When PZ Myers and I visited London in October, I took him to the cafeteria in the crypt of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields. We ate our lunch on top of the tombs of medieval Londoners. There was a lot of construction going on behind the church.According to CNN, workers have uncovered a Roman sarcophagus dating to 410 AD. It would be interesting to find out whether this Roman was related to modern Britons. It should be easy to extract DNA and do the test.
Traffic in London is chaotic, especially around Trafalger Square where St. Martin-in-the-Fields is located. If it turned out that modern Londoners were related to Italians it would explain a lot.
More seriously, we need to have better data on the genetics of populations and any DNA samples from ancestors would help. What percentage of genes in modern Britons comes from Romans, Saxon, Jutes, Celts, Normans, or the rest of France?
Have you ever heard of "Cheddar Man"?
ReplyDeleteThere is quite a bit on him in Bryan Sykes' "Seven Daughters of Eve".
Hey Larry - remember me from your trip to London? We met outside the Natural History Museum and I didn't stop talking!
ReplyDeleteDid I mention that I'm Coptic? The Copts claim direct descent from the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, and are, apparently, the most anthropologically pure race in the world.
PS How about linking to each other?
Are you willl to get a DNA test to see how pure you are? :-)
ReplyDeleteWanna place a bet on the results?
(Of course I remember you. I have pictures and so do you! I'll link to you and to your photo the three of us outside the Natural History Museum.)