Genetic mapping reveals complex traits draw more heritability from intergenic DNA

Schizophrenia, height, cholesterol. Each has its own genetic signature. That signature is made up of genetic variants: small differences in the DNA sequence that make one person's genome differ from another's. Some traits, such as the amount of cholesterol in the blood, are shaped by relatively few genetic variants. Other traits, such as schizophrenia, are shaped by many thousands of them, each contributing almost nothing on its own. Geneticists call this polygenicity.

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