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Tracing All Humans’ Ancestry to This African Country

Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute have potentially found the ancestral home of all humans alive today: a spot of desert in the north-east of Sudan. Using data from eight human genome databases, the team was able to create a network of almost 27 million ancestors, including not only modern humans but also ancient people from around the world. Cutting-edge algorithms were used to scan the data for patterns of genetic variation and predict common ancestors in the “family tree.” This resulted in a visual representation of the movement and migration of humanity throughout history.

19.4N, 33.7E - the origins of everyone alive today. Image: Google Maps

But the team isn’t stopping there. They plan to continue adding to and improving the genealogical map as more data becomes available. The method used in the study is also applicable to most living things, including orangutans and bacteria, and could potentially be used in medical genetics to separate true associations between genetic regions and diseases from spurious connections.

The study, published in the journal Science, was led by Dr Anthony Wilder Wohns and principal authored by Dr Yan Wong. These researchers at the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery that has the potential to provide insight not only into our past, but also have practical applications in the present and future.

Dr Anthony Wilder Wohns
Dr Anthony Wilder Wohns

But the potential uses of this research don’t stop at just curiosity. The study could also be particularly useful in medical genetics for separating true associations between genetic regions and diseases from spurious connections. So not only is it interesting to learn about our past, it could also have practical applications in the present and future.

The study, published in the journal Science, was led by Dr Anthony Wilder Wohns and principal authored by Dr Yan Wong. These researchers at the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute have truly made a groundbreaking discovery, and we can’t wait to see what else they uncover. The possibilities are endless.

Reference: A unified genealogy of modern and ancient genomes
Anthony Wilder Wohns, Yan Wong, Ben Jeffer, Ali Akbari, Swapan Mallick, Ron Pinhasi, Nick Patterson, David Reich, Jerome Kelleher, and Gil McVean

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