May 27, 2004
Y chromosomes of Galicians
A reader alerts me to this study:
International Journal of Legal Medicine
Hierarchical analysis of 30 Y-chromosome SNPs in European populations.
M. Brion et al.
Analysis of Y-chromosome haplogroups defined by binary polymorphisms, has became a standard approach for studying the origin of modern human populations and for measuring the variability between them. Furthermore, the simplicity and population specificity of binary polymorphisms allows inferences to be drawn about the population origin of any male sample of interest for forensic purposes. From the 245 binary polymorphisms that can be analysed by PCR described in the Y Chromosome Consortium tree, we have selected 30 markers. The set of 30 has been grouped into 4 multiplexes in order to determine the most frequent haplogroups in Europe, using only 1 or 2 multiplexes. In this way, we avoid typing unnecessary SNPs to define the final haplogroup saving effort and cost, since we only need to type 9 SNPs in the best case and in the worst case, no more than 17 SNPs to define the haplogroup. The selected method for allele discrimination was a single base extension reaction using the SNaPshot multiplex kit. A total of 292 samples from 8 different districts of Galicia (northwest Spain) were analysed with this strategy. No significant differences were detected among the different districts, except for the population from Mariña Lucense, which showed a distant haplogroup frequency but not higher Φst values.
May 26, 2004
Extent of Germanic Admixture in Iberia and Italy
The recent study on Y chromosome haplogroup I gives us the means to attempt a first-order quantification of the extent of Germanic admixture in parts of western Europe that were affected by the barbarian movements during and after the time of the western Roman empire's collapse.
Haplogroup I reaches high frequencies in the Germanic world, while its frequency in Italy and Iberia is low, making it an excellent candidate for this type of analysis. It is divided in three main clades:
- I1a originated in Franco-Cantabria and spread to northwestern Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum. Its maximum frequency today is in Norwegians (38.9%) and is frequent in Scandinavia and Germany (25%)
- I1b is divided into I1b2, frequent in Sardinia and Basque country, and undifferentiated I1b*, with a wide distribution and higher frequency, and a primary focus in the eastern Balkans (up to 40% in Bosnians). I1b* originated somewhere between the Adriatic and the Black Sea.
- I1c is correlated with I1a and shares a common haplotype with it, indicating a shared history of the two. Maximum frequency of 12.5% in Germans.
It should be stressed here that I originated in southern Europe and spread northwards after the LGM. But, given that today two particular clades (I1a+I1c) are very frequent among Germans compared to southern Europeans, we can hypothesize that any movement of Germanic speakers would introduce such chromosomes to the affected population.
I1a is found in Portuguese (1.3%), Catalans (3.1%), northern Italians (2.6%), central Italians (2%), Calabrians (0.7%), Italians of Albanian origin (1.3%), Italians from Apulia (1.3%). These numbers are less than 1/10 of the corresponding frequency in Germanic speakers.
I1c is found in Portuguese (1.6%), northern Italians (1%), central Italians (3%), Calabrians (1.4%), Italians of Albanian origin (3.8%), which are similarly less than 1/10 of the corresponding frequency.
In general, it appears that the introgression of Germanic elements into the Iberian and Italian peninsulas has been minimal. In particular, for the case of Italy where an "invigorating" Germanic admixture has been proposed by Teutonists as a cause of the Rennaissance and the economic prosperity of northern Italy, we observe that no such influence is observed.
While movements of peoples did in fact occur, causing the collapse of the western Empire, it appears that on the whole these did not alter the pre-existing genetic composition of the indigenous populations.
May 25, 2004
Y chromosome Haplogroup I
I will write some more when I finish reading this study...
Am. J. Hum. Genet., 75:000, 2004
Phylogeography of Y-Chromosome Haplogroup I Reveals Distinct Domains of Prehistoric Gene Flow in Europe
Siiri Rootsi
To investigate which aspects of contemporary human Y-chromosome variation in Europe are characteristic of primary colonization, late-glacial expansions from refuge areas, Neolithic dispersals, or more recent events of gene flow, we have analyzed, in detail, haplogroup I (Hg I), the only major clade of the Y phylogeny that is widespread over Europe but virtually absent elsewhere. The analysis of 1,104 Hg I Y chromosomes, which were identified in the survey of 7,574 males from 60 population samples, revealed several subclades with distinct geographic distributions. Subclade I1a accounts for most of Hg I in Scandinavia, with a rapidly decreasing frequency toward both the East European Plain and the Atlantic fringe, but microsatellite diversity reveals that France could be the source region of the early spread of both I1a and the less common I1c. Also, I1b*, which extends from the eastern Adriatic to eastern Europe and declines noticeably toward the southern Balkans and abruptly toward the periphery of northern Italy, probably diffused after the Last Glacial Maximum from a homeland in eastern Europe or the Balkans. In contrast, I1b2 most likely arose in southern France/Iberia. Similarly to the other subclades, it underwent a postglacial expansion and marked the human colonization of Sardinia 9,000 years ago.
