Major DNA research rewrites history
In an impressive new study, an international research team led by Danish DNA professor Eske Willerslev has created the largest dataset based on our own genome. DNA profiles of up to 5,000 people have been reconstructed based on analysis of at least 1,000-year-old bones and teeth from a large number of countries in Europe and western Asia.
We previously described how researchers used the dataset to determine that the Jamna were the ancestors of Europe and had a major impact on our genetic evolution.
But there was a lot more to the data set. In another Research articlepublished in the magazine nature, The research team explained that the migration of the Jamna tribe to northern Europe – from present-day Ukraine, southwestern Russia and western Kazakhstan – is the reason why we suffer so much from MS today.
Research suggests that local populations often mixed with the Jamna or were replaced entirely, meaning that our genes today are strongly influenced by ancient pastoral people. In Denmark in particular, the entire local population was replaced by Jamna, perhaps bloodily.
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