Angela
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This was published in Oxford Journals, so not only don't we get to see the body of the paper, but they've even blocked the Supplement. Jeez!
The other problem is that Hellenthal, who is one of the authors, has an amazingly weak grasp of ancient history imo, and his method of dating is not without issues. So, although I think the basic breakdown is correct, I'm not sure about the dates at which these elements entered the North African genome or the reasons.
If someone has access and thinks there's good data to support their conclusions, it would be great if we could get some hints.
See:
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/10/10/molbev.msw218.abstract
Lara Arauna et al:
"[FONT="]North Africa is characterized by its diverse cultural and linguistic groups and its genetic heterogeneity. Genomic data has shown an amalgam of components mixed since pre-Holocean times. Though no differences have been found in uniparental and classical markers between Berbers and Arabs, the two main ethnic groups in the region, the scanty genomic data available have highlighted the singularity of Berbers. We characterize the genetic heterogeneity of North African groups, focusing on the putative differences of Berbers and Arabs, and estimate migration dates. We analyze genome-wide autosomal data in five Berber and six Arab groups, and compare them to Middle Easterns, sub-Saharans, and Europeans. Haplotype-based methods show a lack of correlation between geographical and genetic populations, and a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, without strong differences between Berbers and Arabs. Berbers enclose genetically diverse groups, from isolated endogamous groups with high autochthonous component frequencies, large homozygosity runs and low effective population sizes, to admixed groups with high frequencies of sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern components. Admixture time estimates show a complex pattern of recent historical migrations, with a peak around the 7th century C.E. coincident with the Arabization of the region; sub-Saharan migrations from in the 1[/FONT]st[FONT="] century B.C. in agreement with Roman slave trade; and a strong migration in the 17th century C.E., coincident with a huge impact of the trans-Atlantic and trans-Saharan trade of sub-Saharan slaves in the Modern Era. The genetic complexity found should be taken into account when selecting reference groups in population genetics and biomedical studies."[/FONT]
For me one of the main take-aways is that the "Berbers" are not any more "autochthonous" than the "Arabs" of North Africa. Nor are the Berbers necessarily less SSA than the Arabs.
I'm less certain that the SSA input started because of the Roman slave trade, or that the admixture from the Near East started with the Arab conquests.
The other problem is that Hellenthal, who is one of the authors, has an amazingly weak grasp of ancient history imo, and his method of dating is not without issues. So, although I think the basic breakdown is correct, I'm not sure about the dates at which these elements entered the North African genome or the reasons.
If someone has access and thinks there's good data to support their conclusions, it would be great if we could get some hints.
See:
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/10/10/molbev.msw218.abstract
Lara Arauna et al:
"[FONT="]North Africa is characterized by its diverse cultural and linguistic groups and its genetic heterogeneity. Genomic data has shown an amalgam of components mixed since pre-Holocean times. Though no differences have been found in uniparental and classical markers between Berbers and Arabs, the two main ethnic groups in the region, the scanty genomic data available have highlighted the singularity of Berbers. We characterize the genetic heterogeneity of North African groups, focusing on the putative differences of Berbers and Arabs, and estimate migration dates. We analyze genome-wide autosomal data in five Berber and six Arab groups, and compare them to Middle Easterns, sub-Saharans, and Europeans. Haplotype-based methods show a lack of correlation between geographical and genetic populations, and a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, without strong differences between Berbers and Arabs. Berbers enclose genetically diverse groups, from isolated endogamous groups with high autochthonous component frequencies, large homozygosity runs and low effective population sizes, to admixed groups with high frequencies of sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern components. Admixture time estimates show a complex pattern of recent historical migrations, with a peak around the 7th century C.E. coincident with the Arabization of the region; sub-Saharan migrations from in the 1[/FONT]st[FONT="] century B.C. in agreement with Roman slave trade; and a strong migration in the 17th century C.E., coincident with a huge impact of the trans-Atlantic and trans-Saharan trade of sub-Saharan slaves in the Modern Era. The genetic complexity found should be taken into account when selecting reference groups in population genetics and biomedical studies."[/FONT]
For me one of the main take-aways is that the "Berbers" are not any more "autochthonous" than the "Arabs" of North Africa. Nor are the Berbers necessarily less SSA than the Arabs.
I'm less certain that the SSA input started because of the Roman slave trade, or that the admixture from the Near East started with the Arab conquests.