Explore ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) from your DNA data. See how your genotypes compare to population frequencies across continental groups.
Ancestry-informative markers (AIMs) are genetic variants with large allele frequency differences between continental populations. Individual AIMs cannot determine your full ancestry — real ancestry estimation uses hundreds of thousands of markers and sophisticated statistical models. This tool is educational: it shows how individual marker frequencies vary across populations and demonstrates the concept behind ancestry estimation algorithms.
Look up each rsID in your 23andMe or AncestryDNA raw data file and select your genotype. You can analyze any combination of markers.
Hair thickness / Shovel-shaped incisors
The derived G allele (370A variant) is nearly fixed in East Asian populations and associated with thicker hair shafts, shovel-shaped incisors, and increased eccrine sweat gland density. It is one of the strongest ancestry-informative markers for East Asian ancestry.
Skin pigmentation (lighter skin)
The derived A allele (Thr111) is nearly fixed in European populations and explains a large proportion of the skin pigmentation difference between Europeans and West Africans. It is one of the most differentiated alleles between continental populations.
Skin and hair pigmentation
The derived G allele (Leu374) is strongly associated with lighter skin and hair color and is highly prevalent in European populations. Together with SLC24A5, these two genes explain much of the genetic basis for the light skin pigmentation common in northern European ancestry.
Duffy-null blood group / Malaria resistance
The T allele disrupts the Duffy antigen receptor (DARC) on red blood cells, providing resistance to Plasmodium vivax malaria. It is nearly fixed in Sub-Saharan African populations and virtually absent elsewhere, making it one of the most ancestry-informative markers for African ancestry.
Lactase persistence (adult lactose tolerance)
The A allele is associated with lactase persistence into adulthood, allowing continued digestion of lactose. This allele is most common in populations with a long history of dairy farming, particularly northern Europeans. It reached high frequency through strong positive selection over the past 7,000-10,000 years.
Download your raw data from 23andMe (Settings > 23andMe Data > Download Raw Data) or AncestryDNA. Open the text file and search (Ctrl/Cmd+F) for each rsID. Your genotype will appear in the last column.
You can also look up individual SNPs using the SNP Lookup tool.
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