First Modern Britons Had 'Dark To Black' Skin, Cheddar Man DNA Analysis Reveals

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 2-7-2018

[blam]

The first modern Britons, who lived about 10,000 years ago, had “dark to black” skin, a groundbreaking DNA analysis of Britain’s oldest complete skeleton has revealed.

The fossil, known as Cheddar Man, was unearthed more than a century ago in Gough’s Cave in Somerset. Intense speculation has built up around Cheddar Man’s origins and appearance because he lived shortly after the first settlers crossed from continental Europe to Britain at the end of the last ice age. People of white British ancestry alive today are descendants of this population.

It was initially assumed that Cheddar Man had pale skin and fair hair, but his DNA paints a different picture, strongly suggesting he had blue eyes, a very dark brown to black complexion and dark curly hair.

The discovery shows that the genes for lighter skin became widespread in European populations far later than originally thought – and that skin colour was not always a proxy for geographic origin in the way it is often seen to be today.

Tom Booth, an archaeologist at the Natural History Museum who worked on the project, said: “It really shows up that these imaginary racial categories that we have are really very modern constructions, or very recent constructions, that really are not applicable to the past at all.”

Yoan Diekmann, a computational biologist at University College London and another member of the project’s team, agreed, saying the connection often drawn between Britishness and whiteness was “not an immutable truth. It has always changed and will change”.

The findings were revealed ahead of a Channel 4 documentary, which tracked the ancient DNA project at the Natural History Museum in London as well as creating a new forensic reconstruction of Cheddar Man’s head.

(snip)

[Sacajaweau]

A bit confusing since his origin is apparently from the Middle East.

[bitt]

lol +1

[blam]

"My father had red hair and blue eyes, my mother was black Irish Very dark auburn hair, dark brown eyes, and dusky skin."

DNA studies have been done in Scotland and Ireland looking for Picts and 'Black Irish.' No distinction for either has ever been found. It is deemed that they were/are cultural groups. My aunt (U5a) had red hair that she dyed her whole life. I never saw her with red hair...my sister told me.

People, my whole life, say that I resemble Paul Newman.(which I don't mind, ha)

[blam]

"A bit confusing since his origin is apparently from the Middle East."

I agree. If his descendents are still there, he is a White guy, then....he turned White in the 10K years from when he was 'dark skin' then to White skin now.
(We do what we can with the data we have.)

Other reports say that the U5a haplogroup spent the Ice Age in the Iberian Refuge

.

[Sacajaweau]

Like I said....It's all about Grant Money.

Someone was paid a LOT of money to make up his white guy face...and someone was paid a LOT of money to make up his black face.

And of course, now it's controversial...and that means....MORE GRANT MONEY.

[Sacajaweau]

Notice it says....”strongly suggests”...which is code for “How the hell do we know?”.

[blam]

"Just keep that Grant Money flowing....cuz that’s what it’s really all about."

I'm told that the secret is to say, no matter what you study is about, that 'the increasing effects of Global Warming' will just excaberate the effects' what-ever you study is about. Money will continue.

[Mr. Blond]

Think Tom Jones, John Rhys-Davies, Zeta Jones appears Mediterranean compared to most British.

Here are some interesting articles for the curious:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4328733.stm

http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/indian-religions/hinduism/the-celtic-vedic-connection/

[nopardons]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh...but is that a real tan, body make-up, or a spray tan? ;^)

But yes, is is a bit swarthy; just NOT anything at all like the picture at the top of this thread.

[nopardons]

ROTFLMSO!

That's far better/more clever than the tripe in this stupid study!

[nopardons]

Then your mother either never studied Gregor Mendel's theories in high school, or forgot what she had supposedly learned.

When we studied genetics, in school, it fascinated me and not only have I never forgotten it, but have used the theory to predict what my progeny and their's would look like, prior to birth. And yes, it works! But you have to know several generation's back, on both sides/parents, hair and eye color. :-)

[nopardons]

What is the birth order position of your blonde niece?

[nopardons]

Nope...what about the pygmies? :-)

[MD Expat in PA]

Then your mother either never studied Gregor Mendel's theories in high school, or forgot what she had supposedly learned.

My mother probably never studied such theories in HS back in the late 1930’s. I think she was most going on the old wives’ tales and assumptions at the time that a dark haired and brown eyed woman was not going to have a blonde haired and blue eyed child.

What is the birth order position of your blonde niece?

She was their second child. She was born 5 years after her older sister and less than two years before her younger brother.

[nopardons]

I love SARUM too; however, that book was written and published many, many, many decades latter!

I can't remember the title ( but DO still remember the story line well )of the book I mentioned ( the title might be "THE GOLDEN HORDE" or something very like that ) was published in the late 1950s or very early in the 1960s; which is when I read it.

[nopardons]

Make-up! ;^)

[nopardons]

Many thanks for the links! :-)

[nopardons]

Oh Mendel's theories were almost 100 years old, when your mother was in high school, so I would find it peculiar, if she was never taught about genetics and his theories, in the '30s.

I would have bet on the fact that your blonde niece wasn't the first born ( thank's Mendel...your theories still work! ) and I was right.

I do well, re members of my own family, because I can go back many generations. With others, I can only do the most basic of figuring; yet it does still hold up. :-)

Look at your own family, now, and see if you can make a chart of who had what hair & eye color and if it adds up. It's fun. :-)

[MD Expat in PA]

Oh Mendel's theories were almost 100 years old, when your mother was in high school, so I would find it peculiar, if she was never taught about genetics and his theories, in the '30s.

To be honest, I don’t know if she ever finished her senior year of HS. And back then a lot of girls often didn’t take more advanced math or science courses in HS, and I know she was math phobic, very bad at it, and girls were steered more to home-ec and secretarial type classes which I know she took because I have a couple of her home-ec notebooks with her handwritten recipes. Plus, she was a very talented signer, sang on local radio in her teens and studied opera and even was offered an audition at the Met. But after her father died, she went to work and right after WWII she met my dad and got married to him two months later.

Me? I can’t sing my way out of a wet paper bag but I can cook, but I also inherited my dad’s love of science and his mechanical skills. : ),

I would have bet on the fact that your blonde niece wasn't the first born ( thank's Mendel...your theories still work! ) and I was right.

Interesting. Thanks. I will have to read up on Mendel’s theories.

[nopardons]

When I was in high school ( decades later than your mother ) this was a Bio class and would have been taken in either Freshman or Sophomore year...depending upon the state and school.

This stuff was touched on in the 8th grade, in N.Y. State, but gone into much, much more detail in high school. The math involved is relatively easy ( grammar school fraction stuff mostly )and even a math phobic person can do the simple, one generation equations. Once you get into using more generational studies, yes, it does get into somewhat more difficult math.

Once you get into inherited "talent", it gets a bit trickier; however it CAN be done...IF you can go back enough generations...maybe. :-)

Before you even look up Gregor Mendel...1) write down as many names of your family, for as far back as you can go 2) list birth order 3) add hair and eye color for each person. This will give you and overview, a way yo see patterns, and a good way to check your results, once you DO use Mendel's theories.

Feel free to FRmail me, should you have any questions or just want to talk about this. :-)