https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog daily 0.75 2020-01-29 https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog/strongidentifying-and-interpreting-apparent-neanderthal-ancestry-in-african-individustrongals-68cfh monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579977533876-LT5THGKVZ4TDYKGRF6ZW/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-11%2Bat%2B5.15.24%2BPM.jpg SciResearchBlog - “Identifying and interpreting apparent Neanderthal ancestry in African individuals” (Cell 2020) - Detecting archaic introgression in modern humans without using an unadmixed reference panel reveals higher Neanderthal ancestry in African individuals that previously seen and suggests that back-to-Africa migration contributed to this signal. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog/outstanding-questions-in-the-study-of-archaic-hominin-admixture monthly 0.5 2020-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579976506666-LBB2MHX1LFXHJR29HFK3/Fig1.png SciResearchBlog - “Outstanding questions in the study of archaic hominin admixture” (Plos Genet 2018) - The complete sequencing of archaic and modern human genomes has revolutionized the study of human history and evolution. The application of paleogenomics has answered questions that were beyond the scope of archaeology alone—definitively proving admixture between archaic and modern humans. Despite the remarkable progress made in the study of archaic–modern human admixture, many outstanding questions remain. Here, we review some of these questions, which include how frequent archaic–modern human admixture was in history, to what degree drift and selection are responsible for the loss and retention of introgressed sequences in modern human genomes, and how surviving archaic sequences affect human phenotypes. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog/excavating-neandertal-and-denisovan-dna-from-the-genomes-of-melanesian-individuals monthly 0.5 2020-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579976644186-MBGP9G0F3EI7I9WIQA7W/Vernot2015.png SciResearchBlog - “Excavating Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from the genomes of Melanesian individuals” (Science 2016) - Although Neandertal sequences that persist in the genomes of modern humans have been identified in Eurasians, comparable studies in people whose ancestors hybridized with both Neandertals and Denisovans are lacking. We developed an approach to identify DNA inherited from multiple archaic hominin ancestors and applied it to whole-genome sequences from 1523 geographically diverse individuals, including 35 previously unknown Island Melanesian genomes. In aggregate, we recovered 1.34 gigabases and 303 megabases of the Neandertal and Denisovan genome, respectively. We use these maps of archaic sequences to show that Neandertal admixture occurred multiple times in different non-African populations, characterize genomic regions that are significantly depleted of archaic sequences, and identify signatures of adaptive introgression. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog/strongthe-human-ortholog-of-acid-sensing-ion-channel-gene-asic1a-is-associated-with-panic-disorder-and-amygdala-structure-and-functionstrong-embiol-psychiatem-2014 monthly 0.5 2020-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1580265430068-XZ17HUGU2W01P5EPZTKT/Screen+Shot+2020-01-28+at+9.36.22+PM.png SciResearchBlog - “The Human Ortholog of Acid-Sensing Ion Channel Gene ASIC1a Is Associated With Panic Disorder and Amygdala Structure and Function” (Biol Psychiat 2014) - Individuals with panic disorder (PD) exhibit a hypersensitivity to inhaled carbon dioxide, possibly reflecting a lowered threshold for sensing signals of suffocation. Animal studies have shown that carbon dioxide–mediated fear behavior depends on chemosensing of acidosis in the amygdala via the acid-sensing ion channel ASIC1a. We examined whether the human ortholog of the ASIC1a gene, ACCN2, is associated with the presence of PD and with amygdala structure and function. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/sciresearchblog/strongcopy-number-variation-in-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-and-tourette-syndrome-a-cross-disorder-studystrong-emj-am-acad-child-adolesc-psychiatryem-2014 monthly 0.5 2020-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1580265931260-ZWI4QY38ZS5OX94GDTLG/Gene-duplication.png SciResearchBlog - “Copy number variation in obsessive-compulsive disorder and tourette syndrome: a cross-disorder study” ( J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2014) - Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome (TS) are heritable neurodevelopmental disorders with a partially shared genetic etiology. This study represents the first genome-wide investigation of large (>500 kb), rare (<1%) copy number variants (CNVs) in OCD and the largest genome-wide CNV analysis in TS to date. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog daily 0.75 2025-05-24 https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent-274x7-zxawh-x359k-hn3j4-bbkdj monthly 0.5 2025-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/d6c482af-4347-41e3-8166-078af1a66884/Screenshot+2025-05-23+at+5.09.04%E2%80%AFPM.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “GenealogyTV — AncestryDNA Insider with Aaron Wolf” - I spoke with Connie Knox of GenealogyTV about AncestryDNA’s 2024 Origins update, the largest update to our product in years. We talked about the science behind the update, including how new regions also resulted in increased accuracy for customers. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent-274x7-zxawh-x359k-hn3j4 monthly 0.5 2025-05-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/f5a4e1af-9d01-437d-badd-44e43c524c64/Screenshot+2025-05-23+at+4.54.24%E2%80%AFPM.