BAMAD no.66
Brit-Am
DNA and
Anthropology Updates
Updates in DNA studies along with Anthropological Notes of general interest with a particular emphasis on points pertinent to the study of Ancient Israelite Ancestral Connections to Western Peoples as explained in Brit-Am studies.
Brit-Am
Research
Revelation
Reconciliation
The Brit-Am Rose
Official Symbol of Brit-Am
The study below analyzed
autosomal
microsatellite
loci
i.e. points on chromosomes that are common to both male and female and not
peculiar to only one of the sexes.
[Most DNA studies nowadays focus on either on the Y (male only) chromosome on or
mtDNA
which concerns only the females.]
Autosomal
features for some reason seem to be considered more likely to have been affected
by environment.
Genomic microsatellites identify shared Jewish ancestry intermediate between
Middle Eastern and European populations
BMC Genetics 2009, 10:80 doi:10.1186/1471-2156-10-80
Naama M Kopelman et al
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2156/10/80
Abstract
Background: Genetic studies have often produced conflicting results on the
question of whether distant Jewish populations in different geographic
locations share greater genetic similarity to each other or instead, to nearby
non-Jewish
populations. We perform a genome-wide population-genetic study of Jewish
populations, analyzing 678 autosomal microsatellite loci in 78 individuals from
four Jewish groups together with similar data on 321 individuals from 12
non-Jewish Middle Eastern and European populations.
Results: We find that the Jewish populations show a high level of genetic
similarity to each other, clustering together in several types of analysis of
population structure.
Further, Bayesian clustering, neighbor-joining trees, and multidimensional
scaling place the Jewish populations as intermediate between the non-Jewish
Middle Eastern and European populations.
Conclusion: These results support the view that the Jewish populations largely
share a common Middle Eastern ancestry and that over their history they have
undergone varying degrees of admixture with non-Jewish populations of European
descent.
2. Question about the Proposed Brit-Am
DNA Service and Taking a Test at Present
Dear Yair,
Regarding DNA project by Brit-am.
I was wondering, if Brit-am wants to analyze DNA, would it be possible to get
a lot of data from the National Geography project??nbsp; They have a lot of
data.?nbsp; Or do you have in mind that those who believe they are from the 10
lost tribes would have their data collected together and show more of a
pattern, is why you are interested in this project??nbsp; We had considered
having more DNA testing done by the National Geographic project but we can
wait for a while longer if it will be more beneficial to the info about the 10
tribes?
Keep your thoughts about this coming.
Charlotte Mecklenburg
================================================
================================================
Brit-Am Reply:
If we go ahead with the Brit-Am DNA Project we will be glad to obtain date from
wherever it is may be available. This is our practice in every other field of
research.
We would advice you and anybody else who may be considering taking a DNA test to
go ahead and do so.
Certainly do not hold yourselves up on our account.
We are still in the planning stage or even just before it. We are talking and
that is about it. Based on past experience this could go on indefinitely or it
could suddenly take on a life of its own.
The idea at present is that people take DNA tests either through a DNA Service
we intermediate with or otherwise. We take the results and analyze them and
submit a report. We also would take the results of those who have done a DNA
test elsewhere and analyze them as well.
We would do this for a fee.
We see our suggestion as providing a needed service, possibly providing Brit-Am
with extra information, and last but not least, providing Brit-Am with an
additional source of income. At present through offerings and sales of
publications we function but there is not much of a surplus and often there is a
lack of needed finance. The proposed service would be intended to help stabilize
the situation.
3. Environmental Influence on
mt[female-transmitted]DNA
Markers
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:48:32 +1300
From: Alister John Marsh
Subject: Re: [DNA] R-U152 and R-L21 on the European Continent
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com
/th/read/GENEALOGY-DNA/2009-12/1260226112
David,
You said....
>>>>>>>
Perhaps it is necessary to turn to the chemistry of the system to understand why
it is a weak assumption to take a snapshot of what is evident from today (e.g.,
via father - son observation of mutation rates), and say that it must have been
so in the past. The more I learn about the process of methylation, and the role
of histones in gene expression and other genetic mechanisms, the more it becomes
apparent that environmental factors (which of course have not been constant over
the eons) can impact on what occurs at the genomic level. Basically, in my
view, without considering epigentics the snapshot is going to be very blurry and
the interpretation of what is seen could be out and out wrong. Mutation rates
may have to consider both time and place. Boil it down and what I am saying is
that the confidence interval of any interclade date proposed is likely so large
as to afford a very high probability of being vastly off the mark when sailing
in the waters beyond "genealogical time" (e.g., 1300 AD or so when surnames were
adopted).
