China | Precious bodily fluids

China’s guarding of genetic data is a drag on scientific research

 The Chinese public stands to lose most from the regulations

A staff member places the blood samples at the China National GeneBank in Shenzen, China
Keep out of foreign handsImage: Eyevine
|BEIJING

A TEAM OF Chinese-led scientists made international headlines in May with newly published research that showed a surprising result. The Ice Age humans who crossed what is now the Bering Strait and populated North America had origins not only in Siberia, as previously known, but also in coastal China. The work of the team, which included Italian researchers, involved the collection and analysis of 100,000 genetic samples covering modern populations from nearly all of Eurasia, and more than 15,000 ancient samples.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Precious bodily fluids”

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