...
In conclusion, although haplogroup I represents only a single piece in the puzzle of European genetic variation, its essential continental specificity and the clearly defined phylogeographic patterns of its subclades contribute uniquely to understanding the human settlement of Europe. Haplogroup I provides an exceptional record of European-specific paternal heritage, including pre-LGM differentiation followed by contraction, isolation, and subsequent post-LGM expansions and spread. Still, the wide CIs in the time estimates dictate caution in definitively linking the phylogeography of this haplogroup with known prehistoric and historic scenarios. Nonetheless, the I1a data in Scandinavia are consistent with a post-LGM recolonization of northwestern Europe from Franco-Cantabria, whereas the expansion of I1b* in the east AdriaticNorth Pontic continuum probably reflects demographic processes that began in a refuge area located in that region.
Haplogroup Q in Northern Europe Mystery
Haplogroup Q is the main native American Y chromosome haplogroup. According to this post it is found in the Shetlands and Scandinavia.
May 22, 2004
The effects of terrorist attacks on European Holocaust survivors compared to Greek Holocaust survivors
Harefuah. 2004 Apr;143(4):250-3, 320. Related Articles, Links
[The effects of terrorist attacks on European Holocaust survivors compared to Greek Holocaust survivors]
[Article in Hebrew]
Zloof D, Even-Zohar S, Posman R.
Department of Family Medicine, Rabin Medical Center, Israel. dovzloof@netvision.net.il
This research aims to examine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety, the perception of danger, the reliance on security forces and signs of psychological distress during times of war between two groups of Holocaust survivors: Jews of Greece and Jews of Eastern and Western Europe, while assessing their psychological ability to cope with the wave of terrorism against the Israeli population. The Jews of Greece have been portrayed as being different, both by the Nazis and by Jews from other countries, as well as by the Greeks themselves. Their strength of spirit, encouraging them to rebel and resist, as well as their physical strength, were renowned in the concentration camps. Each of these traits has been supported by specific documentation in history books dealing with the Jews of Greece during the Holocaust. Fifty-eight years after the Holocaust and before it disappears from historical record, we scientifically examined the psychological or mental capacity of these people to withstand the wave of terrorism. The study included 33 European Jewish Holocaust survivors and 38 Greek Jewish Holocaust survivors. The subjects completed four questionnaires. The main results are: 1. The average level of anxiety among Greek Holocaust survivors is clearly lower than that of other Holocaust survivors--an average of 10.00 compared to 16.48 (t = 4.83, p < 0.001). 2. The average level of psychological distress during times of war among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.10 compared to 2.65 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.24, p < 0.001). 3. The average level of trust in the security forces among Greek Holocaust survivors is 3.67 compared to 2.70 among the other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.354, p < 0.001). 4. The average level of perception of danger among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.75 compared to 3.39 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 2.60, p < 0.01). 5. The readiness to emigrate from Israel is 1.02 among Greek Holocaust survivors compared to 2.09 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.06, p < 0.001). The findings of the research support the theory that the Greek Holocaust survivors statistically demonstrate clear and more substantial psychological or mental immunity as compared to European Holocaust survivors. The differences between Greek Holocaust survivors and other Holocaust survivors increase when applied to a subgroup of former concentration camp prisoners. In conclusion, Holocaust survivors do not constitute a homogeneous group which responds uniformly to traumatic events. They are not to be regarded as one unit, since they bear different social and cultural burdens, as well as the universal values which they absorbed in their countries of origin.
Ancestral Origin of Chromosome Segments
Genome Res. 2004 May 12 [Epub ahead of print]
Putative Ancestral Origins of Chromosomal Segments in Individual African Americans: Implications for Admixture Mapping.
