Genetics is rapidly changing how we understand human traits — from height and body composition to disease risk and even cognitive abilities. One of the most powerful tools in this field is the polygenic score (PGS), which combines information from many genetic variants into a single number that predicts the likelihood or value of a trait.
My new Population Polygenic Score Explorer lets you visualize how these scores vary across populations worldwide.
This tool is available exclusively to paid subscribers.
What is a Polygenic Score?
Most traits are polygenic, meaning they’re influenced by hundreds or thousands of genetic variants, each contributing a small effect.
To calculate a polygenic score for an individual:
Start with a set of genetic variants known to be associated with the trait (from genome-wide association studies).
For each variant, multiply the number of effect alleles the person carries (0, 1, or 2) by its effect size.
Sum across all variants to get the individual’s PGS.
Optionally standardize the score into a Z-score, showing how far above or below the average the person is.
From Individuals to Populations
When we look at groups rather than individuals, we can calculate an average PGS for each population.
This average provides a statistical summary of the genetic potential for a trait in that group — although real-world outcomes also depend on environment, culture, and other non-genetic factors.
In the plot below, you can see:
Gray dots: Individual PGS values
Red lines: Population averages
About the App
The Population Polygenic Score Explorer maps these population averages onto an interactive world map.
You can click on a marker to see:
The population’s location and name
Its average polygenic score for the selected trait
An interpretation (e.g., “High compared to average”)
Exclusive to Subscribers
Due to server costs and data licensing, this tool is only available to paid subscribers.
Subscribers get full access to all traits, including those related to:
Physical traits (height, body composition, strength)
Health risks (metabolic, cardiovascular, etc.)
Other complex characteristics
The initial version has only two traits - Educational attainment (EA3 polygenic score) and Height - but more will be added in the future.
In the near future, I will also add average phenotypic values, such as average height or IQ.
The link is posted below in the section available only to subscribers.
Polygenic scores are a valuable research tool, but they are not destiny.
They estimate genetic potential, not guaranteed outcomes — especially for traits strongly influenced by lifestyle, nutrition, and environment such as height, obesity or Type 2 Diabetes.
By providing a visual, population-level view, this app helps make genetic data more understandable and accessible for serious research and informed curiosity.