The Problem With Statistical Populations

One of the most important caveats that both researchers and journalists need to observe when discussing findings like those from USR1 is the distinction between a statistical population in the sense used by geneticists and an actual historical people — a specific community with a specific culture, language, territory, and identity.

When population geneticists refer to the Ancient Beringians, they are referring to a statistical construct: a genetic lineage inferred from the patterns in one genome and from comparison with other available genomes.

The label describes where USR1’s lineage sits in a mathematical model of population relationships.