Seldin MF et al.
Theoretically, markers that distinguish European from West African ancestry can be used to examine the origin of chromosomal segments in individual African Americans. In this study, putative ancestral origin was examined by using haplotypes estimated from genotyping 268 African Americans for 29 ancestry informative markers spaced over a 60-cM segment of chromosome 5. Analyses using a Bayesian algorithm (STRUCTURE) provided evidence that blocks of individual chromosomes derive from one or the other parental population. In addition, modeling studies were performed by using hidden real marker data to simulate patient and control populations under different genotypic risk ratios. Ancestry analysis showed significant results for a genotypic risk ratio of 2.5 in the African American population for modeled susceptibility genes derived from either putative parental population. These studies suggest that admixture mapping in the African American population can provide a powerful approach to defining genetic factors for some disease phenotypes.
Link (pdf)
May 19, 2004
mtDNA in Altai-Baykal region
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1011: 21–35 (2004). doi: 10.1196/annals.1293.003
Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the Aboriginal Populations of the Altai-Baikal Region: Implications for the Genetic History of North Asia and America
ILIA A. ZAKHAROV et al.
The discovery of mtDNA types common to Asians and Amerinds (types A, B, C, and D) forced investigators to search for those nations of Asia which, though not considered the ancestors of the Amerinds, have retained a close genetic resemblance with them. We collected samples and studied the gene pools of the Turkic-speaking nations of South Siberia: Altaians, Khakassians, Shorians, Tuvinians, Todjins, Tofalars, Sojots, as well as Mongolian-speaking Buryats. The data indicate that nearly all Turkic-speaking nations of Siberia and Central Asia, as well as the Buryats, have types A, B, C, and D in their gene pool. The highest total frequency of these types is observed in the Tuvinians and Sojots. They, as well as the Buryats, also have the lowest frequency of the europeoid types. The most mixed Asian-Europeoid gene pool examined turned out to be that of the Shorians. An important finding was the presence of type X in the Altaians, which had not yet been detected in Asia. As shown by computer analysis, this DNA sequence is not a late European admixture. Rather, the Altai variant X is ancient and can be close to the ancestral form of the variants of contemporary Europeans and Amerinds. The presented results prove that of all nations in Asia, the Turkic-speaking nations living between Altai and Baikal along the Sayan mountains are genetically closest to the Amerinds.
Language of Ancients Hones Skills
Primary school pupils who learn Ancient Greek and its complicated system of stress and aspiration marks at least once a week are less likely to develop dyslexia and learn much faster than their peers, a report said yesterday.
According to Ta Nea daily, the findings follow a three-year experiment involving two groups of primary school children that was conducted by the Open Psychotherapeutic Center and the Institute for Diagnostic Psychology. The one 25-strong group learned Ancient Greek and its spelling system — which was used for Modern Greek and as such taught at schools until the late 1970s — every Saturday.
“There was no other difference between the two groups,” project supervisor Ioannis Tsegos said. “All the children went to state schools and their families shared a similar educational and economic background.”
The children were tested at the beginning of the project and after the end of each year. The results showed that the group which did the extra lessons far surpassed the children who did not in learning skills, and were at a minimal risk of developing dyslexia.
May 15, 2004
The Many Faces of Helen
A slideshow at Slate which also shows how Helen was depicted in antiquity and how her image evolved.
Vatican urges Catholics not to marry Muslims
The Vatican takes a stand on an important issue:
The New York Times
May 15, 2004
ROME -- In an official church document released Friday, Vatican officials discouraged marriage between Catholics and Muslims -- especially Catholic women and Muslim men.When "a Catholic woman and a Muslim wish to marry," the document says, "bitter experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth preparation is called for."
Vatican's Muslim marriage warning
(Filed: 15/05/2004)The Vatican warned Roman Catholic women yesterday to think hard before marrying a Muslim, while urging Muslims to show more respect for human rights, gender equality and democracy.
Calling women "the least protected member of the Muslim family", it spoke of the "bitter experience" western Catholics had with Muslim husbands, especially if they married outside the Islamic world and later moved to the man's country of origin.
