Methodology deep-dives, population spotlights, and engineering notes from the Ancestrify team — qpAdm modelling, ancient DNA panels, and how genetic ancestry analysis really works.
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Global25 fits your coordinate to a mixture and always returns percentages. qpAdm tests a model against allele-frequency statistics and can reject it. A practical comparison of when each one is the right instrument.
DNA from ancient Himera reveals a diverse 480 BCE Greek army, distant mercenaries, local soldiers and mobility across the Mediterranean.
The first whole genome from Old Kingdom Egypt reveals deep North African ancestry and an eastern Fertile Crescent connection—with major limits.
Ancient DNA traces Yamnaya ancestry to Caucasus–Lower Volga and Dnipro–Don populations before the great Bronze Age steppe expansion.
DNA from 13 early Tarim Basin mummies reveals a genetically isolated local population that adopted dairy, crops and technologies from neighbors.
Ten genomes from a Himalayan cave reveal a population that was half Tibetan-related and half North Indian-related, mixing from about 2800 years ago.
238 ancient genomes from the Southern Cone reveal a deep central Argentina lineage that persisted for thousands of years with little inward migration.
A 2026 ancient DNA study traces Albanian ancestry from Bronze and Iron Age West Balkan groups through Roman-era and medieval admixture.
Ancient Balkan DNA reveals Roman-era Anatolian mobility, mixed late-antique migrations and lasting ancestry linked to Slavic expansion.
What qpAdm computes, what the p-value, standard error and z-score each mean, why outgroup choice decides whether a model is worth anything, and how to read a rejection — with a worked example.
qpAdm modeling shows modern Anatolian Turks carrying ancestry from Neolithic farmers, Yamnaya, and later Iron Age to medieval populations, reflecting a complex mix of local and incoming ancestries.
qpAdm modeling shows modern Balkan populations carry varying proportions of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age steppe ancestry, reflecting long-term regional continuity.
Recent ancient DNA research provides the first comprehensive view of the Picenes (Picentes), an Iron Age population of Central Italy along the Middle Adriatic coast. This study sheds light on their paternal lineages, ancestral composition, and genetic relationships with neighboring populations.