Mediterranean Face (IX)

Italian actress Monica Bellucci is a nearly perfect example of the Mediterranean race.

Women marry men who look like dad

Women tend to choose husbands who look like their fathers - even if they are adopted, reveals a new study.

The research shows that women use their dads as a template for picking a mate by a process called "sexual imprinting", says Tamas Bereczkei at the University of Pécs in Hungary and colleagues.

Husbands and wives have long been suggested to look alike and this is known to occur in many animal species. Couples that look like each other are also more likely to share common genes, and having a degree of similarity is believed to beneficial.

This might explain the study's findings, suggests Glenn Weisfeld, one of the research team and a human ethologist at Wayne State University, Detroit, US "There seems to be an advantage for animals to select a mate somewhat similar to themselves genetically," he told New Scientist.

"One good possibility is that there are some fortuitous genetic combinations which are retained in the offspring if both parents are similar," he says. "In humans there is evidence to show a lower rate of miscarriage."

However, he points out that there is a balance between the benefits of marrying someone genetically close and the harmful effects of inbreeding. "There seems to be an ideal balance, maybe around the first or second cousin point."

New Scientist

Welsh Beauty is in the Genes

Welsh Beauty is in the Genes (BBC)

Some informative excerpts:

"Catherine [Zeta Jones] is a case of a natural Celtic beauty.

"She stands out in Hollywood as the one with the curves and the jet black hair - that comes from her Welsh blood - when a lot of women can look a bit bland."

The idea of classic Welsh features that are passed down through the generations is one supported by Swansea-based academic, Professor Paul Brain.

The evolutionary zoologist has done a number of studies on the link between biology and psychology and believes the Welsh gene pool has elements which can help women with a Welsh heritage in the beauty stakes.

"In Welsh women, I suspect that it is something to do with their overall shape - the symmetry of their facial features is very regular.

"They tend to have long lustrous dark hair and are pretty fine boned."

...

"With Welsh women, the contrast in their looks - between the Celtic dark hair and the white of their skins - is an attractive combination.

Mr Breverton said pictures of historical Welsh beauties, such as Nell Gwyn, the mistress of Charles II, showed they had full lips.

...

"Zeta Jones is typically Welsh looking and has dark skin which is not unusual in the south west region of Wales.

Genetic Signatures of Strong Recent Positive Selection at the Lactase Gene

Am. J. Hum. Genet., 74:000, 2004

Todd Bersaglieri et al.

In most human populations, the ability to digest lactose contained in milk usually disappears in childhood, but in European-derived populations, lactase activity frequently persists into adulthood (Scrimshaw and Murray 1988). It has been suggested (Cavalli-Sforza 1973; Hollox et al. 2001; Enattah et al. 2002; Poulter et al. 2003) that a selective advantage based on additional nutrition from dairy explains these genetically determined population differences (Simoons 1970; Kretchmer 1971; Scrimshaw and Murray 1988; Enattah et al. 2002), but formal population-geneticsbased evidence of selection has not yet been provided. To assess the population-genetics evidence for selection, we typed 101 single-nucleotide polymorphisms covering 3.2 Mb around the lactase gene. In northern Europeanderived populations, two alleles that are tightly associated with lactase persistence (Enattah et al. 2002) uniquely mark a common (77%) haplotype that extends largely undisrupted for >1 Mb. We provide two new lines of genetic evidence that this long, common haplotype arose rapidly due to recent selection: (1) by use of the traditional FST measure and a novel test based on pexcess, we demonstrate large frequency differences among populations for the persistence-associated markers and for flanking markers throughout the haplotype, and (2) we show that the haplotype is unusually long, given its high frequencya hallmark of recent selection. We estimate that strong selection occurred within the past 5,000-10,000 years, consistent with an advantage to lactase persistence in the setting of dairy farming; the signals of selection we observe are among the strongest yet seen for any gene in the genome.

Link

Lactase Persistence in Africans and Back-Migration from Eurasia

The following study has two interesting conclusions: (i) that the phenomenon of lactase persistence in Africans has mostly a different genetic cause than in Eurasians, and (ii) there was a back-migration from Eurasia to Africa.

Am. J. Hum. Genet., 74:000, 2004

The T Allele of a Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism 13.9 kb Upstream of the Lactase Gene (LCT) (C-13.9kbT) Does Not Predict or Cause the Lactase-Persistence Phenotype in Africans

Charlotte A. Mulcare et al.

