A very important new paper from a little-studied region of the world sheds some light on the genetic composition of Serbs, Croats and "Bosniacs" from Bosnia-Herzegovina. I will probably have more to say on this subject after this Easter season.
Annals of Human Genetics (OnlineEarly)
The Peopling of Modern Bosnia-Herzegovina: Y-chromosome Haplogroups in the Three Main Ethnic Groups
D. Marjanovic et al.
Summary
The variation at 28 Y-chromosome biallelic markers was analysed in 256 males (90 Croats, 81 Serbs and 85 Bosniacs) from Bosnia-Herzegovina. An important shared feature between the three ethnic groups is the high frequency of the "Palaeolithic" European-specific haplogroup (Hg) I, a likely signature of a Balkan population re-expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum. This haplogroup is almost completely represented by the sub-haplogroup I-P37 whose frequency is, however, higher in the Croats (~71%) than in Bosniacs (~44%) and Serbs (~31%). Other rather frequent haplogroups are E (~15%) and J (~7%), which are considered to have arrived from the Middle East in Neolithic and post-Neolithic times, and R-M17 (~14%), which probably marked several arrivals, at different times, from eastern Eurasia. Hg E, almost exclusively represented by its subclade E-M78, is more common in the Serbs (~20%) than in Bosniacs (~13%) and Croats (~9%), and Hg J, observed in only one Croat, encompasses ~9% of the Serbs and ~12% of the Bosniacs, where it shows its highest diversification. By contrast, Hg R-M17 displays similar frequencies in all three groups. On the whole, the three main groups of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in spite of some quantitative differences, share a large fraction of the same ancient gene pool distinctive for the Balkan area.
Link
April 29, 2005
The impact of the Bantu in Africa
European Journal of Human Genetics (advance online publication)
Contrasting patterns of Y chromosome and mtDNA variation in Africa: evidence for sex-biased demographic processes
Elizabeth T Wood et al.
To investigate associations between genetic, linguistic, and geographic variation in Africa, we type 50 Y chromosome SNPs in 1122 individuals from 40 populations representing African geographic and linguistic diversity. We compare these patterns of variation with those that emerge from a similar analysis of published mtDNA HVS1 sequences from 1918 individuals from 39 African populations. For the Y chromosome, Mantel tests reveal a strong partial correlation between genetic and linguistic distances (r=0.33, P=0.001) and no correlation between genetic and geographic distances (r=-0.08, P>0.10). In contrast, mtDNA variation is weakly correlated with both language (r=0.16, P=0.046) and geography (r=0.17, P=0.035). AMOVA indicates that the amount of paternal among-group variation is much higher when populations are grouped by linguistics (ΦCT=0.21) than by geography (ΦCT=0.06). Levels of maternal genetic among-group variation are low for both linguistics and geography (ΦCT=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). When Bantu speakers are removed from these analyses, the correlation with linguistic variation disappears for the Y chromosome and strengthens for mtDNA. These data suggest that patterns of differentiation and gene flow in Africa have differed for men and women in the recent evolutionary past. We infer that sex-biased rates of admixture and/or language borrowing between expanding Bantu farmers and local hunter-gatherers played an important role in influencing patterns of genetic variation during the spread of African agriculture in the last 4000 years.
Link
Contrasting patterns of Y chromosome and mtDNA variation in Africa: evidence for sex-biased demographic processes
Elizabeth T Wood et al.
To investigate associations between genetic, linguistic, and geographic variation in Africa, we type 50 Y chromosome SNPs in 1122 individuals from 40 populations representing African geographic and linguistic diversity. We compare these patterns of variation with those that emerge from a similar analysis of published mtDNA HVS1 sequences from 1918 individuals from 39 African populations. For the Y chromosome, Mantel tests reveal a strong partial correlation between genetic and linguistic distances (r=0.33, P=0.001) and no correlation between genetic and geographic distances (r=-0.08, P>0.10). In contrast, mtDNA variation is weakly correlated with both language (r=0.16, P=0.046) and geography (r=0.17, P=0.035). AMOVA indicates that the amount of paternal among-group variation is much higher when populations are grouped by linguistics (ΦCT=0.21) than by geography (ΦCT=0.06). Levels of maternal genetic among-group variation are low for both linguistics and geography (ΦCT=0.03 and 0.04, respectively). When Bantu speakers are removed from these analyses, the correlation with linguistic variation disappears for the Y chromosome and strengthens for mtDNA. These data suggest that patterns of differentiation and gene flow in Africa have differed for men and women in the recent evolutionary past. We infer that sex-biased rates of admixture and/or language borrowing between expanding Bantu farmers and local hunter-gatherers played an important role in influencing patterns of genetic variation during the spread of African agriculture in the last 4000 years.
