Sarah Gibbard Cook
  • Home
  • About
  • Writing
  • Contact

New Tools Unveil Old Secrets

4/25/2016

6 Comments

 
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.

Reply
Sarah link
4/28/2016 04:49:38 pm

Lisa, sorry to have missed it. There have been so many unconvincing reports of "evidence" of viking settlements, but this looks like the real thing.

Reply
Lisa
5/2/2016 10:26:47 am

Sarah, you can find the show on pbs.org and stream it. COOL STUFF.

Sarah link
4/29/2016 07:36:16 pm

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!

Reply
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.

Reply
Sarah link
5/2/2016 02:37:35 pm

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.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I'm a historian who writes novels and literary nonfiction. My home base is Madison, Wisconsin. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    RSS Feed


      ​get updates

    Sign up
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Writing
  • Contact