The ability to digest the milk sugar lactose as an adult (lactase persistence) is a variable genetic trait in human populations. The lactase-persistence phenotype is found at low frequencies in the majority of populations in sub-Saharan Africa that have been tested, but, in some populations, particularly pastoral groups, it is significantly more frequent. Recently, a CT polymorphism located 13.9 kb upstream of exon 1 of the lactase gene (LCT) was shown in a Finnish population to be closely associated with the lactase-persistence phenotype (Enattah et al. 2002). We typed this polymorphism in 1,671 individuals from 20 distinct cultural groups in seven African countries. It was possible to match seven of the groups tested with groups from the literature for whom phenotypic information is available. In five of these groups, the published frequencies of lactase persistence are 25%. We found the T allele to be so rare that it cannot explain the frequency of the lactase-persistence phenotype throughout Africa. By use of a statistical procedure to take phenotyping and sampling errors into account, the T-allele frequency was shown to be significantly different from that predicted in five of the African groups. Only the Fulbe and Hausa from Cameroon possessed the T allele at a level consistent with phenotypic observations (as well as an Irish sample used for comparison). We conclude that the C-13.9kbT polymorphism is not a predictor of lactase persistence in sub-Saharan Africans. We also present Y-chromosome data that are consistent with previously reported evidence for a back-migration event into Cameroon, and we comment on the implications for the introgression of the -13.9kb*T allele.

Link

Jews for...

Jews for Jesus
Jews for Judaism
Jews for Allah

Genetic heterogeneity in northeastern India

American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 16, Issue 3 , Pages 334 - 345

Genetic heterogeneity in northeastern India: Reflection of Tribe-Caste continuum in the genetic structure

Vikrant Kumar et al.

Abstract

We critically examined the gene frequency data for 11 genetic markers commonly available in the literature for 22 populations of northeastern India in the light of their geographic, linguistic, and ethnic affiliations. The markers investigated were three blood groups (A1A2BO, MNS, and Rh), four serum proteins (KM, Gc, Hp, and Tf), and four enzyme systems (AP, AK, EsD, and Hb). The neighbor-joining tree and multidimensional scaling of the distance matrix suggest relatively high genetic differentiation among the Mongoloid groups, with probably diverse origins when compared to the Caucasoid Indo-European populations, which had probably come from relatively more homogeneous backgrounds. Broadly speaking, the pattern of population affinities conforms to the ethno-historic, linguistic, and geographic backgrounds. An interesting and important feature that emerges from this analysis is the reflection of the effect of the sociological process of a Tribe-Caste continuum on genetic structure. While on one end we have the cluster of Caucasoid caste populations, the other end consists of Mongoloid tribal groups. In between are the populations which were originally tribes but now have become semi-Hinduized caste groups, viz., Rajbanshi, Chutiya, and Ahom. These groups have currently assumed caste status and speak Indo-European languages. Therefore, one may infer that what appears to be a purely sociological phenomenon of a Tribe-Caste continuum may well reflect in their genetic structure.

Link

Genetic Structure of Populations from Eastern India

American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 16, Issue 3 , Pages 311 - 327

Genetic structure and affinity among eight ethnic populations of Eastern India: Based on 22 polymorphic DNA loci

V.K. Kashyap et al.

Abstract

The nature and extent of genetic variation at 22 polymorphic DNA loci, belonging to three distinct classes, especially, 12 STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, HPRTB, F13B, LPL), four VNTR loci (D1S7, D4S139, D5S110, D17S79), and six coding loci (HLDQA1, LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, GC) were investigated among eight population groups of West Bengal and Manipur regions of India. Of these, two groups from West Bengal belong to Caucasoid and six (one in WB and five in Manipur) belong to Mongoloid stock. Both STR and the expressed loci show wide diversity among the eight populations. For example, Manipur Muslims show differences in allele frequency when compared to four other regional populations. Similarly, Garo, one of the Mongoloid populations of West Bengal, differ in allele frequency from their counterparts in the Manipur region. Departure from Hardy-Weinberg expectations was observed at certain loci in a few populations (e.g., D21S1137 in Kayastha and Brahmin, HUM F13B in Meitei). Heterozygosity values were higher for Caucasoid than Mongoloid groups. The overall gene differentiation (GST) for STR loci is higher (5.3%) than for those at the expressed region (4.6%). The clustering pattern of the eight populations differs with respect to different classes of genetic markers used. The dendrograms based on six coding loci (HLDQA1, LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, GC) differs from those based on STR and VNTR markers. Caucasoid and Mongoloid groups form different clusters and Manipur Muslims are distinct from others. The clustering pattern corresponded with the spatial and ethnic affiliations of the populations. Using different classes of DNA loci at the coding and noncoding region will help to better understand the influence of population structure variables on the genetic structure of populations.

