Study Reveals Genetic Path of Modern Britons

The article provides evidence that through genetic analysis of the population of Britain and revealing the pattern of genetic recombination of a country for the first time. In A.D. 410 Romano-British society seemed to disappear after the invasion of Angles and Saxons of Northern Europe but, scientist are skeptical to whether they vanished or survived by learning the culture and language of there invaders. Advances in technology prove the two population lived together and began to intermarry. Stephan Leslie of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Peter Donnelly and Walter Bodmer of Oxford University stated, The people of South and Central England are now genetically well mixed, with Saxon genes accounting for only about 20 percent of the mix. In addition, glaciers toward the end of the last ice age wiped out populations of the British Isles before increasing about 10,000 years ago by those brave enough to journey across the frozen bridge from Eastern England to Northern Europe. The information is possible due to advances in genetic analysis.

A path of genetic resemblance comes from Northern Scotland as well as Norwegian origin which accounts for 25 percent of the DNA. However, no traces of Danish descent or people from Normandy. Scientist express that the reason may due to a trace amount of individuals migrating from the area. The most interesting results come from Southern and Central England where a majority of the population is homogenous. Oddly, Celtic people assumed to be mostly homogenous showed that all over Wales and Scotland small genetically different populations live that maintain there own genetic makeup different than the typically homogenous population over many generations. Once again scientist have revealed through studies that the reason is because of Roman rule and the introduction of road and farming systems that aloud for intermarrying to occur between Southern and Central England when in other places beyond it would not.

The idea of laying out precise map of where we all originated from is mind boggling. Dr. Donnelly, a population geneticist has recently used the pattern of genetic inheritance on elderly folk who were born locally to the areas of England and looked at DNA from two generations prior. 2,000 different subjects were looked at from 500,000 different sites on the genome Dr. Donnelly emphasized. They were then organized into 17 genetic clusters which provided the information needed to map the genetic path. It was revealed that migrations did follow recorded history however, there was a massive migration that has never been recorded that comes down from Northern France adding up to one-third of the ancestry of the average person in Britain.

Although these articles never make the front page of the news they happen to be miraculous findings that can better help us understand where we come from and what were made of. Who we are and what cultures we were genetically created from could be totally different from what is already written. Imagine if all countries study the path of genetic origin I think we would be surprised how alike or different we really are.

Study Reveals Genetic Path of Modern Britons
Population Genetics