The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, alpha:
How old is this David Reich anyway?!!
If the Harvard Gazette had decent writers or editors, the phrase would read:
"... with oversight from David Reich, expert in ancient DNA...."
—unless he really is an ancient expert, of course.
Interesting article, though. I am a bit suspicious of the claim that this unites Hungarian with Finnish and Estonian, since modern-day Hungarians apparently have virtually no Yakutia genes (it says that Finns have 10% and Estonians have 2%).
Very interesting since I lived in Budapest twice and learned Hungarian. I’m not surprised that Hungarians carry little trace of the genetic markers the Magyars originally had when they migrated into Central Europe 1100 years ago. There is not only the matter of them settling into an area nestled between much larger Slavic and Germanic populations and all the mixing that would normally occur over more than a thousand years. At least twice, the population of Hungary was severely depleted by wars and diseases and they invited people in to resettle the land. Those people were eventually absorbed into the population so that today while their distinct language has been preserved, they are ethnically not very distinguishable from the surrounding population.
When I first went there I was expecting a lot of brunettes. I was surprised by how many blondes there are in Hungary (and no its not all or even mostly hair dye).
Well, if I found myself in Siberia, I might find Estonia or Hungary far more inviting. Not sure about Finland ... maybe the coast.