Study of the human African genome landscape through the analysis of complete genomes

Abstract

Understanding the genetic diversity in humans within the African continent is pivotal to have a full picture of the demographic history of the human species. Here, we study complete genome sequeces of a diverse panel of African individuals in terms of geographical location, linguistic context and lifestyle. Most African diversity studies have mainly focused on uniparental markers or selected autosomal markers, which introduce an ascertainment bias in the analysis. The analysis of complete genomes has been poorly developed in the study of African human genomics and internal population diversity. The main goals of this study are: 1. Characterisation of the internal human diversity in Africa overcoming ascertainment bias-related problems by using complete genomes. 2. Characterization of the deepest splits in the human lineage and the processes (such as migrations and admixtures) that have shaped the current genetic map.