Genomic diversity and structure of prehistoric alpine individuals from the Tyrolean Iceman's territory.

The Eastern Italian Alps played a crucial bridging role between Mediterranean and Northern alpine populations since Prehistory. However, few prehistoric individuals from that region have been genomically analysed so far. Among them, the Iceman (Copper Age, 3368-3108 BC) showed a relatively high Anatolian-Neolithic-related ancestry and low Hunter-Gatherers (HGs)-related ancestry.

Sex and environment shape cochlear sensitivity in human populations worldwide.

Hearing remains an underexplored aspect of human evolution. While the growing prevalence of hearing issues worldwide highlights the need to investigate factors beyond age, ototoxic substances, and recreational noise- factors affecting only a subset of the population -the role of environmental influences remains relatively unaddressed. In contrast, hearing and vocalizations have been extensively studied in many vertebrates through the Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis, which suggests that acoustic communication adapts to the structure of the immediate environment.

Ancestry and kinship in a Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages cemetery in the Eastern Italian Alps.

In South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps), during Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages, archeological records indicate cultural hybridization among alpine groups and peoples of various origin. Using paleogenomics, we reconstructed the ancestry of 20 individuals (4-7 cent. AD) from a cemetery to analyze whether they had heterogeneous or homogeneous ancestry and to study their social organization.

Hearing Sensitivity of Primates: Recurrent and Episodic Positive Selection in Hair Cells and Stereocilia Protein-Coding Genes.

The large spectrum of hearing sensitivity observed in primates results from the impact of environmental and behavioral pressures to optimize sound perception and localization. Although evidence of positive selection in auditory genes has been detected in mammals including in Hominoids, selection has never been investigated in other primates. We analyzed 123 genes highly expressed in the inner ear of 27 primate species and tested to what extent positive selection may have shaped these genes in the order Primates tree.

Inference of population genetic parameters from an irregular time series of seasonal influenza virus sequences.

Basic summary statistics that quantify the population genetic structure of influenza virus are important for understanding and inferring the evolutionary and epidemiological processes. However, the sampling dates of global virus sequences in the last several decades are scattered nonuniformly throughout the calendar. Such temporal structure of samples and the small effective size of viral population hampers the use of conventional methods to calculate summary statistics.

A genome-wide scan for genes under balancing selection in Drosophila melanogaster.

Background: In the history of population genetics balancing selection has been considered as an important evolutionary force, yet until today little is known about its abundance and its effect on patterns of genetic diversity. Several well-known examples of balancing selection have been reported from humans, mice, plants, and parasites. However, only very few systematic studies have been carried out to detect genes under balancing selection.

Balancing selection on immunity genes: review of the current literature and new analysis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Balancing selection has been widely assumed to be an important evolutionary force, yet even today little is known about its abundance and its impact on the patterns of genetic diversity. Several studies have shown examples of balancing selection in humans, plants or parasites, and many genes under balancing selection are involved in immunity. It has been proposed that host-parasite coevolution is one of the main forces driving immune genes to evolve under balancing selection.

Genetic population study of Y-chromosome markers in Benin and Ivory Coast ethnic groups.

Ninety-six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and seventeen short tandem repeat (STRs) were investigated on the Y-chromosome of 288 unrelated healthy individuals from populations in Benin (Bariba, Yoruba, and Fon) and the Ivory Coast (Ahizi and Yacouba). We performed a multidimensional scaling analysis based on FST and RST genetic distances using a large extensive database of sub-Saharan African populations. There is more genetic homogeneity in Ivory Coast populations compared with populations from Benin.

Determined about sex: sex-testing in 45 primate species using a 2Y/1X sex-typing assay.

Sex-testing using molecular genetic technique is routinely used in the fields of forensics, population genetics and conservation biology. However, none of the assay used so far allows a non-ambiguous and successful sex determination for human and non-human primate species. The most widely used method, AMELY/X, and its alternatives suffer from a set of drawbacks in humans and can rarely be used in New World primate species.