Posted on 07/29/2007 11:04:32 PM PDT by blam
Ancient DNA may be misleading scientists
Tuesday, 18 February 2003
Dating skeletal material with DNA may not be as acurate as thought
Ancient DNA in skeletons has a tendency to show damage in a particular region, resulting in misleading genetic data and mistaken conclusions about the origin of the skeleton, British scientists said.
A group of researchers at the Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre of the University of Oxford, in Britain, made the finding while studying Viking specimens. They found that about half of the specimens had DNA that suggested they were of Middle Eastern origin.
But more detailed analysis revealed that many of the genetic sequences in the double helix molecule, which carries the genetic information of every individual, were damaged at a key base that separates European sequences from Middle Eastern genetic types - damage which made the skeletons appear to have originated in the Levant.
The results are published in the February 2003 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Damage events appear to be concentrated in specific 'hotspots', indicating that a high proportion of DNA molecules can be modified at the same point. These hotspots appear to be in positions that also differ between different human groups. In other words, the DNA damage discovered affects the same genetic positions as evolutionary change.
"Now that this phenomenon has been recognised, it is possible to survey the ancient sequences for damage more accurately, and determine the correct original genetic type - open the way for more reliable future studies," said Professor Alan Cooper, director of the centre.
Cooper has hopes the finding may have implications for future research. "It also appears that we can use damage cause after death to examine how DNA damage occurs during life - a completely unanticipated, and somewhat ironic result," he said. "Potentially this allows us to get uniquely separate views of the two major evolutionary processes, mutation and selection."
GGG Ping.
Oops...there goes another theory.
Maybe.
It may affect the theory that 'Middle Easterners' brought farming to Europe. As of late, the 'farmers' DNA in Europe is turning out to be very sparse anyway.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Nope. I posted an old article.(Notice the publishers date, 2-2003) I hadn't seen it before and it was pertinent to the last couple of new books (using DNA data) that I read.
I see what you mean...
Sinkhole Skeleton (European “Native Americans”?)
Source: ABCNews (from AP)
Published: 11/27/00 Author: AP
Posted on 11/27/2000 11:25:23 PST by machman
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a22b52343c3.htm
Did the Vikings Stay? Vatican Files May Offer Clues
Source: The New York Times
Published: December 19, 2000 Author: WALTER GIBBS
Posted on 12/19/2000 05:26:52 PST by sarcasm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a3f621c380f.htm
Did the Vikings Stay? Vatican Files May Offer Clues (THREAD II)
Source: The New York Times
Published: December 19, 2000 Author: WALTER GIBBS
Posted on 12/22/2000 16:04:39 PST by sarcasm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a43ec175835.htm
Genetic Survey Reveals Hidden Celts Of England
The Sunday Times (UK) | 12-02-2001 | John Elliott/Tom Robbins
Posted on 12/06/2001 9:35:33 AM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/584960/posts
English And Welsh Are Races Apart
BBC | 6-30-2002
Posted on 07/04/2002 8:27:12 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/711000/posts
Ancestry Of Europeans Traced To Middle East
[pulled thread, copyright complaint]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/728253/posts
Unearthed, The Prince Of Stonehenge
The Telegraph (UK) | 8-26-2002 | Roger Highfield
Posted on 08/25/2002 8:04:48 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/739159/posts
As they say in Kentucky; “Cymru am bith”.
News Wales (UK) | 8/26/02 | Unknown
Posted on 08/29/2002 12:51:38 PM EDT by scouse
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/741385/posts
Cave Skeleton Is European, 1,300 Years Old (Wyoming)
Sunday Gazette Mail | 9-29-2002 | Rick Steelhammer
Posted on 09/30/2002 6:47:50 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/760280/posts
Tracing Jewish history through genes
upi | 5/16/3
Posted on 05/16/2003 6:58:19 PM EDT by NativeNewYorker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/913040/posts
Y Chromosomes Sketch New Outline of British History
NY Times | May 27, 2003 | NICHOLAS WADE
Posted on 05/27/2003 6:49:55 PM EDT by Pharmboy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/918562/posts
Y Chromosomes Rewrite British History
Nature | 6-19-2003 | Hannah Hoag
Posted on 06/24/2003 1:33:30 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/934748/posts
European DNA Found In 7-8,000 Year Old Skeleton In Florida (Windover)
TLC | 8-14-2003 | blam
Posted on 08/14/2003 10:40:03 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/964408/posts
Borders Folks May Be Descended From Africans (Hadrian’s Wall)
The Telegraph (UK) | 6-11-2004 | David Derbershire
Posted on 06/13/2004 5:15:19 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1152911/posts
Ancient Germans weren’t so fair
Australian Broadcasting Corporation | Friday, 16 July 2004 | Anna Salleh
Posted on 07/17/2004 10:07:03 PM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1173464/posts
Palestinian Genes Show Arab, Jewish, European and Black-African Ancestry
Global Politician | December 16, 2004 | David Storobin, Esq.
Posted on 12/17/2004 6:05:57 PM EST by quidnunc
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1303795/posts
Descendant Of Stone Age Skeleton Found (Cheddar Man - 9,000 Years Old)
Trussel.com/Japan Times | 3-9-1997
Posted on 12/30/2005 8:03:20 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1549589/posts
DNA Test Can Detect Picts’ Descendants
The Telegraph (UK) | 8-14-2006 | Auslan Cramb
Posted on 08/14/2006 9:17:14 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1683720/posts
We’re nearly all Celts under the skin [In Great Britain]
The Scotsman | September 21, 2006 | IAN JOHNSTON
Posted on 09/23/2006 1:33:58 PM EDT by Torie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1707002/posts
btt
“Whaddya mean they found Bill Clinton’s DNA all over an ancient Peruvian Mummy?!?”
So what’s the problem? The vikings (Danes) were decendants of the lost tribe of Dan, one of the lost tribes of Israel.
If I remember right, Israel is in the Middle East.
How about “Scientists may be misleading”....but more grant money will straighten that out....in about 100,000 years.
Young’s Law
All great discoveries are made by mistake.
Corollary
The greater the funding, the longer it takes to make the mistake.
The Mad Mo gene?
Most Middle Eastern DNA is damaged anyway........
Did Dan Brown get it wrong and the descendent's of Jesus went to Scandinavia not Southern France? :-)
Interesting. Thanks!
18,000 Years Ago
12,000 Year Ago
The running argument today is whether the DNA haplogroup 'I' or R1a are the 'TRUE' Vikings.
My present opinion is that the 'Vikings' are mainly R1a but may be a combination of R1a and 'I'. My YDNA is R1b and my dad had two sisters with red-hair (which they dyed black their whole lives).
BTW, 90% of the Irish are R1b.
My mother was haplogroup 'V' (Sa'ami - Laplander) who followed the reindeer herds, at the edge of the glaciers, north as they receded at the end of the Ice Age (They were in the north before the Vikings arrived).
The 'V' DNA ladies left the Franco-Iberian refuge with the R1b men but swapped them for 'I' men before arriving in present day Lapland.
The YDNA 'I' are the Saxons who 'invaded' the British Isles in the 4th century AD or earlier.
B4L8r
Very interesting info. The travels of the Vikings and their conquests are a corner of history overlooked by many. Sorry your relatives changed their hair color. Nothing like a Viking woman with red hair!!!!
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