The Data Browser includes calculated genetic ancestry associations of variants. Genetic ancestry shows the part of the world where an individual’s ancestors may have lived. People whose ancestors lived in the same region of the world have similar patterns in their DNA. By comparing an individual’s DNA to the DNA of others whose ancestry we know, we can estimate where an individual’s ancestors may have lived.
Genetic ancestry is not the same as race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are concepts created by humans and are not determined by DNA. They are usually based on physical features, such as skin color, or shared language and culture. People of the same race or ethnicity may share the same genetic ancestry, but this is not always the case.
All of Us carries out an analysis that clusters individuals into groups based on the shared patterns in their DNA. This allows us to infer their genetic ancestry. The genetic ancestry category labels correspond to geographic locations where the individuals’ ancestors might have lived hundreds of years ago. Some individuals may not neatly fit the patterns of any of the genetic ancestry groups that we have displayed here. They may cluster with a different genetic ancestry group. Or they may not cluster fully with any group displayed here.
Genetic ancestry is more complex than what is included in the Data Browser. The available data is intended to provide a broad overview of genetic variation by ancestry. Genetic ancestry is linked to migration over time among populations. Individuals may have a blend of multiple ancestries. The specific details and categories aren’t captured by the Variant Search.
