We do not find a single SNP with a p value that exceeds traditionally defined levels of genome-wide significance (p < 5 10−8; see Storey and Tibshirani 2003). Our findings point to the limitations inherent in the SNP-based GWAS and GWGEI approaches, and we suggest that demographers utilize genomic information as an indicator of relationship status or a summary indicator of risk rather than searching for associations SNP by SNP. We also highlight the difficulty of evaluating the existing GxE conceptual models using genome-wide data. Overall, we suggest some caution for the enthusiasm related to SNP based GWGEI research in general and point to clear limitations of this type of approach for population research specifically. We conclude by offering suggestions about potential uses of genome-wide data other than GWAS and GWGEI that may provide more utility for demographers.