Link
April 28, 2005
The evolution of altruistic punishment
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0500938102
Altruistic punishment and the origin of cooperation
James H. Fowler
How did human cooperation evolve? Recent evidence shows that many people are willing to engage in altruistic punishment, voluntarily paying a cost to punish noncooperators. Although this behavior helps to explain how cooperation can persist, it creates an important puzzle. If altruistic punishment provides benefits to nonpunishers and is costly to punishers, then how could it evolve? Drawing on recent insights from voluntary public goods games, I present a simple evolutionary model in which altruistic punishers can enter and will always come to dominate a population of contributors, defectors, and nonparticipants. The model suggests that the cycle of strategies in voluntary public goods games does not persist in the presence of punishment strategies. It also suggests that punishment can only enforce payoff-improving strategies, contrary to a widely cited "folk theorem" result that suggests that punishment can allow the evolution of any strategy.
Link
Altruistic punishment and the origin of cooperation
James H. Fowler
How did human cooperation evolve? Recent evidence shows that many people are willing to engage in altruistic punishment, voluntarily paying a cost to punish noncooperators. Although this behavior helps to explain how cooperation can persist, it creates an important puzzle. If altruistic punishment provides benefits to nonpunishers and is costly to punishers, then how could it evolve? Drawing on recent insights from voluntary public goods games, I present a simple evolutionary model in which altruistic punishers can enter and will always come to dominate a population of contributors, defectors, and nonparticipants. The model suggests that the cycle of strategies in voluntary public goods games does not persist in the presence of punishment strategies. It also suggests that punishment can only enforce payoff-improving strategies, contrary to a widely cited "folk theorem" result that suggests that punishment can allow the evolution of any strategy.
Link
Clicks and pygmies
Science reports on some exciting new findings from the 2005 Paleoanthropology meeting:
Human relations. Sarah Tishkoff and Floyd Reed of the University of Maryland, College Park, presented preliminary analyses of a massive data set on genetic variation in humans around the world, particularly Africans. Samples from more than 3000 people, including 2000 Africans, were processed at 1275 loci by a genotyping powerhouse, the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Wisconsin. Tishkoff and Reed, who received the complete data set only 3 weeks ago, say it offers a powerful tool to uncover relationships among populations. For example, the data suggest that culturally distinct groups of Pygmies are more closely related to each other than to other Africans. The researchers also detected unique similarities in the peoples of Oceania and East Africa, lending support to the hypothesis of an early "southern route" of migration out of Africa, around the coast of India to Oceania and then Australia. Finally, they found ancient kinship among three groups of click speakers, supporting the idea that the click languages form a single, ancient language familyAddendum: Research page of Sarah Tishkoff.
April 27, 2005
How to eradicate drug production
International Journal of Drug Policy
Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 81-91
Where have all the flowers gone?: evaluation of the Taliban crackdown against opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan
Graham Farrell et al.
Abstract
This study presents what we believe to be the first formal evaluation of the Taliban crackdown against opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was the main source of the world's illicit heroin supply for most of the 1990s. From late 2000 and the year that followed, the Taliban enforced a ban on poppy farming via threats, forced eradication, and public punishment of transgressors. The result was a 99% reduction in the area of opium poppy farming in Taliban-controlled areas. The evaluation uses multiple comparison areas: the non-Taliban area of Afghanistan, neighbouring countries, the non-contiguous comparison area of Myanmar (Burma), and, the rest of the world. Alternative possible causes of the reduction such as drought, migration or changes in global opium markets are reviewed and excluded. It is concluded that the reduction in Afghan poppy cultivation was due to the enforcement action by the Taliban. Globally, the net result of the intervention produced an estimated 35% reduction in poppy cultivation and a 65% reduction in the potential illicit heroin supply from harvests in 2001. Though Afghan poppy growing returned to previous levels after the fall of the Taliban government, this may have been the most effective drug control action of modern times.
Link
Volume 16, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 81-91
Where have all the flowers gone?: evaluation of the Taliban crackdown against opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan
Graham Farrell et al.
