Tales from 141,430 and one genomes

(University of California - Berkeley) Non-invasive prenatal testing potentially provides a wealth of genetic information, but the quality of the DNA sequencing is poor -- only about 10 percent coverage per genome. Nevertheless, scientists led by Rasmus Nielsen at UC Berkeley now show that with enough genomes -- in this case, 141,431 -- it is possible to find genetic variants linked with human traits, including birth outcomes and susceptibility to infectious disease. Such statistical analyses can even by used to track migration patterns.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news