LONDON: Britain may be famous for preserving its royal DNA, but a genetic analysis of the nation is providing new insights into the “story of the masses,” according to scientists.
Researchers announced Wednesday that they had created the world’s first fine-scale genetic map of any country, an achievement that allowed them to settle a few long-running debates about the history and bloodlines of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The group’s most surprising finding was its failure to identify a single “Celtic” genetic group. In fact, the researchers said that the Celtic regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Cornwall were among the most genetically different.
Likewise, they found no clear genetic evidence of the Danish Viking occupation and control of a large part of England during the 9th century, suggesting a “relatively limited input of DNA.”
The research, which was published Wednesday in the journal Nature, was conducted by an international team and led by scientists from the University of Oxford, University College London and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia.
Astronomers discover distant dwarf planet beyond Neptune
LONDON: A dwarf planet half the size of Britain has been found tumbling through space in the most distant reaches...