Abstract
This study presents what we believe to be the first formal evaluation of the Taliban crackdown against opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was the main source of the world's illicit heroin supply for most of the 1990s. From late 2000 and the year that followed, the Taliban enforced a ban on poppy farming via threats, forced eradication, and public punishment of transgressors. The result was a 99% reduction in the area of opium poppy farming in Taliban-controlled areas. The evaluation uses multiple comparison areas: the non-Taliban area of Afghanistan, neighbouring countries, the non-contiguous comparison area of Myanmar (Burma), and, the rest of the world. Alternative possible causes of the reduction such as drought, migration or changes in global opium markets are reviewed and excluded. It is concluded that the reduction in Afghan poppy cultivation was due to the enforcement action by the Taliban. Globally, the net result of the intervention produced an estimated 35% reduction in poppy cultivation and a 65% reduction in the potential illicit heroin supply from harvests in 2001. Though Afghan poppy growing returned to previous levels after the fall of the Taliban government, this may have been the most effective drug control action of modern times.
Link
Muscular men and thin women
Body Image
Volume 2, Issue 1 , March 2005, Pages 81-86
Do representations of male muscularity differ in men's and women's magazines?
David A. Frederick et al.
Abstract
Men overestimate the degree of muscularity that is attractive to women, and women overestimate the degree of thinness that is most attractive to men. Consistent with the thesis that sociocultural input influences such body type preferences and beliefs, we postulated that magazines aimed at a male audience would portray a more muscular male body ideal than would magazines aimed at a female audience. Systematic comparison of popular magazines (Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness) revealed that the ideal male body marketed to men is more muscular than the ideal male body marketed to women. We introduce the Physical Trait Overvaluation Hypothesis, which proposes that gender-specific media fuel emphasis on certain body parts in within-gender prestige competitions. The resulting competitive escalation creates a disconnect between the preferences of one gender and the personal aspirations of the other.
Link
Volume 2, Issue 1 , March 2005, Pages 81-86
Do representations of male muscularity differ in men's and women's magazines?
David A. Frederick et al.
Abstract
Men overestimate the degree of muscularity that is attractive to women, and women overestimate the degree of thinness that is most attractive to men. Consistent with the thesis that sociocultural input influences such body type preferences and beliefs, we postulated that magazines aimed at a male audience would portray a more muscular male body ideal than would magazines aimed at a female audience. Systematic comparison of popular magazines (Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness) revealed that the ideal male body marketed to men is more muscular than the ideal male body marketed to women. We introduce the Physical Trait Overvaluation Hypothesis, which proposes that gender-specific media fuel emphasis on certain body parts in within-gender prestige competitions. The resulting competitive escalation creates a disconnect between the preferences of one gender and the personal aspirations of the other.
Link
April 26, 2005
Somerled's Viking roots
DNA shows Celtic hero Somerled's Viking roots
A HISTORIC Celtic hero credited with driving the Vikings out of western Scotland was actually descended from a Norseman, according to research by a leading DNA expert.
According to traditional genealogies, Somerled, who is said to have died in 1164 after ousting the Vikings from Argyll, Kintyre and the Western Isles, was descended from an ancient royal line going back to when the Scots were living in Ireland.
...
Prof Sykes’ studies of three Scottish clans have also led to the conclusion that some 500,000 people alive today are descended from Somerled - a number only bettered by Genghis Khan, who, among historical figures studied to date, has an estimated 16 million living descendants.
The MacDonald, MacDougall and MacAllister clans all claim descent from Somerled and Prof Sykes found that between 25 and 45 per cent of them shared the same Y-chromosome, of a kind normally found in Norway but rare in Scotland and Ireland.
By analysing the rate of mutation in DNA samples from clan members, Prof Sykes was able to show that the Y-chromosome came from a common ancestor who lived roughly 1,000 years ago.
He then tested five chiefs from the clans and discovered they all shared the same chromosome, which convinced him that the common ancestor must be Somerled, Lord of the Isles, in keeping with clan histories.
A HISTORIC Celtic hero credited with driving the Vikings out of western Scotland was actually descended from a Norseman, according to research by a leading DNA expert.
According to traditional genealogies, Somerled, who is said to have died in 1164 after ousting the Vikings from Argyll, Kintyre and the Western Isles, was descended from an ancient royal line going back to when the Scots were living in Ireland.
...
Prof Sykes’ studies of three Scottish clans have also led to the conclusion that some 500,000 people alive today are descended from Somerled - a number only bettered by Genghis Khan, who, among historical figures studied to date, has an estimated 16 million living descendants.
The MacDonald, MacDougall and MacAllister clans all claim descent from Somerled and Prof Sykes found that between 25 and 45 per cent of them shared the same Y-chromosome, of a kind normally found in Norway but rare in Scotland and Ireland.
By analysing the rate of mutation in DNA samples from clan members, Prof Sykes was able to show that the Y-chromosome came from a common ancestor who lived roughly 1,000 years ago.
He then tested five chiefs from the clans and discovered they all shared the same chromosome, which convinced him that the common ancestor must be Somerled, Lord of the Isles, in keeping with clan histories.
