Identifying sources of genetic differentiation in human populations

The main concern of human population genetics is to identify and describe genetic differences between groups of people. These differences give insight into the evolutionary processes and unique histories that have shaped these populations. A better understanding of human genetic diversity will lead to a better understanding of the biological systems that underly human phenotypic diversity. Here I explore three processes which have led to population differentiation in modern humans. First, I examine how differential disease risk across continents may have (or may not have) led to differences in allele frequencies immune-related genes. Second, I describe a method for discovering genomic regions in admixed populations that appear more similar to one parent population than the other. This method highlights regions which may have very recently been under selection in these populations. And finally, using the same method I attempt to discern regions of the genome in modern humans that may have been shaped by archaic admixture.