Afghans share unique genetic heritage, DNA analysis shows
Genographic Project study gives insight into origins of Afghan population
2012-03-29
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON (March 28, 2012)—A study by The Genographic Project has found that the majority of all known ethnic Afghans share a unique genetic heritage derived from a common ancestral population that most likely emerged during the Neolithic revolution and the formation of early farming communities. Through detailed DNA analysis of samples from 27 provinces, the Genographic team found the inter-Afghan genetic variability to be mostly attributed to the formation of the first civilizations in the region during the Bronze Age.
The study finds these early civilizations may have differentially assimilated migrations and invasions, thereby increasing inter-population genetic differences and giving the Afghans a unique genetic diversity in Central Asia. Published today in the journal PLoS ONE, the study was led by principal investigator Pierre Zalloua and Marc Haber, both of Genographic's Middle Eastern regional center.
"Afghanistan embraces a rich diversity of multi-ethnic and multi-lingual communities. The goal of our study was to determine whether the various Afghan groups arose from a common population with different social systems but with the same genetic stock or whether cultural and ethnic differences were founded on already existing genetic differences," said Zalloua. "We knew that the Afghans were culturally diverse, but we were not sure if their DNA would give us any clues as to how they have evolved. We now know that major cultural evolutions and prehistoric technological advancements, followed later by migrations and conquests, have left traceable records in the Afghans' DNA, giving us an amazing insight into the origin of this population," said Haber.
Afghanistan's strategic geographical location serves as a major hub for trade as well as a crossroads of many invasion routes. Location alongside cultural developments has shaped the unique genetic heritage of the Afghan people.
The Genographic Project, launched in 2005, enters its eighth year this spring. Nearly 75,000 participants from over 1,000 indigenous populations around the world have joined the initiative, along with more than 440,000 members of the general public who have purchased a testing kit online, swabbed their cheeks and sent their samples to the Genographic lab for processing. This unprecedented collection of samples and data is a scientific resource that the project plans to leverage moving forward.
Genographic Project Director and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Spencer Wells noted, "This study, the first detailed analysis of Afghan populations, demonstrates the unprecedented geographic breadth of Genographic's sampling. The project is striving to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of human migratory history, and Afghanistan has always been a gaping hole in the map. We now have a much better picture of how these groups relate to each other and to the surrounding regions. "Moving forward, we hope to fill in the details of Afghanistan's demographic history with studies of other genetic markers in these populations."
INFORMATION:
Background: The Genographic Project seeks to chart new knowledge about the migratory history of the human species and answer age-old questions surrounding the genetic diversity of humanity. The project is a nonprofit, multi-year, global research partnership of National Geographic and IBM with field support by the Waitt Family Foundation. At the core of the project is a global consortium of 11 regional scientific teams following an ethical and scientific framework and who are responsible for sample collection and analysis in their respective regions. Members of the public can participate in the Genographic Project by purchasing a public participation kit from the Genographic website (www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic), where they can also choose to donate their genetic results to the expanding database. Sales of the kits help fund research and support a Legacy Fund for indigenous and traditional peoples' community-led language revitalization and cultural projects.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2012-03-29
States are doing an effective job of monitoring air quality, but the federal government remains the primary player in clearing the air, according to a new study by Rice University.
In a recent study published by the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, the Rice research group of environmental engineer Daniel Cohan looked at state implementation plans (SIPs) mandated by the United States Clean Air Act. SIPs detailed how states would attain standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cutting ozone and other ground-level contaminants by ...
2012-03-29
MADISON – An independent commission of scientific leaders from 13 countries today released a detailed set of recommendations to policymakers on how to achieve food security in the face of climate change.
In their report, the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change proposes specific policy responses to the global challenge of feeding a world confronted by climate change, population growth, poverty, food price spikes and degraded ecosystems. The report highlights specific opportunities under the mandates of the Rio+20 Earth Summit, the United Nations Framework ...
2012-03-29
BOSTON—A report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows rates of death in the United States from all cancers for men and women continued to decline between 2004 and 2008. The findings come from the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.
The report also finds that the overall rate of new cancer diagnoses for men and women combined decreased an average of less than one percent per year from 1998 through 2006, with rates leveling off from 2006 through 2008. Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president of Dana-Farber Cancer in Institute in Boston, ...
2012-03-29
Britain's best loved playwright, William Shakespeare, is to be commemorated this year with a series of global events and performances, starting on the occasion of his birthday (and anniversary of his death), the 23rd April. The World Shakespeare Festival will run until November.
To help travelling fans find a reasonably priced London hotel, website LondonTown.com has announced details of discounted hotel rooms close to the Globe.
37 international companies, performing in 37 different languages will be taking part in 37 plays, from a Korean Midsummer Night's Dream ...
2012-03-29
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – March 28, 2012 – Recent clinical studies have shown that general anesthesia can be harmful to infants, presenting a dilemma for both doctors and parents. But new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may point the way to treatment options that protect very young children against the adverse effects of anesthesia.
As detailed in a study published in the March 23 online edition of the journal Neuroscience, Wake Forest Baptist scientists explored a number of strategies designed to prevent anesthesia-induced damage to the brain in infants.
Using ...
2012-03-29
The Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks should win their divisions, while the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds will make it to Major League Baseball's post-season as wild card teams in the National League (NL) in 2012, according to NJIT's baseball guru Bruce Bukiet. The San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins could be close on the heels of the Reds and Braves but should miss out on the post-season by 3 or 4 wins. For more than a decade, Bukiet, an associate professor and associate dean, has applied mathematical ...
2012-03-29
Environmental issues like global warming, climate changes and climate-linked disasters are threats to human beings. They affect access to food, water and housing and they also affect our health and well-being.
The occurrence and severity of extreme weather such as heavy rainfall, floods, storms and hurricanes have risen in recent years. They affect millions of people around the globe and cause damages amounting to billions of dollars.
Immediate action is needed to deal with climate-linked and natural disasters. To bring about changes require coordination and cooperation ...
2012-03-29
TAMPA, Fla. (March 28, 2012) – Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues from the UF Shands Cancer Center in Gainesville, Fla., have found that cases of myeloid malignancies are being underreported since a change in registry protocols and laboratory practices starting in 2001.
Their study is published in a recent issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Since the 1970s, cancer registries have monitored myeloid leukemia incidence in the United States," said study ...
2012-03-29
New Haven, Conn. — A person's mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour — material largely left behind by previous occupants and stirred up from the floor — according to new research by Yale University engineers.
"We live in this microbial soup, and a big ingredient is our own microorganisms," said Jordan Peccia, associate professor of environmental engineering at Yale and the principal investigator of a study recently published online in the journal Indoor Air. "Mostly people are re-suspending what's been deposited before. The floor dust ...
2012-03-29
Are diet sodas good or bad for you? The jury is still out, but a new study sheds light on the impact that zero-calorie beverages may have on health, especially in the context of a person's overall dietary habits.
For the average person, the scientific evidence can seem confusing. A number of studies have implicated diet beverage consumption as a cause of cardiovascular disease. However, others have suggested such drinks may be a viable tactic for people who are trying to lose or control their weight.
Either way, most previous research has tended to focus either on ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Afghans share unique genetic heritage, DNA analysis shows
Genographic Project study gives insight into origins of Afghan population