Link

Uruguay Population Genetics

American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 16, Issue 3 , Pages 289 - 297

Substantial native American female contribution to the population of Tacuarembó, Uruguay, reveals past episodes of sex-biased gene flow

Carolina Bonilla et al.

Abstract

For many years it has been assumed that the population of Uruguay is almost exclusively European-derived and that the biological contribution of the native population as well as of individuals of African descent is negligible. Several recent studies based on a variety of genetic markers, mostly morphological and serological markers, have produced quite a different picture of the constitution of the Uruguayan population. The Native American contribution varies from 1-20%, while the African contribution ranges from 7-15%, in different regions of the country. In the present study we examine the way the admixture process took place in Uruguay by analyzing the ancestry of maternal lineages in a sample from the northern city of Tacuarembó. To accomplish this goal we typed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers of Native American, African, and European origin and estimated the proportions of each parental group in the admixed population. We found that 62% of all mtDNA haplogroups were of Native American descent, a surprising figure considering the European roots of the country. Consequently, this result assimilates Uruguay to the rest of Latin American populations where sex-biased gene flow between European men and Native American women has been the rule. We further analyzed the distribution of the four major founding mitochondrial lineages in Tacuarembó and compared it to other South American populations. We discuss our findings in the light of historical records and assess the need for additional genetic studies.

LinK

High-Density Admixture Mapping

Am. J. Hum. Genet., 74:000, 2004

A High-Density Admixture Map for Disease Gene Discovery in African Americans

Michael W. Smith et al.

Admixture mapping (also known as "mapping by admixture linkage disequilibrium," or MALD) provides a way of localizing genes that cause disease, in admixed ethnic groups such as African Americans, with ∼100 times fewer markers than are required for whole-genome haplotype scans. However, it has not been possible to perform powerful scans with admixture mapping because the method requires a dense map of validated markers known to have large frequency differences between Europeans and Africans. To create such a map, we screened through databases containing ∼450,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for which frequencies had been estimated in African and European population samples. We experimentally confirmed the frequencies of the most promising SNPs in a multiethnic panel of unrelated samples and identified 3,011 as a MALD map (1.2 cM average spacing). We estimate that this map is ∼70% informative in differentiating African versus European origins of chromosomal segments. This map provides a practical and powerful tool, which is freely available without restriction, for screening for disease genes in African American patient cohorts. The map is especially appropriate for those diseases that differ in incidence between the parental African and European populations.

...

[DP: From Table 2, admixture estimates using 2,034SNPs
% from left to right: European, African, Asian, Amerindian]

EUROPEAN AMERICANS

Chicago 98.4 .4 .7 .5
Baltimore 97.5 .4 .9 1.3

AFRICAN AMERICANS

Chicago 18.4 80.6 .7 .3
Pittsburgh 18.3 80.6 .6 .5
Baltimored 15.9 83.2 .5 .5
North Carolina 18.8 79.6 .5 1.1

Happy Easter

"As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who has been crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him."
- Mark 16:5-6

Weirdness

For some weird reason a bunch of entries (seen on the menu on the right) no longer appear in the main page...

... and the explanation: an href that I started with a single quote ' and ended with a double quote ". Now it's fixed.

9,500 year old house cats

House cats date back 9,500 years, excavation finds

Dan Vergano
USA Today
Apr. 9, 2004 10:04 AM

It appears that dogs have been chasing cats around the house for much longer than anyone thought.

A cat that may have been buried with its owner at least 9,500 years ago has been uncovered at an archeological site in Cyprus. If the animal was indeed a pet, the discovery, reported Friday in the journal Science, turns back the clock on the origin of the house cat by thousands of years.

Only dogs, domesticated 12,500 years ago, have a longer history as pets.

It had been thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first known cat owners. The Egyptians revered their felines and kept them as pets more than 4,000 years ago.

