Such a list is intended for use by advanced students in a human population genetics course. I am not looking for theoretical and/or highly mathematical papers, but rather for solid empirical studies of various evolutionary processes known to be operating on human populations, producing genetic change over generational time. Your help in compiling such an up-to-date listing will be greatly appreciated.
Here is a list of few empirical studies:
1. The Genographic Project: A global genetic survey project that analyzes DNA samples from populations worldwide to study human genetic diversity, migration patterns, and evolutionary history. The project has produced numerous empirical studies on human population genetics.
2. The 1000 Genomes Project: A collaborative effort to sequence and analyze the genomes of thousands of individuals from diverse populations worldwide. The project provides insights into human genetic variation and evolution.
3. Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP): A project that collects and analyzes DNA samples from diverse human populations to study patterns of genetic diversity and population history.
4. The International HapMap Project: A project that aimed to create a comprehensive map of common genetic variations in human populations. The project provided valuable insights into human population structure, migration, and genetic adaptation.
5. Studies on Natural Selection: Several empirical studies have investigated the role of natural selection in shaping genetic variation in human populations. Examples include studies on the selection of disease-related genes, adaptations to local environments, and the impact of cultural practices on genetic variation.
6. Studies on Genetic Drift: Empirical studies have examined the effects of genetic drift, a random process that can lead to changes in allele frequencies, on human populations. These studies often focus on isolated or small populations with limited gene flow.
7. Studies on Migration and Gene Flow: Empirical studies have investigated the patterns and consequences of human migration and gene flow on genetic diversity and population structure. These studies often utilize genetic data from different populations and employ statistical methods to infer migration patterns.
8. Studies on Demographic History: Researchers have used genetic data and demographic modeling to study the demographic history of human populations, including population size changes, migration events, and admixture events.
9. Studies on Human Adaptation: Empirical studies have explored genetic adaptations in human populations to various environmental factors, such as climate, diet, and infectious diseases. These studies often involve the analysis of specific candidate genes or genome-wide scans for signatures of positive selection.
10. Studies on Human Evolutionary History: Empirical studies have used genetic data to study human evolutionary history, including the origins of modern humans, evolutionary relationships between different populations, and the timing and routes of human migrations.
Hope it helps.
Mohammad Imam Thank you, Mohammad, this is useful. Given the possible reluctance of scholars to provide (particularistic) case studies that I've already compiled (and have used as readings and references in my Biological Anthropology courses), I will provide same to colleagues to spur on their Addenda. - Gary
Here are a few primary literature resources ... most of which provide empirical demonstration of the action of various microevolutionary processes that have operated on regional groupings of human populations across generational time. Addenda to this listing will be appreciated and acknowledged:
Empirical Case Studies: Microevolution in Human Populations
Chagnon, Napoleon A., et al. "The influence of cultural factors on the demography and pattern of gene flow from the Makiritare to the Yanomama Indians." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 32.3 (1970): 339-349.
Elguero, Eric, et al. "Malaria continues to select for sickle cell trait in Central Africa." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112.22 (2015): 7051-7054.
Fix, Alan G. "Fission‐fusion and lineal effect: Aspects of the population structure of the Semai Senoi of Malaysia." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 43.2 (1975): 295-302.
Jonxis, Jean Henri Pierre. "Abnormal Haemoglobins in Africa. A Symposium organized by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences established under the Joint Auspices of UNESCO & WHO." Abnormal Haemoglobins in Africa. A Symposium organized by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences established under the Joint Auspices of UNESCO & WHO.. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications., 1965. [See pp. 365-391 re contrast of HbA/HbS genotypes in parents vs. offspring – and, importantly, in the Fitness Coefficient differentials between these two cohorts -- in a population from the Musoma District of Tanzania.]
Julian, Colleen G., and Lorna G. Moore. "Human genetic adaptation to high altitude: evidence from the Andes." Genes 10.2 (2019): 150.
Neel, James V., and Richard H. Ward. "Village and tribal genetic distances among American Indians, and the possible implications for human evolution." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences65.2 (1970): 323-330.
Smouse, Peter E., Virginia J. Vitzthum, and James V. Neel. "The impact of random and lineal fission on the genetic divergence of small human groups: a case study among the Yanomama." Genetics 98.1 (1981): 179-197.
Woolf, Charles M., and Frank C. Dukepoo. "Hopi Indians, Inbreeding, and Albinism: The high frequency of albinism among Hopi Indians is an intriguing problem in population genetics." Science 164.3875 (1969): 30-37.
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