Researchers have stressed the importance of exploring the genetic information of Indigenous American populations, a historically underrepresented demographic in genomic research.
An international team led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology partnered with the University of São Paulo and Arizona State University to publish a study analyzing genomes from Indigenous populations across North America to Patagonia.
The research identified more than 1 million genetic variants that had not been previously documented in other populations. Among the findings were genetic signatures of natural selection tied to immune response, metabolism, growth and fertility.
Eduardo Amorim, Assistant Professor at ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change, joined “Arizona Horizon” to provide insight on the dataset.