...

Link

Caucasoid Y chromosome Haplogroups

The great majority of male living Caucasoids have a Y chromosome that belongs in one of the following haplogroups: E, G, I, J, N, R

There is however no monophyletic lineage which encompasses all Caucasoid Y chromosomes. Some of these haplogroups are more closely related to other haplogroups that are frequent in other races than they are to those of other Caucasoids.

Haplogroup E has an African-Near Eastern-European distribution and is shared by Caucasoids and Negroids. Surprisingly, it is related to haplogroup D which is found in Mongoloids from Tibet and Japan.

Haplogroup N is found in North Eurasia from Europe to the Pacific and is shared by Caucasoids and Mongoloids. It is related to haplogroup O which is found in Mongoloids.

Haplogroup R is found in Caucasoids (*) and is related to haplogroup Q which is found in Native Americans and more distantly to N and O.

Haplogroup I is found in Caucasoids, especially European ones. It may have been brought into Europe from West Asia by the Gravettians.

Haplogroup J is found in Caucasoids and is associated with the Neolithic diffusion and also with movements of Arabians. It is related to haplogroup G

Haplogroup G is found in Caucasoids and in particular the Caucasus region. It may have diffused during the Neolithic as well. It is related to haplogroup J.

(*) With a high frequency in Cameroon, which is due to a back-migration into Africa!

NW African Paternal Admixture in Europe

In a previous entry I had quantified the extent of Berber admixture in Europe as it is evidenced by the distribution of different clades of Y chromosome haplogroup E. The two latest studies [1, 2] allows us to estimate this admixture in several European populations. Haplogroup E-M81 is localized in NW Africa (highest frequency 80% in Mozabite Berbers, and more than 50% in several populations of the region) and mostly lacking in Negroids and European Caucasoids. Given its date and its limited haplotype diversity, it is a good marker for detecting NW African admixture in other human populations.

In general, it appears that this marker occurs at very small frequencies <5% in the West and Central Mediterranean region of Europe with the exception of the southern Portuguese where its frequency is somewhat elevated. It is not found in the Balkans (Rumania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Croatia) or elsewhere in Europe. (If two samples are available for a population, both are given, and ranking is based on the larger sample)

12.2% Southern Portuguese
5.4/5.3% Andalusians
4% Northern Portuguese
3.6/2.1% Spanish Basques
3.5% French
3% Catalan
2.2% Asturians
2.2% Central Italians
1.6% Southern Spaniards
1.5% Northern Italians
1.3% Italians (Calabria)
0.7/5.5% Sicilians
0.3% Sardinians

[1] 000540.html
[2] 000531.html

Where West Meets East: The Complex mtDNA Landscape of the Southwest and Central Asian Corridor

Am. J. Hum. Genet., 74:000, 2004

Lluís Quintana-Murci et al.

The southwestern and Central Asian corridor has played a pivotal role in the history of humankind, witnessing numerous waves of migration of different peoples at different times. To evaluate the effects of these population movements on the current genetic landscape of the Iranian plateau, the Indus Valley, and Central Asia, we have analyzed 910 mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) from 23 populations of the region. This study has allowed a refinement of the phylogenetic relationships of some lineages and the identification of new haplogroups in the southwestern and Central Asian mtDNA tree. Both lineage geographical distribution and spatial analysis of molecular variance showed that populations located west of the Indus Valley mainly harbor mtDNAs of western Eurasian origin, whereas those inhabiting the Indo-Gangetic region and Central Asia present substantial proportions of lineages that can be allocated to three different genetic components of western Eurasian, eastern Eurasian, and south Asian origin. In addition to the overall composite picture of lineage clusters of different origin, we observed a number of deep-rooting lineages, whose relative clustering and coalescent ages suggest an autochthonous origin in the southwestern Asian corridor during the Pleistocene. The comparison with Y-chromosome data revealed a highly complex genetic and demographic history of the region, which includes sexually asymmetrical mating patterns, founder effects, and female-specific traces of the East African slave trade.

Link

Sub-Saharan African Paternal Admxiture in Caucasoids

Two recent papers [1, 2] are a first step to detecting Sub-Saharan African admixture in living Caucasoids.

