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Inferring the Ancestral Allele from an Outgroup Genome

Students routinely assume the ancestral state is observed rather than inferred. Teaching the outgroup-comparison inference, and its failure modes, keeps the later derived-allele counts from being read as certainties.

Questions this Concept answers

Why is labelling an allele ancestral an inference rather than an observation?

jeremy Text

Tutorials — ancify

These tutorials walk through inferring the ancestral allele at each genomic position by comparing a focal genome with aligned outgroup species. They explain how outgroups are chosen phylogenetically …