Ancient DNA from Doggerland separates the U.K. from Europe:
Thousands of years ago the UK was physically joined to the rest of Europe through an area known as Doggerland. However, a marine inundation took place during the mid-holocene, separating the British landmass from the rest of Europe, which is now covered by the North Sea.
Scientists from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick have studied sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from sediment deposits in the southern North Sea, an area which has not previously been linked to a tsunami that occurred 8150 years ago.
[...] Professor Vince Gaffney from the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford said, "Exploring Doggerland, the lost landscape underneath the North Sea, is one of the last great archaeological challenges in Europe. This work demonstrates that an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists and scientists can bring this landscape back to life and even throw new light on one of prehistory's great natural disasters, the Storegga Tsunami.
"The events leading up to the Storegga tsunami have many similarities to those of today. Climate is changing and this impacts on many aspects of society, especially in coastal locations."
The sedaDNA technique could help predict the effects of rising sea levels on coastal environments.
Journal Reference:
Gaffney, Vincent, Fitch, Simon, Bates, Martin, et al. Multi-Proxy Characterisation of the Storegga Tsunami and Its Impact on the Early Holocene Landscapes of the Southern North Sea, Geosciences (DOI: 10.3390/geosciences10070270)
(Score: 4, Funny) by choose another one on Saturday July 18 2020, @12:54PM (4 children)
Medium Remainer points for TFA. Blaming ancient, throwback, DNA for separating the UK from Europe is standard woke liberal fare, looks like they forgot to (politically) correctly classify it as "Gammon" DNA though. Project fear is well revisited with the tsunami talk and the fact that they can say "look at what a bad idea the last Brexit was, it's still all underwater".
Points would be higher but for the ironic editing mistake (I suspect) specifying (if my grammar understanding is correct, or at best leaving it ambiguous) that it is the rest of Europe that is now under the North Sea:
Brexiters should take heart from the fact that Britain is still around in (sort of) OK shape after the previous Brexit, and even DoggingLand didn't disappear, it was split up and moved to higher ground, mostly car parks.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Saturday July 18 2020, @01:07PM (3 children)
I see what you did there. Funny stuff.
That said considering the island has been invaded a few times are there even any of those ancient doggerland people left? Except as fractions.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Saturday July 18 2020, @01:55PM (2 children)
Yes. Look up "Cheddar man."
That said, though there is some continuity, the majority of modern UK DNA arrived later. Whenever and wherever farmers move into hunter-gatherer territory, the latter consistently get pushed to the edges, and eventually get absorbed into a much larger population.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday July 18 2020, @05:44PM (1 child)
Well, if he was making cheddar cheese, naturally the couch potato tribe moved in on him. What would you expect?
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Sunday July 19 2020, @02:17AM
I'da expected the Nachos tribe...
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.