Male/Female preferences for risk-taking
In a very interesting new study, researchers investigated the attitudes of men and women towards risk-takers. These were divided into "heroic" risk-takers, i.e., risk-takers with a practical purpose, of e.g., saving lives, vs. "non-heroic" risk-takers, e.g., playing dangerous sports. Furthermore, attitudes were assessed toward risk-taking potential mates compared to potential friends.
Both men and women liked heroic risk-takers as potential mates, and women did so more than men. Hence, heroes do get the girl. However, non-heroic risk-takers were avoided by both men and women as mates. Therefore, activities like playing dangerous sports are not generally seen as costly expressions of a strong individual, but rather as stupid.
For same sex friends, men preferred non-heroic risk takers, while women preferred non-heroic risk avoiders. Therefore, the tendency of men to take unnecessary risks may not be directed toward the opposite sex, but rather toward their own sex. However, men thought that women actually liked non-heroic risk takers, so it is quite possible that men take non-heroic risks to impress women - who are not, however, impressed.
Evolution and Human Behavior
Volume 26, Issue 2, March 2005, Pages 171-185
Attitudes toward heroic and nonheroic physical risk takers as mates and as friends
G. William Farthing
Abstract
Several hypotheses about attitudes toward risk takers, derived from costly signaling theory (CST), were tested. Male and female participants evaluated the attractiveness of risk takers compared with risk avoiders as potential mates, and as potential same-sex friends, in 21 different scenarios. Both females and males preferred heroic physical risk takers as mates, with the preference being stronger for females. Contrary to predictions, for nonheroic physical risks (such as risky sports), both males and females preferred risk avoiders over risk takers as mates. However, for same-sex friends, males significantly preferred nonheroic physical risk takers, whereas females preferred risk avoiders. It was concluded that insofar as nonheroic risk taking by males is a costly signal, the signal is directed more toward fellow males than toward females. Preferences for risk takers were positively correlated with reported self risk-taking tendencies, but the correlation was significantly higher for friends than for mates for both heroic and nonheroic physical risks.
In a second study, both males and females accurately predicted the opposite sex's preferences for heroic risk takers as mates. However, males failed to predict females' preferences for nonheroic physical risk avoiders. Both males and females underestimated the opposite sex's preferences for drug risk avoiders.
Link
Both men and women liked heroic risk-takers as potential mates, and women did so more than men. Hence, heroes do get the girl. However, non-heroic risk-takers were avoided by both men and women as mates. Therefore, activities like playing dangerous sports are not generally seen as costly expressions of a strong individual, but rather as stupid.
For same sex friends, men preferred non-heroic risk takers, while women preferred non-heroic risk avoiders. Therefore, the tendency of men to take unnecessary risks may not be directed toward the opposite sex, but rather toward their own sex. However, men thought that women actually liked non-heroic risk takers, so it is quite possible that men take non-heroic risks to impress women - who are not, however, impressed.
Evolution and Human Behavior
Volume 26, Issue 2, March 2005, Pages 171-185
Attitudes toward heroic and nonheroic physical risk takers as mates and as friends
G. William Farthing
Abstract
Several hypotheses about attitudes toward risk takers, derived from costly signaling theory (CST), were tested. Male and female participants evaluated the attractiveness of risk takers compared with risk avoiders as potential mates, and as potential same-sex friends, in 21 different scenarios. Both females and males preferred heroic physical risk takers as mates, with the preference being stronger for females. Contrary to predictions, for nonheroic physical risks (such as risky sports), both males and females preferred risk avoiders over risk takers as mates. However, for same-sex friends, males significantly preferred nonheroic physical risk takers, whereas females preferred risk avoiders. It was concluded that insofar as nonheroic risk taking by males is a costly signal, the signal is directed more toward fellow males than toward females. Preferences for risk takers were positively correlated with reported self risk-taking tendencies, but the correlation was significantly higher for friends than for mates for both heroic and nonheroic physical risks.
In a second study, both males and females accurately predicted the opposite sex's preferences for heroic risk takers as mates. However, males failed to predict females' preferences for nonheroic physical risk avoiders. Both males and females underestimated the opposite sex's preferences for drug risk avoiders.
Link
April 25, 2005
Women don't know when they ovulate
This will be of particular interest to the proponents of "natural" contraception methods which depend on the woman's knowledge of when she is ovulating to avoid intercourse during the more fertile period of her menstrual cycle.
American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 310 - 320
Validating signals of ovulation: Do women who think they know, really know?
Lynnette Leidy Sievert et al.
Abstract
This study was carried out to test whether women who think they know when they ovulate, really know. Fifty-three women of age 18.7 to 46.1 (mean age 28.4 years) participated in initial interviews about ovulation. Criteria for recruitment included perceived ovulation, regular menstrual cycles, and not using hormonal contraception. Women collected and refrigerated urine samples from day 5 until they thought they ovulated. Samples collected within 48 h of the perceived signal were then tested for a pre-ovulatory LH surge. Of the 53 original participants, 36 women provided urine samples for 1-6 cycles, so that 87 cycles were tested. Subjective signals of ovulation varied between women and between cycles but included abdominal pain and changes in cervical discharge, libido, and mood. Of the 87 cycles tested, during which women identified one or multiple signals of ovulation, 37 of the 87 urine specimens tested positive for an LH surge for a concordance rate of 42.5%. Using the first tested cycle from the 36 women who provided urine specimens, 13 of those specimens demonstrated an LH surge, for a concordance rate of 36.1%. That rate dropped to 28% (7/25) when women who used basal body temperature as an ovulatory signal were excluded. Finally, the mean level of accuracy among the 15 women who contributed 3-6 urine specimens for testing was 48.9%. The results of this study demonstrate a low degree of concordance between LH surge and perceived ovulation among women who think they know when they ovulate. The most motivated study participants were right about half of the time. Although there is variation among women in their ability to know when they ovulate, this study suggests that, for most women, ovulation is concealed.
Link
American Journal of Human Biology
Volume 17, Issue 3 , Pages 310 - 320
Validating signals of ovulation: Do women who think they know, really know?
Lynnette Leidy Sievert et al.
Abstract
This study was carried out to test whether women who think they know when they ovulate, really know. Fifty-three women of age 18.7 to 46.1 (mean age 28.4 years) participated in initial interviews about ovulation. Criteria for recruitment included perceived ovulation, regular menstrual cycles, and not using hormonal contraception. Women collected and refrigerated urine samples from day 5 until they thought they ovulated. Samples collected within 48 h of the perceived signal were then tested for a pre-ovulatory LH surge. Of the 53 original participants, 36 women provided urine samples for 1-6 cycles, so that 87 cycles were tested. Subjective signals of ovulation varied between women and between cycles but included abdominal pain and changes in cervical discharge, libido, and mood. Of the 87 cycles tested, during which women identified one or multiple signals of ovulation, 37 of the 87 urine specimens tested positive for an LH surge for a concordance rate of 42.5%. Using the first tested cycle from the 36 women who provided urine specimens, 13 of those specimens demonstrated an LH surge, for a concordance rate of 36.1%. That rate dropped to 28% (7/25) when women who used basal body temperature as an ovulatory signal were excluded. Finally, the mean level of accuracy among the 15 women who contributed 3-6 urine specimens for testing was 48.9%. The results of this study demonstrate a low degree of concordance between LH surge and perceived ovulation among women who think they know when they ovulate. The most motivated study participants were right about half of the time. Although there is variation among women in their ability to know when they ovulate, this study suggests that, for most women, ovulation is concealed.
Link
The rituals of the Krapina Neanderthals
Red Nova reports on rituals performed by Neanderthals from Krapina, Croatia. Ritual treatment of the dead is one of the differences which are believed to have differentiated Homo sapiens from Neanderthals, but these new findings indicate that Neanderthals performed elaborate, albeit gruesome, rituals for the dead.
After excavating a cache of Neandertal fossils about 100 years ago at Krapina Cave in what's now Croatia, researchers concluded that incisions on the ancient individuals' bones showed that they had been butchered and presumably eaten by their comrades. That claim has proved difficult to confirm. A new, high-tech analysis indicates that the Krapina Neandertals ritually dismembered corpses in ways that must have held symbolic meaning for the group-whether or not Neandertals ate those remains [...] Krapina 3 [DP: pictured below] and other skull remains exhibit marks made by slicing away the ears, removing the tongue, detaching the lower jaw, and skinning the head. Lower-body fossils contain incisions created by removing muscle from bones as well as abrasions caused by scrubbing fat and gristle off bones. Cuts on pelvic and leg bones indicate that bodies lay facedown during dismemberment.The findings were announced in the 2005 meeting of the Palaeoanthropology Society. The program of the conference is available online as a pdf, and the presentation is titled "Cook, J. D. Frayer and J. Radovcic. New evidence for symbolic behavior by the Krapina Neandertals", although there is no abstract available on the site.
April 24, 2005
Spencer Wells responds (again)
Via an e-mail forwarded to the GENEALOGY-DNA-L list:
See the earlier response as well.
