Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 16.1 Genetics in Anthropology: Historical Time Table
Time Period
Development
1900s
e
1950s
Development of blood and protein groups for the purposes of typological classification
1950s
e
1980s
The field of “anthropological genetics” takes off, with emphasis on evolutionary principles.
Researchers begin to document evolutionary processes in small, highly isolated, non-Western
human groups. They also become interested in complex traits
1980s
e
1990s
Development of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) launches “molecular revolution.” Interest
shifts to question of human origins and migrations, as well as gene mapping
2000s
e
present
Development of high-throughput sequencing launches “genomic era”
and Mielke, 1980
), and
Anthropological Genetics: Theory, Methods and Applications
(
Crawford,
2007
).
INCORPORATING GENETICS INTO ANTHROPOLOGICAL
RESEARCH: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
As an aspiring user of genetic tools to address anthropological questions, you will need an
understanding of the theoretical, methodological, and interpretive aspects of anthropological
genetics. Essentially, what you will be looking to do is use genetic data to evaluate similarities
and differences, through time and space, between two or more samples. This section will
review theory, method, and interpretation of genetic data.
1. Theory
First, you will need a basis for “similarity” and “difference” as it relates to genetic data.
This basis relies on the concept of
population.
Regardless how much genetic information
you have about any particular individual(s), all that information is meaningless without
context. For example, if an individual demonstrates a particular genetic variant,
3
should
we consider that variant to be rare or frequent? Does its presence help differentiate that indi-
vidual from any other? Is that variant clearly associated with a particular trait of interest,
such as a disease state? Is it functional? Alternatively, does it mean nothing? To address these
questions, we use the concept of “population”
d
the one from which the individual (and her
genome) was drawn, and/or other populations. The answer to the question “What defines
a population?” depends on the research question, and for this reason, it is easier to think
3
For example, that person may have the DNA base “A” in a certain location (or
locus
) on the genome,
while others may have a “T.” Here, the relatively generic term “genetic variant” is taking the place of the
more specialized term “allele” that is defined in the glossary and also defined later in the chapter.