The position of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese on Interreligious marriage, an excerpt:
Interreligious MarriagesConversely, the Orthodox Church continues to hold to a more jaundiced view of interreligious marriage. It believes that the differences between both partners’ belief systems preclude individual, couple and family religious and spiritual development. As a result, it continues to discourage its faithful from entering interreligious marriages. Orthodox Christians who decide to enter an interreligious marriage (a) will be unable to wed in the Orthodox Church, and (b) lose their sacramental privileges.
In light of the growing numbers of interreligious marriages that Orthodox faithful are entering, some Orthodox theologians have called for a reexamination of the Church's position regarding this issue. To date, nothing substantive has been done to address this subject. However, if the numbers of interreligious marriages continue to grow, I suspect this issue will command more of the Church's attention in the future.
May 14, 2004
Has Prince Charles found his true spiritual home on a Greek rock?
Visits spark claims of royal's commitment to Orthodoxy
Helena Smith in Athens
Wednesday May 12, 2004
The Guardian
On Monday night a resplendent yacht docked at the watery entrance to the world's only monastic republic. A middle-aged man, followed by two bodyguards, stepped on to the jetty of the peninsula in northern Greece and into the "state" known variously as Mount Athos, Aghio Oros and the Holy Mount.
A few monks in black robes and pillar-box hats stood waiting, but, under orders to keep the identity of this particular pilgrim secret, it was a reception without fanfare. Their guest - clean-shaven in contrast to the bearded clerics - was Prince Charles, on his third clandestine retreat to Athos in the past 12 months.
According to friends and associates of the prince, the future head of the Church of England has become enamoured of the Orthodox faith to the point that he has adorned a section of his home at Highgrove with prized Byzantine icons. Many are believed to originate from the Mount, the Orthodox world's holiest site.
"There is no question that the British royal is Orthodox in his heart," confided one Athonite monk, making a rare trip outside the remote republic. "Sadly, he is very constrained by his position."
May 13, 2004
Handsome men evolved thanks to picky females
11:13 12 May 04
NewScientist.com news service
Today's handsome hunks may owe their good looks to a sexual power shift towards the fair sex during primate evolution.
As our ancestors evolved, the ability to attract a female mate through good looks became may have become more important in the mating stakes than the ability to fight off male rivals, suggests a new study.
By analysing the shapes and sizes of facial features in chimps, gorillas and other primates, researchers in Germany and the University of Cambridge, UK, found evidence suggesting that our ancestors may have gradually sacrificed fighting for wooing.
"Our research suggests that in early humans, a face that was attractive as opposed to aggressive conferred an advantage," says Eleanor Weston at the Research Institute Senckenberg in Frankfurt, a member of the team.
She says that changes were probably driven by choosy females who began to demand handsomeness, not brute force.
May 12, 2004
Northeast Indian Population Genetics
Molecular Biology and Evolution
The Northeast Indian Passageway: A Barrier or Corridor for Human Migrations?
Richard Cordaux et al.
The northeast Indian passageway connecting the Indian subcontinent to east/southeast Asia is thought to have been a major corridor for human migrations. Because it is also an important linguistic contact zone, it is predicted that northeast India has witnessed extensive population interactions, thus leading to high genetic diversity within groups and heterogeneity among groups. To test this prediction, we analyzed 14 bi-allelic and 5 short tandem repeat Y-chromosome markers and hypervariable region 1 mtDNA sequence variation in 192 northeast Indians. We find that both northeast Indian Y-chromosomes and mtDNAs consistently show strikingly high homogeneity among groups and strong affinities to east Asian groups. We detect virtually no Y-chromosome and mtDNA admixture between northeast and other Indian groups. Northeast Indian groups are also characterized by a greatly reduced Y-chromosome diversity, which contrasts with extensive mtDNA diversity. This is best explained by a male founder effect during the colonization of northeast India that is estimated to have occurred within the last 4,000 years. Thus, contrary to the prediction, these results provide strong evidence for a genetic discontinuity between northeast Indian groups and other Indian groups. We therefore conclude that the northeast Indian passageway acted as a geographic barrier rather than as a corridor for human migrations between the Indian subcontinent and east/southeast Asia, at least within the last millennia and possibly for several tens of thousand years, as suggested by the overall distinctiveness of the Indian and east Asian Y-chromosome and mtDNA gene pools.
