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My DNA results are in. My maternal ancestors (traced through mitochondrial DNA) have been in the British Isles (74%) and Scandinavia (24%) for the past ten thousand years. This part of my DNA most closely resembles that found in Ireland and Scotland, where lots of Scandinavians (Danes, Vikings) settled among the Gaelic and earlier populations.
As you’d expect, the line goes back to West Asia before that and eventually to Africa. I’m 1.2% Neanderthal (compared to 2.1% average). This is part of National Geographic’s Genographic Project, which collects data from members of the public and uses it not only to inform individuals, but to learn more about ancient patterns of migration and settlement. Also in the news: A few weeks ago, researchers following clues from satellite images found what appear to be traces of a Viking settlement in North America, three hundred miles farther south than the one already known. Both are in Newfoundland, but the one found in 1960 was on the northern tip and this one is at the southwestern end. The two sites are similar in style of construction and evidence of iron works. DNA and satellite technology are expanding our knowledge of long ago. As technology advances, it will be fascinating to see what else it will tell us about the past.
6 Comments
Lisa
4/28/2016 11:37:08 am
Sarah, did you see the recent show on PBS about the Viking invasion of NA and the use of satellite imagery? A whole 50 minutes on this stuff! Fascinating.
Lisa
5/2/2016 10:26:47 am
Sarah, you can find the show on pbs.org and stream it. COOL STUFF. After a further look at the Genographic Project website, I see that only my "deep ancestry" (early days in Africa) is based on mitochrondial DNA. The Neanderthal figure is based on general DNA. And the British Isles/Scandinavia figures represent "the rough biogeographical breakdown of DNA [I] share with people across a number of regions around the world." Always more to learn!
Lisa
5/2/2016 10:34:57 am
Interesting to know from which "daughter of Eve" you descend. Dave can't believe I haven't "done my DNA" yet, but I'd be surprised if there were surprises, and I don't know enough about world history to understand the implications of something such as a migration that happened 400 or more years ago. So for now I'm going to wait until I learn something which might indicate I could EXPECT a surprise ... or discover a link to a bona fide Viking! (50% Swedish you know, 25% from each parent. COULD BE!) Second cousin on the only line where I currently might expect a surprise had his done and ... there were no surprises. My maternal ancestors moved north from East Africa into western Asia perhaps 60,000 years ago, spread from there, and about 30,000 years ago spread north toward Scandinavia. Migrations that long ago are harder for me to relate to than those in the past thousand years or so. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm a historian who writes novels and literary nonfiction. My home base is Madison, Wisconsin.
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