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Post by egypt1101 on Apr 5, 2013 16:39:29 GMT -5
"Finally, results also identify a smaller genetic link with the Horn of Africa region (8.8%), which might reflect genetic traces of contacts with Northeast Africa, possibly including early links with Nubian or other Nilo-Saharan speaking cultures." dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-03-02.pdfWhat do you make of this? They excluded Egypt/Afro-Asiatic right out of the picture, and so we should continue to question their position on Ramses III/Pentawere as well as the Amarna family. Have you considered writing Lucas Martin of DNATribes, Noah?
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Post by Noah on Apr 25, 2013 21:12:02 GMT -5
More strangeness from the DNA Tribes team. From Babiker et al. (2011) (an actual peer-reviewed study), we already know that the average autosomal STR profile of modern Egyptians is distinct from that of Bantus and Nilotes, and that it instead closely resembles that of Northern Sudanese. The average autosomal STR profile of Horners is likewise distinct from that of Sub-Saharan groups. That said, just so it's clear, I don't actually think the DNA Tribes crew is being deliberately misleading. Rather, I think they're working with limited population data against which to compare their Ancient Egyptian STR values. This is the only logical explanation for absolute statements like their claim that the rare D21S11=35 allele, which Ramesses III and Unknown Man E possess, is “found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa but [is] comparatively rare or absent in other regions of the world” -- an easily disprovable assertion. See, for instance, the average frequency for that allele among the Kshtariya in ALFRED (the column labeled 35 here). As can clearly be seen, it is actually most common in said Indian population, at a frequency of 7.3%; not among any Sub-Saharan group. I would contact the DNA Tribes team about this, but there have been some interesting recent developments that complicate the picture and warrant further thought (in a good way, though). Specifically, next-generation sequencing of five Dynastic period Egyptian mummies has unveiled the presence of what looks to be mtDNA haplogroup I in one of the tested ancient specimens. This is a rare West Asian maternal clade that is today found at its highest frequencies worldwide among certain Cushitic-speaking groups in East Africa. Overall, this finding supports the likelihood of a migration(s) of Afro-Asiatic speakers from the Middle East into Africa; either through the Bab el-Mandeb or the Sinai or both.
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