May 08, 2004
Mitochondrial DNA and Y-Chromosome Variation in the Caucasus
I. Nasidze et al.
Annals of Human Genetics
OnlineEarly
We have analyzed mtDNA HVI sequences and Y chromosome haplogroups based on 11 binary markers in 371 individuals, from 11 populations in the Caucasus and the neighbouring countries of Turkey and Iran. Y chromosome haplogroup diversity in the Caucasus was almost as high as in Central Asia and the Near East, and significantly higher than in Europe. More than 27% of the variance in Y-haplogroups can be attributed to differences between populations, whereas mtDNA showed much lower heterogeneity between populations (less then 5%), suggesting a strong influence of patrilocal social structure. Several groups from the highland region of the Caucasus exhibited low diversity and high differentiation for either or both genetic systems, reflecting enhanced genetic drift in these small, isolated populations. Overall, the Caucasus groups showed greater similarity with West Asian than with European groups for both genetic systems, although this similarity was much more pronounced for the Y chromosome than for mtDNA, suggesting that male-mediated migrations from West Asia have influenced the genetic structure of Caucasus populations.
May 06, 2004
Evolution of Human Skin Color Coloration
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Early View (Articles online in advance of print)
Geographic distribution of environmental factors influencing human skin coloration
George Chaplin
Skin coloration in indigenous peoples is strongly related to levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR). In this study, the relationships of skin reflectance to seasonal UVR levels and other environmental variables were investigated, with the aim of determining which variables contributed most significantly to skin reflectance. The UVR data recorded by satellite were combined with environmental variables and data on human skin reflectance in a geographic information system (GIS). These were then analyzed visually and statistically through exploratory data analysis, correlation analysis, principal components analysis, least-squares regression analysis, and nonlinear techniques. The main finding of this study was that the evolution of skin reflectance could be almost fully modeled as a linear effect of UVR in the autumn alone. This linear model needs only minor modification, by the introduction of terms for the maximum amount of UVR, and for summer precipitation and winter precipitation, to account for almost all the variation in skin reflectance. A further significant finding was that the effect of summer UVR seems to reach a threshold beyond which further adaptation is difficult.
May 03, 2004
IQ and the Wealth of States
The correlation between GDP per capita and IQ is +0.92.
Steve Sailer has done some digging and it seems like this table is fake.
Association of Skin Pigmentation and Mineral Density with Ancestry
Hum Genet. 2004 Apr 30 [Epub ahead of print] Related Articles, Links
Ancestral proportions and their association with skin pigmentation and bone mineral density in Puerto Rican women from New York city.
Bonilla C et al.
Hispanic and African American populations exhibit an increased risk of obesity compared with populations of European origin, a feature that may be related to inherited risk alleles from Native American and West African parental populations. However, a relationship between West African ancestry and obesity-related traits, such as body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM), and with bone mineral density (BMD) in African American women has only recently been reported. In order to evaluate further the influence of ancestry on body composition phenotypes, we studied a Hispanic population with substantial European, West African, and Native American admixture. We ascertained a sample of Puerto Rican women living in New York ( n=64), for whom we measured BMI and body composition variables, such as FM, FFM, percent body fat, and BMD. Additionally, skin pigmentation was measured as the melanin index by reflectance spectroscopy. We genotyped 35 autosomal ancestry informative markers and estimated population and individual ancestral proportions in terms of European, West African, and Native American contributions to this population. The ancestry proportions corresponding to the three parental populations are: 53.3+/-2.8% European, 29.1+/-2.3% West African, and 17.6+/-2.4% Native American. We detected significant genetic structure in this population with a number of different tests. A highly significant correlation was found between skin pigmentation and individual ancestry ( R(2)=0.597, P<0.001) that was not attributable to differences in socioeconomic status. A significant association was also found between BMD and European admixture ( R(2)=0.065, P=0.042), but no such correlation was evident with BMI or the remaining body composition measurements. We discuss the implications of our findings for the potential use of this Hispanic population for admixture mapping.
May 01, 2004
A Muslim in the Family
A Muslim in the family
Roger Childs
Producer, A Muslim in the Family
In the current climate, converting to Islam is not an obvious choice or an easy one, either for converts or their families. So, why have 14,000 Brits (and counting) now taken that leap of faith? In A Muslim in the Family, Rageh Omaar tries to find out.
Torture at Abu Ghraib
This New Yorker article is a very good and detailed summary of the abuses of Iraqi prisoners by the occupation force (a.k.a. "liberators") that have surfaced up in the last few days.