A new study found out that human DNA may contain records on how people from different groups mingled together for the last 4,000 years. These clues may provide researchers with strong evidences to plot out man's history.
Using modern DNA technology, researchers led by Garrett Hellenthal from the UCL Genetics Institute created an interactive map to identify which groups intermingled with each other and follow their populations' dispersion over the past years.
"The results suggest DNA is indeed a powerful means of reconstructing history, which then might be used to identify the genetic legacies of historically well-attested events ... and highlight surprising events with a less clear historical context.", Hellenthal and co-author Simon Myers of St. John's College wrote in an e-mail to CNN.
The technical term for genetically-different populations having offspring together is called "genetic admixture". The researchers claim that genetic admixture has been happening over the years and this may shed a light on humanity's ancestry and history. DNA sampling can also enable the scientists to estimate how long ago the genetic admixture between two genetically different groups took place.
The researchers analyzed genetic data for over 1,490 people who were from 95 genetically-different groups from around the world. A software program called Globetrotter was used to identify and describe genetic admixture events which happened as early as 4,500 years.
However, there are some limitations to the study's methodology. If the genetic admixture happened between three or more groups, then the researchers won't be able to identify the specific admixture events for these groups. Also, the study won't be able to point admixture events when the same or very similar genetic groups interbred with one another.
The study is part of the People of the British Isles project which aims to map out the specific genetic influences of the people living in United Kingdom. The same project is being done for other locations such as in the Americas, Ethiopia, and Caribbean.
This study was published in the Feb. 14 issue of Science.