We will primarily be collecting males from the indigenous populations around the world, which will maximize the number of Y-chromosomes while providing mtDNA as well. It is also easier to study X-chromosome variation in men, since the X is only present in one copy and it is therefore easier to infer haplotypes.
The populations will be chosen through a process of consultation with elders and the people themselves. I have been in Australia for the past few days getting this started, and am off to Singapore and India this week. We will sample both ‘ethnically defined’ (by language, customs, etc.) and ‘geographically defined’ (i.e. if a group, such as the Kazaks of Central Asia, are widespread then we will attempt to sample roughly on a grid) groups.
Sampling from indigenous groups will be through blood draws, which will yield hundreds of micrograms of DNA. This amount of DNA if far more than we need for typing Y and mtDNA, and it will allow us to apply new markers to the study of migratory patterns in the future. Particularly as the HapMap data becomes available, new autosomal haplotype systems should provide great resolution for questions that are unanswerable using Y and mtDNA (remember that these only assess a tiny fraction of your complete genomic ancestry). The DNA will be stored at the regional center that collected it, and will be available for study in the future by all members of the scientific community – effectively a virtual, global biobank. These studies will only take place as collaborations, and the proposed genotyping must follow the guidelines for the study – e.g. only markers that tell us about historical or anthropological information. Also, the actual laboratory work will take place at the regional center(s) – one of our project goals is to build scientific capacity in the less developed countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, etc.) where we have centers. No medical research will ever be conducted using these samples, for reasons having to do with informed consent and intellectual property. We will release all of the anonymous data into the public domain as we analyze it. We feel that this information is part of the ‘commons’ of our species – it belongs to everyone – and no attempt will be made to patent it.
We will be testing every indigenous sample collected for Y and mtDNA. In the case of the former, a multiplex PCR technique will be used to type AT LEAST the 12 STR markers typed by Family Tree DNA. We will probably be typing more – perhaps as many as 20 – in the initial screen. We will also sequence HVR-1 in each individual. Initially, we will also SNP type every Y-chromosome and mtDNA to confirm the haplogroup. Once we have a sufficient database, we will probably be able to predict haplogroup affiliation with a high degree of precision, allowing us to simply type the STRs for most individuals. Over time new markers will be discovered – some perhaps by us, to answer specific questions – but the key will always be having access to the indigenous DNA samples to type these markers. These are the most valuable asset of the project, and we don’t have to limit ourselves to any particular markers – we’ll choose the best ones to answer the questions we are investigating.
The maps shown on the website atlas at the moment demonstrate the routes followed by the markers that will be reported in the public component at the moment. Over time we will add more routes (= subhaplogroups) as the information on them improves. Remember that this is a GLOBAL project of enormous logistical complexity, and therefore that we may not show all of the details of a well-studied region like Europe at this time. We will be improving the level of detail over the coming years, and European users in particular should see their routes become much more detailed. Purchasing a participant’s kit is like purchasing a ‘subscription to your genome’, and you will be able to check back every few months to see what has been updated in your profile.
Finally, the data collected from the public part of the project will allow us to add an enormous number of genotypes to the database, giving us the power to answer some key questions. For instance, at the moment there is no evidence for interbreeding with Neanderthals as modern humans migrated into western Europe, but this is based on only 15-20,000 individuals who have been genotyped. Will we find a rare Neanderthal lineage in the 234,000th sample we type? Also, the public samples will allow us to assess patterns of genetic variation in admixed populations. There are some interesting studies we hope to do with the US census data, comparing Y and mtDNA patterns to that database. So these samples really are part of the project, not simply a way to raise funds - although that is a great aspect as well. Most people I've spoken to love the fact that all of the net proceeds from their kit - slightly more than 20% of the $99.95 price - get plowed back into the research and Legacy project.
Spencer Wells
See the earlier response as well.
Hydrogen sulfide, hibernating mice, and the sleep of Epimenides
Three unrelated bits of information which -if combined- would make quite a good story.
ONE:
Epimenides was a Cretan seer who is said to have slept in a cave for fifty-seven years. According to Diogenes Laertius:
Bad Air
Naturally occurring gases found in caves are; carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4), nitrogen (N2), nitrogen oxides (NO) (NO2), and radon, Rn @ wt (C12) 222 or (O16) 222 @ no 86. [...] Hydrogen sulfide, (H2S)-- -is colorless, heavier then air, toxic and smells like rotten eggs at low concentrations. At high concentrations the sense of smell is deadened, and serious problems will result. Hydrogen sulfide can form from ground water and sulfides. If the slightest smell of rotten eggs is detected, leave immediately.
THREE:
Science, Vol 308, Issue 5721, 518 , 22 April 2005
H2S Induces a Suspended Animation–Like State in Mice
Eric Blackstone et al.
