ArticleeLife2019
Reduced signal for polygenic adaptation of height in UK Biobank.
Article in eLife, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 227 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
227 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Genome-wide association analysis using multiple Atlantic salmon populations.Genetics, selection, evolution : GSE · 2025Pooled it
- Population genetic considerations for using biobanks as international resources in the pandemic era and beyond.BMC genomics · 2021Pooled it
- Investigating regions of shared genetic variation in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and major depressive disorder: a GWAS meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2021Pooled it
- No genome-wide correlations and little shared genetic architecture between reproductive life-history traits and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer risk.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Genomic insights into natural selection in recent human history.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026Review
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- Reporting and representation of population descriptors in public RNA-seq databases.Cell genomics · 2026Article
- Extending genome-wide association studies to admixed cohorts with high degrees of relatedness.Nature genetics · 2026Article
- Within-sibling attenuation of polygenic risk score accuracy: investigating the effects of principal component analysis, LD score regression, and mixed model association in the UK Biobank.Human genetics · 2026Article
- Estimation of direct and indirect polygenic effects and gene-environment interactions using polygenic scores in case-parent trio studies.Nature genetics · 2026Article
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- Genomic-Relatedness Matching Expands Population Coverage, Improves Power, and Reduces Bias in Genetic Association Analyses.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Estimating uncertainty in family-based GWAS.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Observational epidemiological studies can mitigate genetic confounding with a genetic relatedness matrix.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Quantifying direct genetic signal captured by principal component adjustment.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Ancestral diversity in complex disease genetics: from discovery to translation.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026Review
- Phenome-derived polygenic scores and social determinants jointly shape context-dependent disease risk.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- A spectral component approach leveraging identity-by-descent graphs to address recent population structure in genomic analysis.Genome research · 2026Article
- Fine-scale structure of a whole regional population through genetics and genealogies.Nature communications · 2026Article
167 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Several recent papers have reported strong signals of selection on European polygenic height scores. These analyses used height effect estimates from the GIANT consortium and replication studies. Here, we describe a new analysis based on the the UK Biobank (UKB), a large, independent dataset. We find that the signals of selection using UKB effect estimates are strongly attenuated or absent. We also provide evidence that previous analyses were confounded by population stratification. Therefore, the conclusion of strong polygenic adaptation now lacks support. Moreover, these discrepancies highlight (1) that methods for correcting for population stratification in GWAS may not always be sufficient for polygenic trait analyses, and (2) that claims of differences in polygenic scores between populations should be treated with caution until these issues are better understood. Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.