Take that, Adam-and-Eve whackjobs!

[mr blur]

The incredible journey taken by our genes
Project maps humanity's voyage out of Africa to new continents and domination of the world
Robin McKie, science editor
The Observer, Sunday August 31 2008
Article history

Sixty thousand years ago, a small group of African men and women took to the Red Sea in tiny boats and crossed the Mandab Strait to Asia. Their journey - of less than 20 miles - marked the moment Homo sapiens left its home continent.

The motive for our ancestors' African exodus is not known, though scientists suspect food shortages, triggered by climate change, were involved. However, its impact cannot be overestimated. Two thousand generations later, descendants of these African emigres have settled our entire planet, wiped out all other hominids including the Neanderthals and have reached a population of 6.5 billion.

Now scientists are completing a massive study of DNA samples from a quarter of a million volunteers in different continents in order to create the most precise map yet of mankind's great diaspora. Last week, in Tallinn, Estonia, they outlined their most recent results. 'As the ultimate ancestor begat son, who begat son and so on, they picked up mutations in their DNA that we can now pinpoint by gene analysis,' said project leader Dr Spencer Wells. 'When we look at these markers' distributions we can see how our ancestors moved about.'

<snip>

(But... but..the earth is only 6,000 years old! etc. etc.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/aug/31/genetics

[uriel1972]

1. don't worry about those nasty science type people

the twoof is in this here 3000yo document. After all it says inside that it's the twoof and surely that's good enough for us all :crazy:

[Tumbulu]

2. Have you read "Before the dawn" by Nicholas Wade?

I really enjoyed it, in fact I usually give my books away after reading them, but I kept this one.

It is about this subject and I was captivated by the read.

[onager]

3. Meanwhile, somewhere in the Middle East...

...REAL scientists specializing in Biblical archeology have announced the discovery of two ancient fig leaves, a snake-skin and an apple core.

That's not far from the truth. Er, twoof. For some hilarious reading, do a Google sometime on Ron Wyatt and WAR--Wyatt Archeological Research.

Wyatt discovered Noah's Ark, chariot wheels at the bottom of the Red Sea...AND the real Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia. Mount Sinai contained all the gold from the Jerusalem temple. Unfortunately, the Saudi government seized the site with a military force, so Mr. Wyatt could not produce any...er, what's that stuff called again? Oh yes, "proof."

Even the most gullible Xian Fundies finally gave up on Wyatt, but only after he had bilked them for thousands of dollars in funding.

(Edited to fix typos. It's early morning and I'm still waking up here in Egypt. Where I am, of course, surrounded by public-works projects allegedly built by Gawd's Chosen People. Who managed to live here for generations without leaving behind any evidence.)

[mr blur]

4. Wow - a Cornucopia of Woo!

In 1981 Ron Wyatt located what he believed to be the crucifixion site of Jesus Christ. He found a square depression in the surface material, into which a cross could have been placed, along with an adjoining crevice. Ron Wyatt said that the blood of Christ ran down through that crevice and onto the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant that was hidden in a cave below.

"a square depression in the surface material, into which a cross could have been placed"?
Hey, we've got one of those in our garden - awesome!

And Ron's got an Indiana Jones hat - although it looks like it was Photoshopped in.

[RedLetterRev]

5. Has anyone else participated in any of the DNA mapping studies?

I've done the matrilineal so far and I'm still reading through the mountain of lit that came behind it. I've been doing genealogy for years and I find the science behind the study to be worse than fascinating -- it's addictive.

Just curious if anyone else had and if they were surprised at the results. (I was, mildly.)

[semillama]

6. I've always wanted to.

The matrilineal side of my family is the one we don't know all that much about - My grandmother was Polish, and that's about it.

What was surprising about your results, if I may ask?

[RedLetterRev]

7. The surprise was that

following my matrilineal genealogy, the matrilineal ancestors that came to America (Gathings/Gaythings) were about as English a name as they come, but the haplogroup turned up to be U5a: Scandinavian/Eastern European/Turkic/North African. In short, except for the Scandahoovian part, everything that Melungeons (an ethnicity I share, but am having a beeyotch of a time proving) claim to be. The only thing I can guess at is that I do have provable Norman ancestry on both sides of my family and that matrilineally that proves out.

Can't wait to see what admixture the patrilineal assay shows. Is there a haplogroup called "mutt"? :rofl:

I'd love to prove my Melungeon ancestry, but that is extremely difficult to do. I'm poking at threads in the genealogy forum to see if anything stirs. No big interest yet, but there's hope.

I'll post when I get the patrilineal done. Talking snakes bedamned. Figuratively speaking, of course :evilgrin: