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The Conversation USA

People don't mate randomly – but the flawed assumption that they do is an essential part of many studies linking genes to diseases and traits

  • Written by Richard Border, Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistical Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles
imageStatistical pitfalls in GWAS can result in misleading conclusions about whether some traits (like long horns or spotted skin, in the case of dinosaurs) are genetically linked.@meanymoo, CC BY-NC-ND

The idea that correlation does not imply causation is a fundamental caveat in epidemiological research. A classic example involves a hypothetical link...

Read more: People don't mate randomly – but the flawed assumption that they do is an essential part of many...

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