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Twigstats

08-01-2025

07:30 AM

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1 min read
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Overview:

In a recent study published in Nature, researchers introduced Twigstats, a new time-stratified ancestry analysis, and applied it to ancient whole-genomes from Europe.

About Twigstats: 

  • It is a time-stratified ancestry analysis tool that boosts the statistical power of existing methods by a magnitude and reduces statistical errors.
  • It has determined more precisely than ever individual-level ancestry at a very high resolution.
  • It is coded in C++ and employs the statistical language R.
  • Twigstats allows researchers to focus on a specific period in history with more fine-grained analysis than previously possible. 

Techniques used for Genetic analysis

  • Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs): This method has been extensively used to reconstruct genetic histories and ancestry models using ancient genetic material (aDNA).
    • The analysis of SNPs is a powerful technique when the task is to understand populations, but it’s restricted by the need for high quality DNA samples and its inability to resolve the histories of groups with closely related ancestors.
  • Haplotypes Method: This method captures information from haplotype-sharing or identity-by-descent and a rare variant simultaneously includes time-resolved information about genetic ancestry, and provides comprehensive insights into how individuals ‘share’ their ancestors.
  • Genealogical tree inference method: Researchers have applied this to modern and ancient genomes to understand their population structure, demographics, locations of ancestors, etc.

Q1: What is Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)?

It is the molecule that carries the genetic information for an organism's development and function. DNA is made up of two linked strands that wind around each other to form a twisted ladder shape known as a double helix. The majority of DNA is found in the cell nucleus (referred to as nuclear DNA), but a small amount can also be found in the mitochondria.

Source: TH