India’s DNA map uncovers millions of missing genetic variants

India’s biggest gene-sequencing effort has shed new light on the diversity of the population, identifying nearly 130 million genetic variants, almost a third of which have not been reported previously. The GenomeIndia project analysed the whole genomes of almost 10,000 people, uncovering 44 million variants that weren’t already in global scientific databases. The study also revealed genetic risk factors in some populations, such as variants in genes that affect how the body processes certain drugs, variants linked to anaesthesia-related complications and extremely high levels of genetic homozygosity — when individuals inherit identical forms of a gene at a particular chromosome location from both parents. This can be a risk factor for recessive genetic diseases.