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Scientists discover most fertile Irish male
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 1/17/06 | Siobhan Kennedy

Posted on 01/17/2006 9:16:45 AM PST by NormsRevenge

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Scientists in Ireland may have found the country's most fertile male, with more than 3 million men worldwide among his offspring.

The scientists, from Trinity College Dublin, have discovered that as many as one in twelve Irish men could be descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, a 5th-century warlord who was head of the most powerful dynasty in ancient Ireland.

His genetic legacy is almost as impressive as Genghis Khan, the Mongol emperor who conquered most of Asia in the 13th century and has nearly 16 million descendants, said Dan Bradley, who supervised the research.

"It's another link between profligacy and power," Bradley told Reuters. "We're the first generation on the planet where if you're successful you don't (always) have more children."

The research was carried out by PhD student Laoise Moore, at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics at Trinity. Moore, testing the Y chromosome which is passed on from fathers to sons, examined DNA samples from 800 males across Ireland.

The results -- which have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics -- showed the highest concentration of related males in northwest Ireland, where one in five males had the same Y chromosome.

Bradley said the results reminded the team of a similar study in central Asia, where scientists found 8 percent of men with the same Y chromosome. Subsequent studies found they shared the same chromosome as the dynasty linked to Genghis Khan.

GENGHIS KHAN EFFECT

"It made us wonder if there could be some sort of Genghis Khan effect in Ireland and the best candidate for it was Niall," Bradley said.

His team then consulted with genealogical experts who provided them with a contemporary list of people with surnames that are genealogically linked to the last known relative of the "Ui Neill" dynasty, which literally means descendants of Niall.

The results showed the new group had the same chromosome as those in the original sample, proving a link between them and the Niall descendents.

"The frequency (of the Y chromosome) was significantly higher in that genealogical group than any other group we tested," said Bradley, whose surname is also linked to the medieval warlord. Other modern surnames tracing their ancestry to Niall include Gallagher, Boyle, O'Donnell and O'Doherty.

For added proof, the scientists used special techniques to age the Y chromosome, according to how many mutations had occurred in the genetic material over time. The number of mutations was found to be in accordance with chromosomes that would date back to the last known living relative of Niall.

Niall reportedly had 12 sons, many of whom became powerful Irish kings themselves. But because he lived in the 5th century, there have been doubts the king -- who is said to have brought the country's patron saint, Patrick, to Ireland -- even existed.

"Before I would have said that characters like Niall were almost mythological, like King Arthur, but this actually puts flesh on the bones," Bradley said.

When international databases were checked, the chromosome also turned up in roughly 2 percent of all male New Yorkers.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ancientautopsies; ancientnavigation; bigpimpin; boyle; discover; dna; evolution; fartyshadesofgreen; gallagher; genealogy; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; humangenetics; ireland; irish; male; mostfertile; mtdna; niall; niallofthe9hostages; ninehostages; odoherty; odonnell; polygamy; scientists
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To: Mikey_1962
I spend a lot of time in and around Limerick. A Black and Tan is blasphemy.
101 posted on 01/18/2006 7:58:13 AM PST by Natural Law
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To: Pharmboy

:')


102 posted on 01/18/2006 8:19:38 AM PST by SunkenCiv (In the long run, there is only the short run.)
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To: Dan from Michigan

I'm a 'Westbrit' I must have been one of the nine hostages....


103 posted on 01/18/2006 1:22:12 PM PST by Irish_Thatcherite (~~~A vote for Bertie Ahern is a vote for Gerry Adams!~~~)
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To: NormsRevenge
O'Doherty = O'Dochartaigh, which means fierce fighter or warrior. It makes sense.
104 posted on 01/18/2006 1:44:39 PM PST by Eva
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To: Just mythoughts

Connections between Ireland and Biblical persons and events are largely the fabrication of Irish monks working in peaceful times who desired to connect their own histories and myths to those mentioned in the Good book that was so new to the island. There is no foundation in fact of a connection between the Gaels of Ireland and the people of Canaan....


105 posted on 01/19/2006 4:16:10 PM PST by sean mc
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To: Arthalion

Unfortunately, mass emigration due to oppression and the Great Famine would largely complicate the picture, don't you think? There are more Irish living outside of Ireland than on the island today..


106 posted on 01/19/2006 4:19:17 PM PST by sean mc
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To: sean mc

people of Canaan????


107 posted on 01/19/2006 5:24:20 PM PST by Just mythoughts
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108 posted on 06/16/2010 7:14:32 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: Kenny Bunk
a barge full of gravel in your very own neighborhood

For some reason, I read that as "a bag of gravel in your front yard."

:)

109 posted on 06/16/2010 7:19:39 PM PDT by thecodont
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To: NormsRevenge

I was always wondering just what Niall did with the Nine Hostages while the rest of the fellows were out on the Cattle Raid of Cooley.


110 posted on 06/16/2010 7:55:26 PM PDT by Kenny Bunk (What is the scar on Obama's head? The instruction receiver?)
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To: thecodont; Red Badger

The Druids were doing just fine until those dratted bible-thumpers showed up.


111 posted on 06/16/2010 7:58:24 PM PDT by Kenny Bunk (What is the scar on Obama's head? The instruction receiver?)
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