Averaging polygenic scores across regions can pick up environmental differences, not just genetics. The paper cautions that geographic PGS maps may be misread as innate group differences when they partly capture schooling, mobility, disease spread, and other context.
— This warns media and policymakers against genetic determinism in regional comparisons and urges more careful interpretation of population genomics in public debates.
Aporia
2026.01.10
90% relevant
Piffer’s latitude‑and‑polygenic‑score analysis is a direct example of the risk that population‑level PGS maps pick up environmental and historical structure (ancient Northeast Asian ancestry) rather than pure innate differences; the article’s finding that associations weaken when controlling for ancient ancestry mirrors the existing idea’s warning.
2025.03.26
100% relevant
Fig. 3 in the paper: 'Polygenic prediction of average phenotypes per region probably captures environmental influences.'
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