient genomes from the Mokrin necropolis to study kinship, population structure, and status inheritance in an Early Bronze Age community.

DNA extraction and sequencing of the Mawangdui ancient cadaver protected by formalin

The paper compares DNA extraction and sequencing methods for formalin-preserved ancient cadaver samples, finding FFPE and high-throughput sequencing to be more effective.

Rare variant enriched identity-by-descent enables the detection of distant relatedness and older divergence between populations

The paper introduces a method to detect short IBD segments using rare variant sharing, improving the identification of distant relatedness and older population divergence.

Haplotracker: a web application for simple and accurate mitochondrial haplogrouping using short DNA fragments

Haplotracker is a web tool that accurately identifies mitochondrial haplogroups using short DNA fragments, outperforming existing tools in prediction accuracy.

Evaluation of Model Fit of Inferred Admixture Proportions

The paper evaluates the fit of admixture models by analyzing residual correlations in genetic data, identifying cases where model assumptions are violated.

The construction and application of a new 17-plex Y-STR system using universal fluorescent PCR

This paper develops a 17-plex Y-STR system with high discrimination power for human identification and genealogy searching.

Sharing of weak signals of positive selection across the genome

The paper develops a new method to assess shared weak selection signals across human populations using 1000 Genomes Phase 3 data, finding that weak selection increases population differences around coding regions.

XGMix: Local-Ancestry Inference With Stacked XGBoost

XGMix is a gradient boosted tree method for local ancestry inference that is accurate, simple to use, and fast to train on consumer-level hardware.

Putting RFMix and ADMIXTURE to the test in a complex admixed population

This study compares RFMix and ADMIXTURE in a complex 5-way admixed population, finding RFMix more accurate for global and local ancestry inference.

The Genomic Formation of Human Populations in East Asia

This paper uses ancient and present-day genomic data to reconstruct the population history of East Asia, identifying key migrations and language dispersals.

Insights into human genetic variation and population history from 929 diverse genomes

This study presents 929 high-coverage human genome sequences from 54 populations, revealing new insights into genetic variation and population history.

Enabling population assignment from cancer genomes with SNP2pop

The paper develops a tool for population assignment from cancer genomes and validates its accuracy across healthy and mutated samples.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence in the case of asserted mtDNA biparental inheritance

The paper reassesses claims of mtDNA biparental inheritance from Luo et al. (2018) and finds methodological issues and inconsistencies in their findings.

Genomic and dietary transitions during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in Sicily

Genome-wide and isotopic data from prehistoric Sicilians reveal a pre-farming connection to (south-) eastern Europe, and tentative initial evidence that hunter-gatherers adopted some Neolithic aspects prior to near-total replacement by early farmers.

Gene-flow from steppe individuals into Cucuteni-Trypillia associated populations indicates long-standing contacts and gradual admixture

The paper analyzes genome-wide data from Late Cucuteni-Trypillia individuals to show gene-flow from steppe populations into CTC communities, indicating long-standing contacts and gradual admixture.

Population histories of the United States revealed through fine-scale migration and haplotype analysis

This study uses genetic and geographic data to analyze migration patterns and population structure in the US, revealing substructure and demographic history among different groups.

Human Auditory Ossicles as an Alternative Optimal Source of Ancient DNA

This study evaluates auditory ossicles as an alternative to cochlea for ancient DNA recovery, finding comparable DNA quality and quantity with less morphological damage.

No evidence for intermolecular recombination in human fibroblast and blood mtDNA from individuals with biparental mtDNA transmission

The paper analyzes mtDNA from individuals with biparental transmission and finds no evidence of intermolecular recombination, supporting strict maternal inheritance.

How to choose sets of ancestry informative markers: A supervised feature selection approach

The paper develops a supervised feature selection method to identify Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) for Biogeographical Ancestry inference, showing improved performance over traditional methods.

Origins, admixture dynamics and homogenization of the African gene pool in the Americas

The paper analyzes African genetic contributions to the Americas, showing regional ancestry patterns and admixture dynamics linked to historical factors.

The Genetic History of France

This study analyzes SNP-chip data from 2,184 French individuals to identify genetic clusters, detect gene flow barriers, and estimate population size changes, revealing historical demographic patterns.