The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5
=> Study finds Britons descended farmers left Iraq/Syria 10,000 years ago
| Study finds Britons descended farmers left Iraq/Syria 10,000 years ago |
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Posted by
Jeffrey
(Guest)
- Monday, February 21 2011, 3:13:44 (UTC) from 173.13.27.45 - 173-13-27-45-Michigan.hfc.comcastbusiness.net  Network -  Windows NT -   MozillaWebsite: Website title: |
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1244654/Study-finds-Britons-descended-farmers-left-Iraq-Syria-10-000-years-ago.html Click here to print * Skip to main navigation * Skip to main content * Skip to search MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories * Science&Tech Home * Pictures * Gadgets Gifts and Toys Store * My Profile * Logout * Login Monday, Feb 21 2011 3AM 2°C 6AM 3°C 5-Day Forecast Most Britons descended from male farmers who left Iraq and Syria 10,000 years ago (and were seduced by the local hunter-gatherer women) By David Derbyshire Last updated at 1:37 PM on 20th January 2010 * Comments (237) * Add to My Stories Most Britons are direct descendants of farmers who left modern day Iraq and Syria 10,000 years ago, a new study has shown. After studying the DNA of more than 2,000 men, researchers say they have compelling evidence that four out of five white Europeans can trace their roots to the Near East. The discovery is shedding light on one of the most important periods of human history - the time when our ancient ancestors abandoned hunting and began to domesticate animals. Our ancestors: Arrivals from Iraq and Syria in 8000 BC brought in new farming methods Ancestors: Farmers from Iraq and Syria in 8000 BC built up communities in Britain The invention of farming led to the first towns and paved the way for the dawn of civilisation. The Leicester University study looked at a common genetic mutation on the Y chromosome, the DNA that is passed down from fathers to sons. More... * Tomb of the Saxon Queen: Discovered, Alfred's granddaughter They found that 80 per cent of European men shared the same Y chromosone mutation and after analysing how the mutation was distributed across Europe, were able to retrace how Europe was colonised around 8,000BC. Middle East farmers Roots: Britons are descended from farmers who migrated from the Persian Gulf 10,000 years ago according to a new study (file picture) Prof Mark Jobling, who led the study: 'This was at the time of the Neolithic revolution when they developed a new style of tools, symmetrical, beautiful tools. 'At this stage about 10,000 years ago there was evidence of the first settlements, people stopped being nomadic hunter-gatherers and started building communities. 'This also allowed people to specialise in certain areas of trade and make better tools because there was a surplus of food.' European farming began around 9,000 BC in the Fertile Crescent - a region extending from the eastern Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf and which includes modern day Iraq, Syria, Israel and southeast Turkey. The region was the cradle of civilisation and home to the Babylonia, Sumer and Assyrian empires. Professor Mark Jobling Skills: Professor Mark Jobling says the settlers were more attractive to women because they could grow more food The development of farming allowed people to settle down for the first time - and to produce more food than they needed, leading to trade and the freedom to develop new skills such as metal working, building and writing. Some archaeologists have argued that some of these early farmers travelled around the world - settling new lands and bringing farming skills with them. But others have insisted that the skills were passed on by word of mouth, and not by mass migration. The new study suggests the farmers routinely upped sticks and moved west when their villages became too crowded, eventually reaching Britain and Ireland. The waves of migrants brought their new skills with them. Some settled down with local tribes and taught them how to farm, the researchers believe. 'When the expansion happened these men had a reproductive advantage because they were able to grow more food so they were more attractive to women and had more offspring,' said Prof Jobling. 'In total more than 80 per cent of European men have Y chromosomes which descend from incoming farmers. 'It seems odd to think that the majority of men in Ireland have fore fathers from the near East and that British people have forefathers from the near East.' The findings are published in the science journal PLoS Biology. Dr Patricia Balaresque, a co-author of the study, said: 'This means that more than 80 per cent of European Y chromosomes descend from incoming farmers.' In contrast, other studies have shown that DNA passed down from mothers to daughters can be traced by to hunter-gatherers in Europe, she said. 'To us, this suggests a reproductive advantage for farming males over indigenous hunter-gatherer males during the switch from hunting and gathering, to farming - maybe, back then, it was just sexier to be a farmer,' she said. Europe was first settled by modern humans around 40,000 years ago. But other types of humans - including Neanderthals - were living in Europe hundreds of thousands of years earlier. Explore more: Places: Israel, Iraq, Syria, Ireland, Turkey, Europe, Mediterranean Share this article: Digg it Newsvine Delicious MySpace Nowpublic Fark Comments (237) Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not debate this issue live on our message boards. The comments below have been moderated in advance. * Newest * Oldest * Best rated * Worst rated View all I have to wonder if the same result might not have happened by genetic drift. Was there really a reproductive advantage? - John Krehbiel, Lusby, Md. USA, 24/1/2010 04:15 Click to rate Rating 4 Report abuse Jesus said 'Go forth and multiply' Iran is, and was, and will be forever the start the middle and the end! - Christine, la la land uk, 23/1/2010 20:48 Click to rate Rating 51 Report abuse This research is unconvincing because the sample size is way too small to support such a wide-ranging conclusion. - Dee (retired teacher), Paralimni Cyprus, 23/1/2010 13:55 Click to rate Rating 13 Report abuse Broaden the research to Europe. Find the same result. Refer to the story of Noah. We are all descendants of that one family from the Middle East. - Dwight, London, Canada, 23/1/2010 12:35 Click to rate Rating 6 Report abuse "Can believe it, bet first thing they did when they got here was to ask for the benifits office." Don Thomas, Bolton, Lancashire Actually, they had courage and a spirit of adventure (unlike a lot of boring and lazy Brits) and were welcomed here for teaching the natives skills they didn't have. You don't need to display your inadequacies for everyone to see, you know. - Karen S, London, UK, 23/1/2010 11:23 Click to rate Rating 24 Report abuse Quite a literally onslaught, Ade of Brighton, unfortunately mainly in length not content. >Caucasions are not defined by skin-tone I suggest looking up biology before saying anything else. It would also help your credibility if you could actually spell "Caucasians". I am one, by the way, as tough as it might be for your prejudiced mind to fathom. Most Syrians and Lebanese are Caucasians. Quoting Wikipedia (a really bad source by the way): human genome studies have shown that there is no single and simple genetic definition equivalent to "Caucasian". The term continues to be widely used in many scientific and general contexts, usually with its more restricted sense of "white". Finally, you'll be sad to know that I'm actually a scientist, so everything else you wrote was a pile of irrelevant tripe. - Another Syrian, Damascus, Syria, 22/1/2010 18:14 Click to rate Rating 44 --------------------- |
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