According to [1] E-P2*, E-M2 and E-M33 are restricted to Sub-Saharan Africans and appear rarely elsewhere. According to [2], E(xE3b) is also restricted to Sub-Saharan Africans. The combined frequency of these haplogroups are (if more than one samples are available, they are both given):

12.7% Berber (north-central Morocco)
10.3% Palestinians
10% Mozabite Berbers
7.3% United Arab Emirates
6.8/1.3/0% in Arab (Morocco)
6.8% Saharawish (North Africa)
6.3% in Berber (Morocco)
5.8% Moyen Atlas Berbers
4.3% Turkish Cypriots
4% Northern Portuguese
3.6% Bedouins
3.4% Tunisian
3.4% Marrakesh Berbers
2.9% Albanians (Calabria, Italy)
2.9/0% Turks (Istanbul)
2.5% Berber (southern Morocco)
2% Southern Portuguese
1.6% Sardinians
1.3% Italian (Calabria)
0.9% Iraqi
0.6% Pakistani

Of course these numbers should be interpreted as evidence of existence of sub-Saharan admixture, not as a necessarily accurate quantification of its precise extent, which is however likely to be low in most populations.

[1] 000540.html
[2] 000531.html

Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J

I will have much more to say on this article, also check out the very related previous entry on Haplogroup E3b.

Am. J. Hum. Genet., 74:000, 2004

Origin, Diffusion, and Differentiation of Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J: Inferences on the Neolithization of Europe and Later Migratory Events in the Mediterranean Area

Ornella Semino et al.

The phylogeography of Y-chromosome haplogroups E (Hg E) and J (Hg J) was investigated in >2,400 subjects from 29 populations, mainly from Europe and the Mediterranean area but also from Africa and Asia. The observed 501 Hg E and 445 Hg J samples were subtyped using 36 binary markers and eight microsatellite loci. Spatial patterns reveal that (1) the two sister clades, J-M267 and J-M172, are distributed differentially within the Near East, North Africa, and Europe; (2) J-M267 was spread by two temporally distinct migratory episodes, the most recent one probably associated with the diffusion of Arab people; (3) E-M81 is typical of Berbers, and its presence in Iberia and Sicily is due to recent gene flow from North Africa; (4) J-M172(xM12) distribution is consistent with a Levantine/Anatolian dispersal route to southeastern Europe and may reflect the spread of Anatolian farmers; and (5) E-M78 (for which microsatellite data suggest an eastern African origin) and, to a lesser extent, J-M12(M102) lineages would trace the subsequent diffusion of people from the southern Balkans to the west. A 7%-22% contribution of Y chromosomes from Greece to southern Italy was estimated by admixture analysis.

Link

Women look best once a month

A new study found that women at the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle are more beautiful. This ties in somewhat with this study which found that women who were in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle found other women uglier. Perhaps they really are!

"Women who make the room light up with their good looks may have a secret up their sleeve - it may be down to their menstrual cycle. Both men and women consider a woman's face to be at its most attractive when she is at the peak of her fertility, according to new research."

Rest of story via Nature:

Indian teens have world's highest suicide rate

The highest suicide rate in the world has been reported among young women in South India by a new study. The research is of major importance, according to the World Health Organization, as it brings to light Asia's suicide problem.

The average suicide rate for young women aged between 15 to 19 living around Vellore in Tamil Nadu was 148 per 100,000. This compares to just 2.1 suicides per 100,000 in the same group in the UK.

The global suicide rate stands at 14.5 deaths per 100,000, with suicide the fourth leading cause of death in the 15 to 19 age group. However, in the Tamil Nadu study, suicide was the number one cause of death among these adolescents.

Notably, young women were much more likely to kill themselves than young men - the reverse of the rest of the world. In Western countries, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.

"I was surprised to find the rates were so staggeringly high," says paediatrician Anuradha Bose, who led the study at the Christian Medical College in Vellore.

...

New Scientist

Full-frontal portrait of pharaoh (3500BC)

...

Galan believes that it may have been a rough drawing carried out by an art student, or a sketch for a statue carving.

Marcel Maree, an Egyptologist at the British Museum in London, agrees with the second interpretation. "I'm sure it's a study for a carving of a statue," he told New Scientist, pointing to the presence of a red grid across the image. This device, still used by artists today, would have helped the sculptor transfer the image from the drawing on to the stone to be carved.

Maree also agrees with the Spanish team's dating and believes that the figure in the drawing is indeed Tuthmosis III. The portrait will go on display in Luxor Museum in the next few months.

New Scientist