#32 · Genomics

Genome-wide sequencing and ancient DNA resolve population structure and admixture history

The common thread is genome-wide inference of population structure and admixture from large sequence resources, applied at different scales. EGP1K sequences 1,024 Egyptians, producing a 51.3M-variant reference, characterizing population structure, and showing that European polygenic risk score thresholds misfit in this population. A preprint combining present-day European GWAS with more than 3,500 ancient Western Eurasian genomes tracks polygenic infection-trait shifts over roughly 10,000 years. The canine study applies palaeogenomics-based ancestry modelling to correct biases in prior admixture tests, yielding consistent European dog admixture estimates from about 10,000 transversion sites, framed for scalable dingo conservation. What is new is the use of ancient genomes as a temporal axis for polygenic trait analysis, alongside bias-corrected admixture modelling applied to conservation questions.