Wednesday, October 17, 2007
In Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations there's an interesting part which intrigues me:
The EDAR polymorphism is notable because it is highly differentiated between the Asian and other continental populations...and also within Asian populations (in the top 1% of SNPs differentiated between the Japanese and Chinese HapMap samples). Genotyping of the EDAR polymorphism in the CEPH...global diversity panel...shows that it is at high but varying frequency throughout Asia and the Americas (for example, 100% in Pima Indians and in parts of China, and 73% in Japan)...Studying populations like the Japanese, in which the allele is still segregating, may provide clues to its biological significance. ![]() (note that this doesn't mean that I think there was selection for thick very straight hair. I assume it is likely a byproduct effect) Labels: Population genetics |