HUMAN POPULATION GENETICS

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1. Theoretical modelling of population structure, and its cultural correlates as well as its effects on gene frequency variation in space and time. 2. Numerical data analysis: a) genes. We have set up a bank of gene frequency data, which is at the basis of an atlas of human variation to be published soon. Analysing the data of the bank will continue for substantial time. We are also interested in keeping the bank up to date for our analysis and for preparing successive editions of the atlas. b) Surnames. We have started analyzing with usual and new methods of population genetics data on surnames, and shown that this material is extremely interesting from the point of view of population genetics. We have two important sources of data: in Italy, consanguineous marriages since 1905, telephone books and electricity bills; in China, where surnames have been in existence for over 2000 years, we have started collecting a population sample and have a more ambitious program in sight for use of historical material. 3. Immortalization of a selected list of human populations which have evolutionary interest, and study of their DNA polymorphisms with restriction enzymes for a selected set of probes. 4. The collection of new data, and the use of available data bearing on the interaction of genes and culture, e.g. in determining artistic skills or epidemics of viral diseases. This is a highly varied list of problems, for many of which we often use a multiple strategy of attack. It would be impossible to conduct all these projects at a substantial pace with the requested financing. We plan to use this grant as a catalyzer, allowing some of the aims to start and fuel modestly, but keeping alive these ideas while additional money can be found to carry out specific aims.