Continental ancestry categories fail to adequately capture human diversity. Newly assembled datasets, such as those referenced in Science, highlight that there are no distinct categories of genetic variability, only blurred continuities. Recent high-profile studies in statistical genetics have shown that, in many cases where the use of population categories was previously considered necessary, categories can be avoided entirely. When basic and translational researchers can avoid categories, they should do so.
Anna C. F. Lewis, “Substituting genetic ancestry for race in research? Not so fast,” STAT: Reporting from the frontiers of health and medicine, May 2, 2022. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/02/substituting-genetic-ancestry-for-race-in-research-not-so-fast/.
