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Principal component analysis of genetic data

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Principal component analysis (PCA) has been a useful tool for analysis of genetic data, particularly in studies of human migration. A new study finds evidence that the observed geographic gradients, traditionally thought to represent major historical migrations, may in fact have other interpretations.

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Figure 1: PCA continues to provide evidence of important migration events.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. David Reich and Alkes L. Price are at the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, New Research Building, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,

    David Reich & Alkes L Price

  2. Nick Patterson is at the Broad Institute of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. reich@genetics.med.harvard.edu,

    Nick Patterson

Authors
  1. David Reich
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  2. Alkes L Price
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  3. Nick Patterson
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Reich, D., Price, A. & Patterson, N. Principal component analysis of genetic data. Nat Genet 40, 491–492 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0508-491

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