Bioassay of Kinship in Populations of Middle Eastern Origin and Controls [and Comments and Replies]

Abstract

Gene frequencies for 32 populations show 3 Jewish and 4 gentile clusters. From phenotype frequencies the estimate of inbreeding F is .0110 for populations in the Middle East and .0002 for other populations. Differentiation of populations in the region is small (F =.026) compared with that of the species as a whole (F =.146). Kinship between populations is appreciable within clusters but much less within the total Jewish and gentile groups (.004 and .001, respectively). Isolation by distance is similar within and between groups. From the available data the major Jewish populations appear to have undergone admixture with gentiles at a rate of about 1% per generation, leading to total admixture rates of about 50%. Estimates of evolutionary size from these data suggest substantial founder effects. These results are qualitatively consistent with inferences of Cavalli-Sforza and Carmelli and with the nonparametric analysis of Karlin et al., but not with some interpretations of the latter.