World History
There is an interesting find at of Greenland. The DNA of a 4,000 year old man was sequenced and some surprises were discovered. An article titled After 4,000 years, DNA suggests ancient Greenland man had risk of baldness and even dry earwax was written by Malcom Ritter.
The biggest shock is that the man was not related to any of the Native Americans in Greenland or the Americas. The article notes, "More importantly, comparisons of his DNA with that of present-day Arctic peoples shed light on the mysterious origins of the man's cultural group, the Saqqaq, the earliest known culture to settle in Greenland. Results suggest his ancestors migrated from Siberia some 5,500 years ago."
The analysis shows the now extinct Saqqaq were not direct ancestors of today's Inuits or Native Americans. The Saqqaq are all gone and no one is certain how they arrived in Greenland. Others findings were that the man had the genes for baldness and dry earwax.
The article also noted, "The DNA was recovered from a tuft of hair that had been excavated in 1986 from permafrost on Greenland's west coast, north of the Arctic Circle. The thousands of years in a deep freeze was key to preserving the genetic material. But most ancient human remains come from warmer places with less potential for preservation, and scientists said it's not clear how often DNA from such samples would allow for constructing a genome."
More information on the history of Greenland can be found at History of Greenland.
- Greenland
Greenland nowdays It is said that on a good day one can glimpse distant Greenland from Iceland. This may be an exaggeration, but the existence of links of land across the North Atlantic played a key role in Norse exploration, along with the development...
- Rise And Fall Of The Vikings And The Little Ice Age
The Rise and Fall of the Vikings and the Little Ice Age - Illustrated, scholarly study by Scott Mandia on the impact of long-term climate changes on the Viking civilization in Greenland and Iceland. As we continue to debate the validity of global warming,...
- Project Leif 2000 Greenland
Project Leif 2000 Greenland - Lists events, maps, history, settlements as well as World Heritage Site status for 1,000 year anniversary of the Viking discovery of North America. From the site: In the year 1000 A.D., the legendary Greenlander Leif Eriksson,...
- History Of German Polar Research
History of German Polar Research. Alfred Wegener Institute provides a short account of early German polar activities, with biographies of key figures. Includes information about ships and stations, and a section of questions and answers for school projects....
- Vikings On Greenland
Vikings on Greenland - Presents a brief essay about the history of the Vikings in Greenland, and their explorations further afield, with a map to show their travels. From the site: Around the year 960 the boy Erik and his father got a problem with...
World History
Looking at 4,000 Year Old DNA From Greenland
The biggest shock is that the man was not related to any of the Native Americans in Greenland or the Americas. The article notes, "More importantly, comparisons of his DNA with that of present-day Arctic peoples shed light on the mysterious origins of the man's cultural group, the Saqqaq, the earliest known culture to settle in Greenland. Results suggest his ancestors migrated from Siberia some 5,500 years ago."
The analysis shows the now extinct Saqqaq were not direct ancestors of today's Inuits or Native Americans. The Saqqaq are all gone and no one is certain how they arrived in Greenland. Others findings were that the man had the genes for baldness and dry earwax.
The article also noted, "The DNA was recovered from a tuft of hair that had been excavated in 1986 from permafrost on Greenland's west coast, north of the Arctic Circle. The thousands of years in a deep freeze was key to preserving the genetic material. But most ancient human remains come from warmer places with less potential for preservation, and scientists said it's not clear how often DNA from such samples would allow for constructing a genome."
More information on the history of Greenland can be found at History of Greenland.
- Greenland
Greenland nowdays It is said that on a good day one can glimpse distant Greenland from Iceland. This may be an exaggeration, but the existence of links of land across the North Atlantic played a key role in Norse exploration, along with the development...
- Rise And Fall Of The Vikings And The Little Ice Age
The Rise and Fall of the Vikings and the Little Ice Age - Illustrated, scholarly study by Scott Mandia on the impact of long-term climate changes on the Viking civilization in Greenland and Iceland. As we continue to debate the validity of global warming,...
- Project Leif 2000 Greenland
Project Leif 2000 Greenland - Lists events, maps, history, settlements as well as World Heritage Site status for 1,000 year anniversary of the Viking discovery of North America. From the site: In the year 1000 A.D., the legendary Greenlander Leif Eriksson,...
- History Of German Polar Research
History of German Polar Research. Alfred Wegener Institute provides a short account of early German polar activities, with biographies of key figures. Includes information about ships and stations, and a section of questions and answers for school projects....
- Vikings On Greenland
Vikings on Greenland - Presents a brief essay about the history of the Vikings in Greenland, and their explorations further afield, with a map to show their travels. From the site: Around the year 960 the boy Erik and his father got a problem with...