Similar name, but also "mode" with the satellite navigation program GPS (Global Positioning System) has one a technique developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield, which makes it possible to locate the region of origin of a man in a millennium.
In particular, as mentioned in a university announcement, this tool (Geographic Population Structure-GPS) was created by Eran Elkhik (Sheffield University) and Tatiana Tatarinova (University of Southern California) and its function is similar to that of a satellite system navigation, as it "allows you to find the way home, but not to what you now live, but to that of your ancestors before 1.000 years."
Until recently, scientists have been able to find out where the DNA was made with 700 kilometer accuracy - something that in Europe translates into a "distance" of two countries. However, this technique has a success rate of 98% in terms of determining the origin of populations from the correct geographical areas, and precisely with the accuracy of village and island.
Such an achievement - to find where the last "blending" of genetic "reservoirs" that resulted in the creation / shaping of an individual's DNA - can have significant implications for the development of individualized drugs, the evolution of science labeling and the study of populations and ethnic groups whose origin is the subject of study.
A genetic mutation occurs when individuals from two populations that were previously separated are mated and reproduced. This results in the creation of new genetic reservoirs. Such processes are very common in history, especially in cases of massive migrations and invasions.
"If we think our world is made up of different soup colors, representing different populations, it is easy to visualize how the genetic blending emerges. If a population of a 'blue soup' area is mixed with a population of 'red soup', then their children will appear as a 'purple soup', "Dr. Eran Elkhik. "The more mixing takes place, the more colors appear, which makes it more difficult to identify DNA origin through tools such as SPA (Spatial Ancestry Analysis), which has a level of precision below 2%."
"What we've discovered is a way to find out where you were born - that's what you see in your passport - but where your DNA was formed before 1.000 years, creating models of these mixing processes. What is remarkable is that we can do so with such precision that we can find the village where your ancestors lived hundreds of years ago. That has been impossible so far. "
To demonstrate the accuracy of GPS estimates, Elkhajk and his colleagues analyzed data from ten villages in Sardinia and over 20 islands in Oceania. According to the study, which was published in Nature Communications, it was possible to 'geo-identify' ¼ of the inhabitants of Sardinia directly in the village of origin and most of the others in 50 radius kilometers. In terms of results for Oceania, they had a success of 90% in identifying the island of origin of the inhabitants.
"This technique means that we can no longer easily identify the national identities of people with one single label. It is impossible to choose a box such as 'White Briton' or 'African' as we are very complex models with our own unique identities. The concept of race is simply unfounded. "
Dr. Tatiana Tatarinova has developed a website for this tool, giving the public access to GPS. "To help people find their roots, I developed a site that allows anyone with a registered genotype to upload their results and use GPS to find the origin of their ancestors," he says.
"We were surprised by the simplicity and accuracy of this method. People in a geographical area are more likely to have similar genetic characteristics. When they have features in other, remote areas, their region of origin is generally the closest area in which these characteristics can be found. "
