spACE

spACE maps how the nature and nurture of complex human traits varies geographically within populations. It is developed by the Dynamic Genetics lab, part of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, UK. The approach uses data from cohorts of twins to break down the variation in complex traits into genetic (A) and environmental influences (C and E; technically anything other than DNA sequence).

The maps here show genetic and environmental influences on autistic traits vary in the UK and Sweden. Use the buttons in the side bar to select maps showing genetic (A) or environmental (E) influences in either country (C is approximately zero across all maps, so is not shown here). On each map, red points are high compared to the mean, whereas blue points are low. The distribution of values is shown in the side bar histogram, coloured in the same way as the map. Selecting a point on the map shows its value and where this value lies in the histogram (with 95% confidence intervals in grey).

The map models raw variance, so A and E are not constrained to add up to one in any location. However, the values can be roughly interpreted as the proportion of the variation in the population explained by genetic or environmental differences among people of the same ancestral background at each location, highlighting how the local environment can draw out or mask genetic influences on human characteristics.