Mammals normally maintain their core body temperature (CBT) despite changes in environmental temperature. Exceptions to this norm include suspended animation–like states such as hibernation, torpor, and estivation. These states are all characterized by marked decreases in metabolic rate, followed by a loss of homeothermic control in which the animal's CBT approaches that of the environment. We report that hydrogen sulfide can induce a suspended animation-like state in a nonhibernating species, the house mouse (Mus musculus). This state is readily reversible and does not appear to harm the animal. This suggests the possibility of inducing suspended animation-like states for medical applications.
Link
ONE:
Epimenides was a Cretan seer who is said to have slept in a cave for fifty-seven years. According to Diogenes Laertius:
He was sent by his father to the countryside to look for a sheep, and around noon he went to sleep in a cave, and he slept for fifty-seven years. He awoke after fifty seven years and started looking for the sheep, imagining that he had slept only for a short while.TWO:
Bad Air
Naturally occurring gases found in caves are; carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4), nitrogen (N2), nitrogen oxides (NO) (NO2), and radon, Rn @ wt (C12) 222 or (O16) 222 @ no 86. [...] Hydrogen sulfide, (H2S)-- -is colorless, heavier then air, toxic and smells like rotten eggs at low concentrations. At high concentrations the sense of smell is deadened, and serious problems will result. Hydrogen sulfide can form from ground water and sulfides. If the slightest smell of rotten eggs is detected, leave immediately.
THREE:
Science, Vol 308, Issue 5721, 518 , 22 April 2005
H2S Induces a Suspended Animation–Like State in Mice
Eric Blackstone et al.
Mammals normally maintain their core body temperature (CBT) despite changes in environmental temperature. Exceptions to this norm include suspended animation–like states such as hibernation, torpor, and estivation. These states are all characterized by marked decreases in metabolic rate, followed by a loss of homeothermic control in which the animal's CBT approaches that of the environment. We report that hydrogen sulfide can induce a suspended animation-like state in a nonhibernating species, the house mouse (Mus musculus). This state is readily reversible and does not appear to harm the animal. This suggests the possibility of inducing suspended animation-like states for medical applications.
Link
April 23, 2005
Earlier presence of man in Britain
News story on an announcement presented in From Earthly Bowels into Light: The History of Geological Speleology and Cave Finds conference.
Ancient jaw bone raises questions over early man
Ancient jaw bone raises questions over early man
New research has revealed Britain's oldest fragment of modern human - a jaw bone unearthed in the Westcountry - is 6,000 years older than previously thought [...] Their findings indicate the piece actually dates back between 37,000 and 40,000 years. [...]
Barry Chandler, assistant curator at the museum, where the jaw bone is currently on display, said the new conclusions posed fresh questions. He said: "If the jaw is anatomically modern - from humans known as Cro-Magnons as Keith believed - then these people spread across Europe, reaching Britain far earlier than is currently thought.
"If, however, Keith was wrong and the jaw is from the human species known as the Neanderthals we will have the first direct evidence of Neanderthals on mainland Britain. We hope to resolve this problem by extracting ancient DNA from one of the teeth."
Attractiveness and sexual activity
Evolution and Human Behavior Volume 26, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 186-201
Attractiveness and sexual behavior: Does attractiveness enhance mating success?
Gillian Rhodes et al.
Abstract
If attractiveness is an important cue for mate choice, as proposed by evolutionary psychologists, then attractive individuals should have greater mating success than their peers. We tested this hypothesis in a large sample of adults. Facial attractiveness correlated with the number of short-term, but not long-term, sexual partners, for males, and with the number of long-term, but not short-term, sexual partners and age of first sex, for females. Body attractiveness also correlated significantly with the number of short-term, but not long-term, sexual partners, for males, and attractive males became sexually active earlier than their peers. Body attractiveness did not correlate with any sexual behavior variable for females. To determine which aspects of attractiveness were important, we examined associations between sexual behaviors and three components of attractiveness: sexual dimorphism, averageness, and symmetry. Sexual dimorphism showed the clearest associations with sexual behaviors. Masculine males (bodies, similar trend for faces) had more short-term sexual partners, and feminine females (faces) had more long-term sexual partners than their peers. Feminine females (faces) also became sexually active earlier than their peers. Average males (faces and bodies) had more short-term sexual partners and more extra-pair copulations (EPC) than their peers. Symmetric women (faces) became sexually active earlier than their peers. Given that male reproductive success depends more on short-term mating opportunities than does female reproductive success, these findings suggest that individuals of high phenotypic quality have higher mating success than their lower quality counterparts.
