June 24, 2003
Genetic Makeup of NW Africans
There is a mythology in Afrocentric circles that North Africans were once Negroid and have become Caucasoid by admixture with Europeans and Arabs. This view is however utterly false. North Africans are predominantly of local origin from the Upper Paleolithic onwards; their physical characteristics are the result of the indigenous North African branch of the Caucasoid race, not that of admixture of supposed invading Caucasoids with indigenous Negroids. Indeed, the very small sub-Saharan African component is attributed to recent events.
Am. J. Hum. Genet., 68:1019-1029, 2001:
"So far, our analyses have allowed a clear dissection of almost all NW African and Iberian paternal lineages into several components with distinct historical origins. In this way, the historical origins of the NW African Y-chromosome pool may be summarized as follows: 75% NW African Upper Paleolithic (H35, H36, and H38), 13% Neolithic (H58 and H71), 4% historic European gene flow (group IX, H50, H52), and 8% recent sub-Saharan African (H22 and H28). "
Incidentally, part of the component attributed to Neolithic expansion is actually of Arab origin according to [Am. J. Hum. Genet., 70:1594-1596, 2002].
Posted by Dienekes at June 24, 2003 12:48 AM | PermaLinkYou have to be careful not to mix genetic studies with Physical Anthropological labels, i.e. "caucosoid", "negroid", as geneticists clearly dont use such labels. And point out how the European flow was only (4%). Which makes these North Africans "distinct" from Europeans and sub-saharan Africans.(As it is apparent that by 'labeling' them caucosoid, you are attempting to assert that they descended from the now 'debunk' theory that all white people descended from the caucus mountains), which is very far from the truth. As all humans today descended from East Africa. Hopefully your readers will be informed enough to realize that genetic biologist DON'T classify people by "race" but rather by geographical origins, unlike Physical Anthropologist. And according to this study, these North African surely didnt decend from the 'CAUCAS MOUNTAINS'
Posted by: homeylu at June 16, 2004 08:07 AM