Quantitative dermatoglyphics and population structure in Northwest India.

The nature and extent of dermatoglyphic variation in northwest India is examined with the help of 28 quantitative variables-20 finger ridge counts and 8 palmar pattern ridge counts-among 12 endogamous populations. These populations represent the entire spectrum of ethnic and socioeconomic variation of the region and are presently distributed in three different states-Rajasthan, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. Of a total sample of 1,160 adult males, about 100 from each group were considered.

Genetic affinities between the migrant and parental populations of fishermen, East coast, India.

Genetic affinities between the migrant groups of fishermen from Puri and their parental counterparts in the Southern areas were examined using 11 genetic loci: four blood groups, five red cell enzymes, and two serum proteins. The samples for the parental populations (about 430 subjects) were drawn from 34 villages spread along the 400 km coast in Ganjam district of Orissa and the contiguous Srikakulam, Vishakhapatnam, and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. Significant departures between the migrant groups and their parental counterparts were observed at some loci, although the configuration of interpopulation distances among the migrants mimicked that of the parental populations.