Overlapping Genetic And Archaeological Evidence Suggests Neolithic Migration

Science Daily ^ | 9-11-02 | Someone at Stanford U.

[scouse]

Source: Stanford University Medical Center (http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/).....

Date: Posted 9/11/2002

Overlapping Genetic And Archaeological Evidence Suggests Neolithic Migration

STANFORD, Calif. - For the first time, Stanford researchers have compared genetic patterns with archeological findings to discover that genetics can help predict with a high degree of accuracy the presence of certain artifacts. And they say the strength of this link adds credence to theories that prehistoric people migrated from the Middle East to Europe, taking both their ideas and their way of life with them.

"The recovery of history is really a jigsaw puzzle," said Peter Underhill, PhD, senior research scientist in the department of genetics and one of the study's authors. "You have to look at genetics, material culture (archeological findings), linguistics and other areas to find different lines of evidence that reinforce each other."

The researchers' mathematical analysis showed that a pair of mutations on the Y chromosome, called Eu9, predicted the presence of certain figurines from the Neolithic period with 88 percent accuracy and the presence of painted pottery with 80 percent accuracy. The study is published in the September issue of Antiquity.

"The strength of the association is very surprising," said Roy King, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford who co-authored the study. "The genetic measures are very precise, and archaeology is pretty precise - either a figurine is there or it isn't. The strength of the correlation is driven by the strength of our measures."

It is known that agriculture spread from the Middle East to Europe during the Neolithic period about 12,000 years ago, but for many years archeologists have debated how this occurred. Was it due to the movement of people or to the movement of ideas? Previous genetic analysis of people living today suggests a migration - that the people moved - but critics have questioned this view. The latest study reinforces evidence of a migration in which people brought their ideas and lifestyle with them.

Rest of article can be found at address posted.

[scouse]

This is an interesting article, however next week some member or employee of the Leaky family, digging on the plains of Africa, will find a prehistoric skeleton carrying a tractor

[serinde]

Very interesting article. Thanks.

[pepsi_junkie]

Your title is confusing. As far as I know, there was no judaism 12,000 years ago. Indeed, the most ancient civilization of the middle east (and the western world) was Sumer, and that only dates back 5,500 years, to about 3500 BC. Before that there are no real written records of any peoples. 12,000 years ago is incredibly far back in the mists of time. On the other hand, there was that lost tribe of Israel...

[scouse]

As far as I know, there was no judaism 12,000 years ago.

Maybe not as a religion, but I have it on good authority that Ur of the Chaldees was an ethnic deli' in downtown Mesopotamia. :^))

[freedomlover]

DId any one else think this was a Billy McKinney thread?

[jigsaw]

...a prehistoric skeleton carrying a tractor.

...Ur of the Chaldees was an ethnic deli' in downtown Mesopotamia.

Bravo! ROTFLMAO!

[scouse]

DId any one else think this was a Billy McKinney thread?

I can assure that it is not. That being said, you will never know just how close you came in finding the true name of yours truly.

[weikel]

ROTFLMAO no but funny.

[SunkenCiv]

· GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach · · join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·
	Antiquity Journal  & archive  Archaeologica  Archaeology  Archaeology Channel  BAR  Bronze Age Forum  Discover  Dogpile  Eurekalert  Google  LiveScience  Mirabilis.ca  Nat Geographic  PhysOrg  Science Daily  Science News  Texas AM  Yahoo  Excerpt, or Link only?	Note: this topic is from 9/13/2002. Thanks scouse. Stumbled across this (didn't find it earlier despite a specific search), and it's related to Decimon's topic from today, so, hey, it's agriculture and animal husbandry week on GGG. ;') Stanford researchers have compared genetic patterns with archeological findings to discover that genetics can help predict with a high degree of accuracy the presence of certain artifacts. And they say the strength of this link adds credence to theories that prehistoric people migrated from the Middle East to Europe, taking both their ideas and their way of life with them. Blast from the Past. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
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[rdl6989]

people migrated from the Middle East to Europe, taking both their ideas and their way of life with them.

Some things never change I guess.

[SunkenCiv]

LOL!

[1010RD]

Just like an unwanted house guest. Why can’t they leave their ideas and way of life at home?