Dr. Zhivotovsky has at least offered one approach that would compensate to a
degree for the above, but I would argue that using a single figure for such a
complex process may "work" some of the time and for some locations, but surely
it is not able to capture the spectrum of change from the "Dark Ages" through
the mists of early time (e.g., Paleolithic).
<<<<<<<
My views are similar to yours on this.
Recently I was rewatching a programme on plagues and mutations which provided
resistance to plagues. There was statistical evidence given that a population
hit drastically by one plague incident many hundreds of years ago had selected
certain mutations for survival above others in those communities, and those
mutations were more common today in that isolated community than in neighbouring
communities which missed that severe plague.
All or most Y-DNA mutations may seem benign in a comfortable environment, and
may be passed on for hundreds of years. But if a major stressor hits a
population, plague, famine, tsunami, volcano, war or whatever, it may place for
the first time evolutionary pressures on the survival of some mutations which
have seemed benign for hundreds or thousands of years. Using father-son
mutation rates to infer long term rates "may" be risky.
In the case of
mtDNA
SNP
mutations, one study involving Iceland suggested that when part of a population
moved from the ancestral environment to quite different environment, the rate of
accumulation of SNP
mutations differed between the home population and the relocated population,
where different evolutionary pressures were present.
I wonder if it is possible that some seemingly benign Y-DNA STR mutations might
be either advantageous or disadvantageous in the face of "severe" population
stressors. We would not detect this effect in father son studies in a
comfortable environment.
Even social structure might affect survival of Y-DNA mutations to some degree.
In polygamist societies where a dominant male has many wives, Y-DNA STR/ SNP
mutations may be involved to some degree in selecting the alpha male, if
surviving intense competition is necessary to father the bulk of the next
generation.
In a non polygamist society, where modern medicine and science keep the weak
child alive at birth, most males survive, and have an opportunity to breed and
pass on their less favourable mutations. They may even pass on beneficial
mutations which might have been lost had they not survived at birth with the
help of modern medicine. What ever is going on is likely to be extraordinarily
complex.
Some good well dated archaeological Y-DNA would be interesting evidence to
consider.
John.
4. People who look young for their age
'live longer'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8411329.stm
Extracts:
People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age
than those who look more than their years, work shows.
Danish scientists say appearance alone can predict survival, after they studied
387 pairs of twins.
The researchers asked nurses, trainee teachers and peers to guess the age of the
twins from mug shots.
Those rated younger-looking tended to outlive their older-looking sibling, the
British Medical Journal reports.
The researchers also found a plausible biological explanation for their results.
Key pieces of DNA called telomeres, which indicate the ability of cells to
replicate, are also linked to how young a person looks.
In the study, the people who looked younger had longer telomeres.
It's probably a combination of genes plus environment over a lifetime that are
important
UK expert Professor Tim Spector
Professor Tim Spector, a UK expert who has been doing his own twin research,
said:
"It's probably a combination of genes plus environment over a lifetime that are
important."
He said the findings also show that people are good at assessing how well
someone is and that doctors should eyeball their patients.
"If a patient looks older than their years then perhaps they should be more
concerned," he said.
5. Brit-Am Vindicated Yet Again!
Environmental Influence on DNA:
The articles
below show regular environmental influence on DNA. This was expected and known
about.
The influences however appear to take place MUCH QUICKER THAN IS USUALLY
ADMITTED!
We are influenced by pour environment and this influence is genetically
transmitted!
This is what Brit-Am has been saying all along!
Concerning those DNA genes that determine modern racial classifications:
Mt[female-transmitted]DNA
is influenced by the environment as has been proven and is now being admitted.
The only question that remain are how radical the changes are and how quickly
they take place, i.e. one generation? three generations? a hundred? thousand?
Y [male-transmitted] Chromosome DNA MUST ALSO BE AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENT!
The experts have yet to openly admit this.
Where you live can affect your genes
By Nicky Phillips for ABC Science Online
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
stories/2009/12/07/2764135.htm
NCSU research: In habitats, houses or tents, lifestyle affects health
http://www.jmp.com/software/
success/ncsu_research.shtml
International Team IDs Gene Expression Mediators in Moroccan Populations
http://www.genomeweb.com/arrays/international-team-ids-
gene-expression-mediators-moroccan-populations
From: Craig Blackwood
Shalom Yair
You may be interested in this article
Regards
Craig
http://www.medindia.net/news/Your-
Genes-are-What-Your-City-is-62054-1.htm?utm_source
=feedburner&utm_medium=email
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