Link
Attractiveness and sexual behavior: Does attractiveness enhance mating success?
Gillian Rhodes et al.
Abstract
If attractiveness is an important cue for mate choice, as proposed by evolutionary psychologists, then attractive individuals should have greater mating success than their peers. We tested this hypothesis in a large sample of adults. Facial attractiveness correlated with the number of short-term, but not long-term, sexual partners, for males, and with the number of long-term, but not short-term, sexual partners and age of first sex, for females. Body attractiveness also correlated significantly with the number of short-term, but not long-term, sexual partners, for males, and attractive males became sexually active earlier than their peers. Body attractiveness did not correlate with any sexual behavior variable for females. To determine which aspects of attractiveness were important, we examined associations between sexual behaviors and three components of attractiveness: sexual dimorphism, averageness, and symmetry. Sexual dimorphism showed the clearest associations with sexual behaviors. Masculine males (bodies, similar trend for faces) had more short-term sexual partners, and feminine females (faces) had more long-term sexual partners than their peers. Feminine females (faces) also became sexually active earlier than their peers. Average males (faces and bodies) had more short-term sexual partners and more extra-pair copulations (EPC) than their peers. Symmetric women (faces) became sexually active earlier than their peers. Given that male reproductive success depends more on short-term mating opportunities than does female reproductive success, these findings suggest that individuals of high phenotypic quality have higher mating success than their lower quality counterparts.
Link
April 22, 2005
PACAP and the evolution of human cognition
New research has identified a gene contributing to human cognition and was under strong positive selection. Until now, the FOXP2 gene had been known to differentiate humans from other primates, and to be related with the origin of language. [Update: See also John Hawks' post on the subject]
Genetics (Published Articles Ahead of Print)
Accelerated Evolution of the PACAP Precursor Gene During Human Origin
Yinqiu Wang et al.
Abstract
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide abundantly expressed in the central nervous system, and involved in regulating neurogenesis and neuronal signal transduction. The amino acid sequence of PACAP is extremely conserved across vertebrate species, indicating a strong functional constraint during the course of evolution. However, through comparative sequence analysis, we demonstrated that the PACAP precursor gene underwent an accelerated evolution in the human lineage since the divergence from chimpanzees, and the amino acid substitution rate in humans is at least seven times faster than in other mammal species resulting from strong Darwinian positive selection. Eleven human-specific amino acid changes were identified in the PACAP precursors which are conserved from murine to African apes. Protein structural analysis suggested that a putative novel neuropeptide might have originated during human evolution and functioned in the human brain. Our data suggested that the PACAP precursor gene underwent adaptive changes during human origin and may contribute to the formation of human cognition.
Link
Genetics (Published Articles Ahead of Print)
Accelerated Evolution of the PACAP Precursor Gene During Human Origin
Yinqiu Wang et al.
Abstract
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide abundantly expressed in the central nervous system, and involved in regulating neurogenesis and neuronal signal transduction. The amino acid sequence of PACAP is extremely conserved across vertebrate species, indicating a strong functional constraint during the course of evolution. However, through comparative sequence analysis, we demonstrated that the PACAP precursor gene underwent an accelerated evolution in the human lineage since the divergence from chimpanzees, and the amino acid substitution rate in humans is at least seven times faster than in other mammal species resulting from strong Darwinian positive selection. Eleven human-specific amino acid changes were identified in the PACAP precursors which are conserved from murine to African apes. Protein structural analysis suggested that a putative novel neuropeptide might have originated during human evolution and functioned in the human brain. Our data suggested that the PACAP precursor gene underwent adaptive changes during human origin and may contribute to the formation of human cognition.
Link
More authoritative info on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri
Some more authoritative information is posted in the CLASSICS-L list. An excerpt:
The London press got wind of this (the unrolled Herculaneum papyrus of Epicurus' Peri physeos in the British Library is being done this week) and reported enthusiastically, if selectively. No mention, for example, was made of the success on the Bodleian Herculaneum papyrus (P.Herc. 118), now thereby revealed to be a Peri Epikourou or at any rate a pre-Philodemean history of the school. The article certainly should not have said (if it did) that all the papyri had been discovered yesterday, only that we made significant (and sufficiently exciting) advances in reading and confirmation of identifications with some, the same with some other pieces, while still others were identified for the first time, some standard classical authors, as usual, while others remain complete mysteries. Readings from some identified from earlier multi-spectral trials since 2002 were refined. The Oxyrhynchus texts will be published in The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, beginning with the next volume (LXIX), still scheduled for publication next month. An article on the technical aspects is planned for Scientific American.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)