A Human Map: Interactive Genetic History

I hope that you all have kept your minds sharp over these past couple of snow days and are ready to delve back into some anthropology! As we move forward in our discussion of genetics and forces of evolution and anthropology, I found this following topic to be extremely interesting and relevant.

In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers detailed the genetic mixing between 95 populations across Europe, Africa, Asia and South America during 100 historical events over the last 4,000 years. They have analyzed the 95 groups across the globe, producing an interactive “atlas” of mixing dates, places and mixing populations.

The admixture process.

In summary, the way in which humans have spread around the globe produces distinct populations, and small genetic differences between separated populations arise (although most variation is still shared among groups). When groups come back together – for example due to migrations or invasions - and have children, this is called genetic admixture, and leaves a characteristic signature in DNA. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, Oxford's Dept. of Statistics, and the UCL Genetics Institute have used this DNA from people around the world to identify mixture events and find out who the groups were that mixed – often to the level of individual countries – and when the mixing occurred.

For example, if we take a look at the American Maya, their signal of mixing between multiple groups agrees with groups and timing for European (i.e. Spanish) settlers in the region, and West African migration to the Americas through European slavery. The reign of the Mongol empire seems to show particular influence, and with European colonialism, the Arab slave trade and European traders on the Silk Road mixing with people in China, even the collapse of vast empires such as this one and the end of ancient colonialism did not affect the genetic legacy of these events and people.

Take a minute to explore the map for yourself!