Data Sources

Our ancient DNA database contains 29,688 samples drawn from published, peer-reviewed archaeological studies. Most are real individuals whose remains were excavated, radiocarbon-dated, and DNA-sequenced by professional research teams; a small share are derived records (auto-filled entries, or averages computed from other samples) rather than individuals reported directly in a paper.

Key sources include:

• •Publications in Nature, Science, PNAS, Current Biology, and other high-impact journals
• •Research groups led by David Reich (Harvard), Eske Willerslev (Copenhagen), Johannes Krause (Max Planck), and others
• •Samples spanning from the Upper Palaeolithic (~40,000 BCE) through the Medieval period to early Modern era
• •Geographic coverage across Europe, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania

Our 5,644 modern populations are drawn from the most widely used and trusted reference panels in population genetics:

• •1000 Genomes Project, 2,504 individuals from 26 populations across 5 continents, the gold standard for human genetic variation
• •Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP), 929 individuals from 51 populations, focusing on underrepresented and indigenous groups
• •Simons Genome Diversity Project (SGDP), 279 high-coverage genomes from 130 populations worldwide
• •Published academic datasets, additional regional studies covering South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa

All population comparisons and ancestry modelling in MYDNATLAS use the Global25 (G25) coordinate system, created by Davidski of the Eurogenes project.

G25 reduces genome-wide data into 25 principal components that capture the vast majority of global human genetic variation. This dimensionality reduction enables rapid, accurate comparisons between any two populations or individuals without needing access to raw genotype data.

The G25 system is widely used in the genetic genealogy community and is recognised for its accuracy in modelling admixture, genetic distance, and population clustering. MYDNATLAS converts your raw DNA file into G25 coordinates using a validated PLINK-to-PCA pipeline that replicates the original methodology.

Our database is updated continuously as new ancient DNA studies are published. We monitor major journals and preprint servers for new samples and integrate them as soon as G25 coordinates can be reliably computed.

When new populations are added, all existing user analyses that may be affected are automatically requeued for recalculation, ensuring your results always reflect the most current reference data.

Every sample in MYDNATLAS undergoes a multi-step quality assurance process:

• •Source verification. Each sample is traced to its original publication with DOI references
• •Geographic validation, coordinates are verified against excavation site data from the original papers
• •Cultural categorisation, archaeological culture labels are cross-referenced with the published record
• •Outlier detection, samples with anomalous G25 positions are flagged and manually reviewed
• •Manual audit, all 35,332 populations have been individually reviewed for naming, dating, and metadata accuracy

MYDNATLAS is built on the collective work of the population genetics research community. We are grateful to the researchers, institutions, and open-access data initiatives that make this work possible.

If you use MYDNATLAS results in academic work, we encourage you to cite both MYDNATLAS and the original publications for the populations referenced. Each population profile in the Encyclopedia includes source references where available.

We welcome collaboration with academic researchers. If you are interested in using our platform for research purposes or would like to contribute data, please contact us.