DORA: an interactive map for the visualization and analysis of ancient human DNA and associated data

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Evolutionary Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing has transformed evolutionary history studies by incorporating the temporal dimension.
• Population genomic inference traditionally relied on contemporary data, limiting spatiotemporal analyses of ancient populations.
• The rapid increase in aDNA availability necessitates advanced methods for integrating multidimensional genetic data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a unified, interactive tool for analyzing ancient human genomic data.
• To address the challenges of integrating diverse genomic and non-genomic data types for meta-analyses.
• To facilitate spatiotemporal studies of ancient human populations.

Main Methods:

• Development of DORA, a publicly available, web-based interactive tool.
• Integration of multiple data types, including genomic and non-genomic information (e.g., metadata, climate data).
• Unified interface for browsing sample information, performing analyses, and exporting data subsets.

Main Results:

• DORA provides a single, intuitive interface for analyzing diverse aDNA datasets.
• The tool successfully integrates sample metadata with population structure and climatic data.
• Users can perform analyses directly within DORA or export data for external studies.

Conclusions:

• DORA resolves technical challenges in combining disparate aDNA datasets and formats.
• The tool empowers researchers to focus on scientific questions using ancient DNA.
• DORA enhances the potential for meta-analyses and spatiotemporal research in human evolutionary genomics.