Comments on: The billion SNPs of Alba?

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:46:01 +0000

#10, probably not. but we’ll see i guess.

By: Ed

Ed — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:35:02 +0000

@Razib

Are Welsh genetic outliers like Sardinians or Basques? Are they really the indigenous people of Britain?

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:05:04 +0000

#8, No! Nor, should they survey the rest of the island south of the border, do I belive they will find a gene for smuggness!

By: Headbutter of the Gods

Headbutter of the Gods — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:29:36 +0000

Do you think if they study the Scots enough they will locate a gene for moaning?

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:40:38 +0000

That the Aryans came from outside India and began procreating with the already-present groups has not been doubted by any serious scholars for some time now. So the distinction you make in the article is not really much of a distinction.

yes it is. because i’m not talking about scholars.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:30:29 +0000

Just one point on the “Aryan Invasion Theory”: The question is not if Aryans started admixing with the populations of the subcontinent around that time, but whether they did so in an aggressive, domination-aimed wave. That the Aryans came from outside India and began procreating with the already-present groups has not been doubted by any serious scholars for some time now. So the distinction you make in the article is not really much of a distinction.

By: gcochran

gcochran — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:26:24 +0000

“a whole lot of Scot in the rest of the world”

We’d all be better off if there was more.

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:15:24 +0000

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2076470.stm

I’m guessing this is out of date too then?

By: TJR

TJR — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:38:33 +0000

Surely there is only one SNP in Scotland?

By: Paul Ó Duḃṫaiġ

Paul Ó Duḃṫaiġ — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:19:20 +0000

The bit about Fred Macauley ancestor been an Irish slave who somehow had it off with his Viking master’s wife (NPE) is absolutely riduclous. It completey ignores the fact that foriegn names were used in “Middle Irish period” (900-1200) by people who were as much Gael’s as someone called Niall, Brian, Maolcolm or Mac Beatha. In this case MacAuley = MAC AMHLAOIBH

AMHLAOIBH = Olaf as borrowed into Middle Irish. Their argument is akin to saying that someone called McShane (Mac Sheáin — son of Seán — branch of O’Neill’s of Ulster) is really french as Seán is the Jean borrowed into Middle-Irish.

Two good examples of popular firstnames that had connections to Vikings are of course Maghnais (McManus) and Lachlann (Mac Lachlainn). These were names that came into fashion, they don’t imply that the people carrying them were Viking in origin.

By: Naughtius Maximus

Naughtius Maximus — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:06:22 +0000

Here is another claim they make:

Today the first 500 people who took part in the project will attend a presentation at the Royal Society of Edinburgh where they will be presented with their results. Among them will be people whose ancestors were the Maeatae, a lost tribe whose historic homelands were around Stirling and who fought Roman legions in 208 AD. The tribe was mentioned in historical sources until the 8th century, after which it vanished into the mists of time.

For Mr Moffat, the author of The Scots: A Genetic Journey, the results have been fascinating. He said: “When the great Roman emperor Septimius Severus invaded Scotland with the largest army ever seen north of the Tweed, 40,000 legionaries and auxiliaries and a supporting fleet, he fought the Maeatae. They were mentioned by Roman historians as a fierce people and much later, noted by Adomnan, the biographer of St Columba.

From here
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/scotland-s-dna-descended-from-lost-tribes-and-related-to-napoleon-1-2238030

Does that seem to be jumping to conclusions, and maybe in a way trying to over simplify a complicated subject by trying to associate haplogroups with specific groups?