We have posted a preliminary study of primary regional affiliation by percentage (using our high-resolution World Region Match algorithm) for a variety of population samples. This provides a picture of the spectrum of affiliations found within each populations and an indication of how common each element of ancestry is within various modern national and ethnic groups.

For customers interested in comparing our results with Y chromosomal studies, this percentage data provides information more suitable for a direct comparison. Our observations using a statistical approach to autosomal loci corroborate some previous observations. For instance, we observe a distinctive Western European pattern with its maximum in the historically Celtic-speaking areas of Britain (Strathclyde, Scotland in our present dataset) that corresponds closely to the observed maximum of Y chromosomal haplogroup R1b in the same region. However, the advantage of an analysis using autosomal loci is that results are not susceptible to distortion created by sex-biased gene flow, but instead reflect and quantify genetic signals transmitted along both maternal and paternal lines.

The population study can be viewed in PDF format by clicking here.

Update August 20, 2006: a neighbor-joining tree illustrating the phylogenetic relationships between these nineteen regional clusters has been included in an appendix at the end of the document.