Oetzi the Iceman's nuclear genome gives new insights

New clues have emerged in what could be described as the world's oldest murder case: that of Oetzi the "Iceman", whose 5,300-year-old body was discovered frozen in the Italian Alps in 1991. See the BBC news article.

The research team gathered information about Ötzi’s ancestry. His Y chromosome possesses mutations most commonly found among men from Sardinia and Corsica, and his nuclear genome puts his closest present-day relatives in the same area. Perhaps Ötzi’s kind once lived across Europe, before dying out or interbreeding with other groups everywhere except on those islands.

The full article published in Nature.com can be purchased here.

Supplementary technical information can be downloaded here.

Haplogroup N in Scotland

The Scottish DNA Project now has over 3900 participants. Recent members to join include a Galbraith (Berwickshire) and a McLelland (Kirkcudbright) who belong to Haplogroup N which is extremely rare in Scotland and has origins in Northern Europe and Siberia. The ancestors of these individuals may have arrived in Scotland through Norse incursions although it's possible there was another migration route taken.

The link below only shows results for 500 participants. Insert 4000 into the default page size at the top of the page and refresh the page (give the page time to reload).

http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Scottishdna/default.aspx?section=yresults

Scottish DNA Project now on Google+

The Scottish DNA Project now has a profile on Google+. The platform is increasingly used as a tool for genealogical networking, although the change in the way Google ranks pages is also an important factor in now having a presence. Just search for Scottish DNA and include the project in your Circles.

DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the Twenty-First Century

Debbie Kennett's excellent new book about genetic genealogy and the networking revolution has now been published. Debbie is to be commended in articulating in a very skilful manner what can potentially be a challenging field for the family historian.

Debbie is an active member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and runs several vibrant DNA projects such as the Cruwys surname project and the geographical DNA project for Devon.

The topic of chapters in the first section include: the basic principles of DNA testing; surnames and the paternal line; before surnames - haplogroups and deep ancestry; the maternal line - mitochondrial DNA tests; cousins reunited - autosomal DNA tests and setting up and running a DNA Project.

Section two includes: traditional genealogical networking methods; genealogy social networking websites; general social networking websites; blogs; wikis; multimedia and collaboratives tools. There are also four appendices: DNA websites; Testing companies; DNA Projects and Surname resources.

All in all a thoroughly helpful resource for the newbie to the field as well as the seasoned genealogist.

The Scottish DNA Project gets a mention on page 37 within the Surnames and paternal line chapter.

It is well worth subscribing to Debbie's Cruwys blog and read more about her book here.

Digging for Britain - Cladh Hallan ancient DNA evidence

Dr Alice Roberts travels back to the Ages of Bronze and Iron where she examines the two Hebridean Bronze Age skeletons known as the Cladh Hallan mummies. Not only do they appear to have been mummified, new analysis has revealed they are made up of a jigsaw of different people. 

Analysis reveals that the two mummies are made up of three people belonging to mitochondrial haplogroups U or U5, T1 (not U, U5) and H (not U, U5 or T1). 

A short video is available on YouTube Cracking the puzzle of the Cladh Hallan Bodies. The full programme can be viewed on BBC iPlayer at Digging for Britain - Series 2 - 3. Age of Bronze and Iron. 

 

It can also be downloaded to your computer to view (which will expires after 30 days). I am not sure if either of these features are available outside the United Kingdom.

 

The Scottish DNA Project mtDNA results for members can be viewed here.