Skip NavigationSkip to Content
Return Return to Search Results

The Genetic Structure and History of Africans and African Americans

  1. Author:
    Tishkoff, S. A.
    Reed, F. A.
    Friedlaender, F. R.
    Ehret, C.
    Ranciaro, A.
    Froment, A.
    Hirbo, J. B.
    Awomoyi, A. A.
    Bodo, J. M.
    Doumbo, O.
    Ibrahim, M.
    Juma, A. T.
    Kotze, M. J.
    Lema, G.
    Moore, J. H.
    Mortensen, H.
    Nyambo, T. B.
    Omar, S. A.

  2. Author Address

    Tishkoff, Sarah A.; Reed, Floyd A.; Ranciaro, Alessia, Hirbo, Jibril B.; Awomoyi, Agnes A.; Mortensen, Holly, Powell, Kweli] Univ Maryland, Dept Biol, College Pk, MD 20742 USA. [Tishkoff, Sarah A.; Ranciaro, Alessia, Hirbo, Jibril B.] Univ Penn, Dept Genet, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA. [Tishkoff, Sarah A.; Ranciaro, Alessia, Hirbo, Jibril B.] Univ Penn, Dept Biol, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA. [Ehret, Christopher] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Hist, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA. [Ranciaro, Alessia] Univ Ferrara, Dipartimento Biol & Evoluz, I-44100 Ferrara, Italy. [Froment, Alain] Musee Homme Paris, IRD MNHN, UMR 208, F-75116 Paris, France. [Bodo, Jean-Marie] Minist Rech Sci & Innovat, Yaounde, Cameroon. [Doumbo, Ogobara, Thera, Mahamadou A.] Univ Bamako, Malaria Res & Training Ctr, Bamako, Mali. [Ibrahim, Muntaser, Juma, Abdalla T.] Univ Khartoum, Inst Endem Dis, Dept Mol Biol, Khartoum 1513, Sudan. [Kotze, Maritha J.] Univ Stellenbosch, Fac Hlth Sci, Dept Pathol, ZA-7505 Tygerberg, South Africa. [Lema, Godfrey, Nyambo, Thomas B.] Muhimbili Univ Hlth & Allied Sci, Dept Biochem, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. [Moore, Jason H.] Dartmouth Med Sch, Dept Genet, Lebanon, NH 03756 USA. [Moore, Jason H.] Dartmouth Med Sch, Dept Community & Family Med, Lebanon, NH 03756 USA. [Omar, Sabah A.] Ctr Biotechnol Res & Dev, Kenya Med Res Inst, Nairobi 5484000200, Kenya. [Pretorius, Gideon S.] Univ Stellenbosch, Fac Hlth Sci, Div Human Genet, ZA-7505 Tygerberg, South Africa. [Smith, Michael W.] NCI, Lab Genom Div, Frederick, MD 21702 USA. [Wambebe, Charles] Int Biomed Res Africa, Abuja, Nigeria. [Weber, James L.] Marshfield Clin Res Fdn, Marshfield, WI 54449 USA. [Williams, Scott M.] Vanderbilt Univ, Dept Mol Physiol & Biophys, Ctr Human Genet Res, Nashville, TN 37232 USA.
    1. Year: 2009
  2. Journal: Science
    1. 324
    2. 5930
    3. Pages: 1035-1044
  4. Type of Article: Article
  1. Abstract:

    Africa is the source of all modern humans, but characterization of genetic variation and of relationships among populations across the continent has been enigmatic. We studied 121 African populations, four African American populations, and 60 non-African populations for patterns of variation at 1327 nuclear microsatellite and insertion/deletion markers. We identified 14 ancestral population clusters in Africa that correlate with self-described ethnicity and shared cultural and/or linguistic properties. We observed high levels of mixed ancestry in most populations, reflecting historical migration events across the continent. Our data also provide evidence for shared ancestry among geographically diverse hunter-gatherer populations (Khoesan speakers and Pygmies). The ancestry of African Americans is predominantly from Niger-Kordofanian (similar to 71%), European (similar to 13%), and other African (similar to 8%) populations, although admixture levels varied considerably among individuals. This study helps tease apart the complex evolutionary history of Africans and African Americans, aiding both anthropological and genetic epidemiologic studies.

    See More

  1. Keywords:

External Sources

  1. View Full Text
  2. DOI: 10.1126/science.1172257
  3. PMID: 19407144

Library Notes

  1. No notes added.
NCI at Frederick

You are leaving a government website.

This external link provides additional information that is consistent with the intended purpose of this site. The government cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal site.

Linking to a non-federal site does not constitute an endorsement by this institution or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the site. You will be subject to the destination site's privacy policy when you follow the link.

ContinueCancel