A new study led by researchers at McGill University has mapped
the genetic history of French Canadians through space and time.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, used a
unique genealogical dataset of over five million records
spanning 400 years to unravel the genetic structure of French Canadian populations.
The study found that French Canadians are genetically more diverse than
previously thought, and that their genetic makeup has been
shaped by a number of factors, including migration,
intermarriage with other ethnic groups, and natural selection.
The study also found that there is a strong correlation between river networks and genetic similarity,
suggesting that French Canadians who lived along the same rivers were more likely to intermarry.
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