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posted by martyb on Saturday July 01 2017, @08:16AM   Printer-friendly
from the DNA-Surprises dept.

A team consisting of people from the University of Tübingen, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, the University of Cambridge, the Museum and Institute of Zoology (Polish Academy of Sciences), the Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory and the University of Adelaide has recently published a very interesting genetic study of ancient Egyptian mummies in Nature.

According to the authors, previous studies suffered from possible contamination due to the type of method used: direct PCR and it was generally believed that the climate and mode of mummification destroyed any chance of finding good human DNA.

The authors studied 150 mummified individuals using a high-throughput DNA sequencing method and selecting 90 individuals for further study. The samples obtained span around 1,300 years of Ancient Egypt, namely the Pre-Ptolemaic (New Kingdom, Third Intermediate Period and Late Period), Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

The authors’ conclusion was:

We find that all three ancient Egyptian groups cluster together, supporting genetic continuity across our 1,300-year transect. Both analyses reveal higher affinities with modern populations from the Near East and the Levant compared to modern Egyptians.

One interesting note is: While this result by itself does not exclude the possibility of much older and continuous gene flow from African sources, the substantially lower African component in our ∼2,000-year-old ancient samples suggests that African gene flow in modern Egyptians occurred indeed predominantly within the last 2,000 years.

Basically, if the population studied is representative of the all of the people in Ancient Egypt, the conclusion is that they were not Africans and that modern Egyptians share more genes with African populations than their ancestors.


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  • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:05AM (5 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:05AM (#534036) Journal

    Don't strain your little brain. Just sit in the corner and drool on yourself, like you usually do. And, no, you can't have a copy of the book - you'll just drool on it, then anyone who touches it will be infected with your brain eating bacteria.

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:02AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:02AM (#534057)

    Runaway! Say it ain't so! You are a germophobe as well as an islamophobe? Is there nothing you are not afraid of?

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:34AM (3 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:34AM (#534059) Journal

      Not afraid of poking AC with a few barbs here and there. And, you always come back for more.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:37PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @12:37PM (#534149)

        OK, Runaway smartypants, tell us again why Egyptians are not Africans. Why is this important? Surely there is some monument to knockover or club to shoot up, there in the Great State of Arkansas (which is not American, by the way).

        • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:18PM (1 child)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 02 2017, @02:18PM (#534162) Journal

          I was making a JOKE, you dummy. The Chariots of the Gods. Have you ever read it? Have you ever read any related material? It's kinda like a big conspiracy theory thing, but even bigger than that infamous 'vast right wing conspiracy'. You may wish to google for it. Here, let me help - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=chariots+of+the+gods [lmgtfy.com]

          Now, I'm not making any claims that the joke was good, or mediocre, or anywhere in between. Don't like the joke? Tell me the joke sucks. That's cool. Just get that big goddamned stick our of your ass, and stop acting stupid. Joke, dumbass - get it? Or do I really need to explain all this shit for you?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @10:30PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 02 2017, @10:30PM (#534275)

            Or do I really need to explain all this shit for you?

            It does seem like you cannot stop. Please stop, Runaway! Do not respond to this comment, please? I know it seems like the entire world waits in suspense until you have had your say, but for once, forebear, Runaway! Forebear!