DNA Sequencing Megathread! Neanderthals, Denisovans and other ancient DNA!

[Caliga]

I think that the meaning is pretty clear:  A ______ and his money are soon _______. After lots of tests, the two blanks always fill in the same way.

In my defense, I didn't take either test looking for my ethnic heritage.  I already know what it is via many years of research.  I viewed that as a neat gimmick, but understand there is no real way to tell a 'German' from a 'Frenchman' by looking at their DNA.

[Eddie Teach]

You take German dna, fill in the missing pieces with frog dna and then you have French dna.

Well it worked in Jurassic Park.

[derspiess]

[KRonn]

I decided to get one of these tests since they have a very inappropriate sale on for Valentines day.

I fully expect  a dissapointing 99% British /Irish as it completely can't tell the difference between them. Despite the research out there of genetic variation across the Isles.

Aren't you from Yorkshire dude?  You'll get a heavy Scandinavian result as well, I'd wager.

That's where a lot of my English ancestors are from, but I oddly I got <1% Scandinavian on AncestryDNA.  For some reason, my dad's brother got like 30% Scandinavian (and we are a "close" DNA match).  I know different siblings, etc. inherit different amounts of ethnicity, but that just seems a bit off.

My 5% Iberian was a bit of a surprise, but the way it's defined on Ancestry DNA's map that could be the French ancestry from my mom's side.

I'm 100% Italian based on all my elder relatives were from Italy but hey, I could see something different being in my DNA as I wouldn't be surprised if some ancestors were from outside Italy. I'll have to give that test a try sometime.

[grumbler]

I'm 100% Italian based on all my elder relatives were from Italy but hey, I could see something different being in my DNA as I wouldn't be surprised if some ancestors were from outside Italy. I'll have to give that test a try sometime.

Your Italian ancestors had ancestors from outside Italy, so, so do you.

[garbon]

Nope

[derspiess]

I found one line that, if true, makes me Barack Obama's 11th cousin, once removed.  For my kids, he'd be their 12th cousin.

[KRonn]

I'm 100% Italian based on all my elder relatives were from Italy but hey, I could see something different being in my DNA as I wouldn't be surprised if some ancestors were from outside Italy. I'll have to give that test a try sometime.

Your Italian ancestors had ancestors from outside Italy, so, so do you.

Yep, agreed. So much of Europe had all kinds of people moving through, settling, etc. I could have DNA lineage from anywhere.

[mongers]

My ancestry?? :

Ancient Britons 'replaced' by newcomers

By Paul Rincon

The ancient population of Britain was almost completely replaced by newcomers about 4,500 years ago, a study shows.

The findings mean modern Britons trace just a small fraction of their ancestry to the people who built Stonehenge.

The astonishing result comes from analysis of DNA extracted from 400 ancient remains across Europe.

The mammoth study, published in Nature, suggests the newcomers, known as Beaker people, replaced 90% of the British gene pool in a few hundred years.

Lead author Prof David Reich, from Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, US, said: "The magnitude and suddenness of the population replacement is highly unexpected."

The reasons remain unclear, but climate change, disease and ecological disaster could all have played a role.

People in Britain lived by hunting and gathering until agriculture was introduced from continental Europe about 6,000 years ago. These Neolithic farmers, who traced their origins to Anatolia (modern Turkey) built giant stone (or "megalithic") structures such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire, huge Earth mounds and sophisticated settlements such as Skara Brae in the Orkneys.

But towards the end of the Neolithic, about 4,450 years ago, a new way of life spread to Britain from Europe. People began burying their dead with stylised bell-shaped pots, copper daggers, arrowheads, stone wrist guards and distinctive perforated buttons.

Full item here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43115485

[Valmy]

Disease seems like a likely candidate. Maybe they were an isolated population and the Celts came along with their horrible Eurasian diseases.

[Ed Anger]

Ugh Celts.

[Valmy]

Ugh Celts.

An Iberian fan eh?

[Ed Anger]

Ugh Celts.

An Iberian fan eh?

Romans butchering Celts fan.

[Razgovory]

I admit I'm always somewhat skeptical of these sorts of studies.  How do you get a good sampling of a population that's been dead for six thousand years?

[jimmy olsen]

I admit I'm always somewhat skeptical of these sorts of studies.  How do you get a good sampling of a population that's been dead for six thousand years?

400 remains seems like a good sample size.