Jump to content

Talk:Genetic history of the British Isles/Draft

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a draft. For the currently existing article see Genetic history of the British Isles

The genetic history of the British Isles is the subject of research within the larger field of human population genetics. It has developed in parallel with DNA testing technologies capable of identifying genetic similarities and differences between populations. The conclusions of population genetics regarding the British Isles in turn draw upon and contribute to the larger field of understanding the history of humanity in the British Isles more generally, complementing work in linguistics, archeology, history, and genealogy.

The population of Britain prior to the Ice Age and movements of people from nearby Western Europe since, are the subject of on-going debate and research. For example, the route across the narrowest point of the English Channel into Kent, would have been important over the millennia, but other routes also exist. And while the Neolithic introduction of farming technologies from Europe certainly would have allowed massive population increase, such technology could either have been learned by locals from a small amount of immigrants, or else it might have been put into effect by colonists who significantly changed the population.

After the Neolithic, other potentially important historical periods of immigration which have been subject to consideration in this field include the introduction of Celtic languages and technologies, during both the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Roman era, the period of Anglo-Saxon influx, the Viking era, the Norman invasion of 1066, and the era of European wars of religion. There are also similarly many potential eras of movement between different parts of Britain and Ireland.

The study of geographical patterns in genetic types became a mainstream and frequently cited science in the late 1970s.[1] Prior to this, various other testing methods were used which were effectively proxies for DNA testing, such as examining the distributions of blood type.[2] Later published studies used mitochondrial DNA to study the female line of descent, and then it became possible to use Y chromosome DNA to study male descent lines. More recently, use has been made of technologies which can test hundreds of thousands of possible mutation points (SNPs) in the rest of the human genome (the autosomal DNA).

Differences in results between different types of DNA studies

[edit]

Discussion of how the results tend to differ and what this is thought to mean. See Chiaroni et al.

Mitochondrial studies

[edit]

Introduction to the findings

Differences between parts of British Isles

[edit]

England

[edit]

Scotland

[edit]

Wales

[edit]

Ireland

[edit]

Comparisons to Western Europe

[edit]

Y DNA studies

[edit]

Introduction to the findings

Differences between parts of British Isles

[edit]

England

[edit]

Scotland

[edit]

Wales

[edit]

Ireland

[edit]

Comparisons to Western Europe

[edit]

Autosomal DNA studies

[edit]

Introduction to the findings

Differences between parts of British Isles

[edit]

England

[edit]

Scotland

[edit]

Wales

[edit]

Ireland

[edit]

Comparisons to Western Europe

[edit]

Ancient DNA evidence

[edit]

Introduction to the findings

Differences between parts of British Isles

[edit]

England

[edit]

Scotland

[edit]

Wales

[edit]

Ireland

[edit]

Comparisons to Western Europe

[edit]

Literature

[edit]

A study headed by Dr Bradley was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Geneticists find Celtic links to Spain and Portugal

  1. ^ Cavalli-Sforza, L.L. (2001) Genes, People and Languages. London: Penguin.
  2. ^ Sykes, B. (2006). Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland. London UK: Transworld Publishers. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/ISBN 978-0393330755 ISBN 0393330753|'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001F-QINU`"'[[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-0393330755 |978-0393330755]] '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000020-QINU`"'[[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/0393330753 |0393330753]]]]. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); templatestyles stripmarker in |isbn= at position 1 (help)