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “Your DNA Guide — Ask the Experts with Aaron Wolf” - I spoke with Diahan Southard of Your DNA Guide about the latest updates and features at Ancestry DNA. We talked about AncestryDNA’s SideView Technology, as well as shared our favorite aspects of the AncestryDNA experience. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent-274x7-zxawh-x359k monthly 0.5 2025-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1748034409498-KMWNN8NJK0ESRE9Y84OK/unsplash-image-xGk0pC1TUrM.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “AncestryDNA: Scandinavian ancestry in people of English descent” - As the lead science communicator at Ancestry, I help our members understand and make sense of their DNA results. In this piece I explore how the complicated history of Scandinavia and England can lead to some surprising genetic findings for people of English descent. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent-274x7-zxawh monthly 0.5 2025-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1748033267110-ZMB9KK81GZEE3K2G4BG6/unsplash-image-W8MyxxLvK1E.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “AncestryDNA: Scottish ancestry in people of Irish descent” - As the lead science communicator at Ancestry, I help our members understand and make sense of their DNA results. In this piece I explore how the complicated history of Ireland and Scotland can lead to some surprising genetic findings for people of Irish descent. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent-274x7 monthly 0.5 2025-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1748032469641-5BPPZWGN4XD0LNDQ37F9/unsplash-image-MiVrRlSe4BI.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “AncestryDNA: Journeys by Parent” - As the lead science communicator at Ancestry, I help our members understand and make use of our newest features. In this latest installment of my series “Science of” I dive into the science behind Ancestry’s Journeys by Parent feature, a new way to see how each parent connects you to the specific locations and places your ancestors moved in the past 300 years. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/ancestrydna-traits-by-parent monthly 0.5 2025-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1747858096321-I1WVKROFOHQMTM5JNC2Q/unsplash-image-fvInY-Gh7sc.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “AncestryDNA: Traits by Parent” - As the lead science communicator at Ancestry, I help our members understand and make use of our newest features. In this latest installment of my series “Science of,” I dive into the science behind Ancestry’s Traits by Parent feature, a new way for members to explore how much genetic influence each parent had on their physical and behavioral traits. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/federal-judicial-center-emerging-dna-technologies-and-impacts-for-the-courts monthly 0.5 2022-10-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/8bfa0681-8f7a-45b0-bb96-0511f8972102/Screen+Shot+2022-10-19+at+3.37.40+PM.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “Federal Judicial Center: Emerging DNA Technologies and Impacts for the Courts” - As an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (2020-2021) hosted by the Federal Judicial Center, I developed educational content for federal judges about emerging trends in genomics and possible impacts for the courts. Through these resources, federal judges can better understand new genetic and DNA technologies and gain a foundation from which to evaluate the evidence and assess their courts’ need for additional scientific expertise. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongneanderthal-ancestry-affects-covid-19-responsestrong monthly 0.5 2020-10-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1602539031380-Y91Q8X44UR1HR1HZQIS2/COVID19_Li_ORs.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Neanderthal Ancestry Affects COVID-19 Severity, But Only Slightly ” Odds ratios for non-genetic risk factors for “severe COVID-19” from Li et al. (2020). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1602087167475-XES7BZ4TD249JNQZ9LC0/image-asset.jpeg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Neanderthal Ancestry Affects COVID-19 Severity, But Only Slightly ” - A new study links Neanderthal ancestry to severe COVID-19. But, before checking your Neanderthal percentage on 23andMe to gauge your COVID-19 risk, consider this… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1602538233152-A334CWVE2J5NW26AJFE8/COVID19_HGI_GWAS_Release3.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “Neanderthal Ancestry Affects COVID-19 Severity, But Only Slightly ” Manhattan plot from COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (Release 3). GWAS of “hospitalized COVID v. population”. The significant locus on chromosome 3 is the same region identified in Ellinghaus et al. (2020). https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/gina monthly 0.5 2020-10-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1582315656288-7RNSKYN10LMSOA9P1VK6/image-asset.jpeg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Your friend GINA: The little-known law that protects you from genetic discrimination” - A new survey shows many Americans fear their genetic information could be used to set insurance coverage rates or influence employment decisions. It turns out there’s a law to protect them, and it was passed so early in the history of genetics research, most people haven’t heard of it. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/new-study-identifies-neanderthal-ancestry-in-africans monthly 0.5 2020-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579978718995-XN4ZQEJITOI94PR5EZLR/Cell_Neanderthal_close.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “New study identifies Neanderthal ancestry in African populations and describes its origin” - After sequencing the Neanderthal genome, scientists discovered all present day non-African individuals carry some Neanderthal ancestry in their DNA. Now, researchers at Princeton University present evidence of Neanderthal ancestry in African populations too, and its origin provides new insights into human history. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongwhen-genetic-ancestry-tests-conflict-with-family-lore-what-does-it-meanstrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579979358503-7WYL8R0QK919PF1WK3JV/image-asset.jpeg SciCommunicationsBlog - “When genetic ancestry tests conflict with family lore, what does it mean?” - Situations where genetic ancestry tests disagree with family lore or documented genealogies are not uncommon. The conflict can cause confusion about family history and doubt about the efficacy of the tests. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/stronggenetic-studies-lack-diversity-and-its-a-problemstrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579980561728-H6LYB9OFQNYSCEPKCY3T/image-asset.jpeg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Genetic Studies Lack Diversity, and It’s a Problem” - Biobanks—large collections of genetic data linked with medical data—provide a foundation for current medical genetics research. The problem is that biobanks, and other large datasets used for genetic studies, are composed predominantly of white individuals with European ancestry. I t means that non-white populations are missing out on breakthroughs in medical genetics. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongsiblings-can-differ-in-their-genetic-ancestry-results-heres-why-you-shouldnt-be-concernedstrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579982111213-DD5MXI8W4F99N0REO1EL/image.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Siblings can differ in their genetic ancestry results, here’s why you shouldn’t be concerned” - A common concern when families participate in genetic ancestry tests is why siblings can have such different ethnicity results. For example, one sister might have 30% Irish ancestry, but another is only 10%. The reason behind this is that while siblings always inherit half of their DNA from each parent, they always inherit a different half , the result of a process called “genetic recombination” https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongnew-study-highlights-improvements-to-healthcare-by-increasing-diversity-in-genomic-researchstrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1579980228594-JIJNPJ23Z4W9VFZXK7GM/image-asset.jpeg SciCommunicationsBlog - “New study highlights improvements to healthcare by increasing diversity in genomic research” - In a new study published in Nature (Wojcik et al. 2019), investigators from the US and Mexico identify the lack of racial diversity in large genetic datasets as a major reason why genetic discoveries fail to translate to non-white populations. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongprinceton-citizen-scientists-meet-with-congressional-reps-to-talk-paid-family-leavestrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1580138853217-P7L1PZTVXEQPN3OGEF9Q/20181206_170130+%281%29.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Princeton Citizen Scientists Meet with Congressional Reps to Talk Paid Family Leave.” - Members of the Princeton Citizen Scientists — a group of graduate students that advocate for evidence-based policymaking — and I met with congressional representatives to present research on the health and financial benefits of paid family leave. See the info sheet we discussed with Rep. Adam Schiff (D) https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongdiscussing-human-neanderthal-admixture-on-local-station-wprbstrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1580157334285-0FVAJ44VK31P0QMITXWH/Untitled1.jpg SciCommunicationsBlog - “Discussing human-Neanderthal admixture on local station WPRB” - I jump on the mike with “These Vibes are Too Cosmic” (WPRB) co-host Stevie Bergman to discuss Neanderthal genomes and how Neanderthal and modern human genomes mixed. We walk through what we know about Neanderthals and our modern misconceptions of them, and how they came about. From there, we discuss how the Neanderthal genome was mapped, and why we think that most living humans have about 2% neanderthal DNA — and what that DNA is for. https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblog/strongemerald-city-rotary-learns-about-neanderthal-and-denisovan-ancestry-in-the-human-genomestrong monthly 0.5 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e29c8223db8086671158e53/1580149485940-13AWIJO6KZJ7P7RF7MDQ/Untitled.png SciCommunicationsBlog - “Emerald City Rotary Learns About Neanderthal and Denisovan Ancestry in the Human Genome” - Post-doc Rajiv McCoy and I present some of the Akey lab’s work studying the global and genomic distribution of archaic hominin ancestry, and the effects of inherited archaic hominin ancestry on modern human health and disease. (https://emeraldcityrotary.org/march-21-2017-rajiv-mccoy-and-aaron-wolf-genomics/) https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicommsblogoverflow daily 0.75 2025-05-24 https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scicom daily 0.75 2025-05-24 https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/scires daily 0.75 2020-01-25 https://aaronbwolf.squarespace.com/about daily 1.0 2022-10-19