Genetic Analysis of Ancient Human Remains from the Early Bronze Age Cultures of the N

[Angela]

Apropos of the discussion on the Indo-Europeans:

Genetic Analysis of Ancient Human Remains from the Early Bronze Age Cultures of the North Pontic Steppe Region

It's a Master's thesis by a Jeff Pashnick...we'll see if it agrees with results from the upcoming paper:
http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses/737/

(Thanks to Jean Manco for the heads up)

We found genetic evidence through mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and PCA linking the Catacomb people to hunter-gatherer populations from northern Europe and Russia. On the other hand, data on mtDNA haplogroup frequencies of individuals from the Yamna culture associated them with farming and pastoralist type populations from southwest and central Europe. An FST analysis of mtDNA haplogroup frequency distribution showed that the Yamna are most closely related to the Boyko group of ethnic Carpathian highlanders than to other modern European groups used in the study. The Catacomb people appeared genetically different from all other population groups in the FST analysis, including the Yamna group, challenging the current understanding of the relationship between the Yamna and Catacomb populations. Further statistical analysis using an exact test of population differentiation confirmed genetic differences in mtDNA haplogroup frequencies between Yamna and Catacomb. The exact test also revealed a lack of genetic differentiation between the Yamna and the modern Ukrainian population, as well as Lemko, another group of Carpathian highlanders.

Mtdna of course isn't autosomal dna, but I suppose it could suggest that the Catacomb people were different from the Yamnaya people.

Ed. Oh, forget it...the contents are under embargo until 2017!

 

[LeBrok]

Yes, sweet, that's what we are waiting for, week after week, after week....

Although it is only by way of mtDNA, the connection to Yamna people exists in current population of Ukraine. By singling out Boyko and Lemko highlanders they point more to the Western Ukraine than to the eastern part where are more Russians, Kazakhs and Tatars. Boyko and Lemko are Slavic speakers, and as such IE speakers. Their genetic roots point to Yamna culture, making Yamna likely IE culture, as most of us speculated. It is surely a week indication, but next one in line after Yamna corpses turning R1a (IIRC) connected by many to IEs too.

 

[Aberdeen]

Very interesting, but of course I'd like to know whether Y DNA would show a link between Catacomb People and Yamna. Maybe not, but where do the apparently aggressive traits of IE folk originate from?

 

[Angela]

Very interesting, but of course I'd like to know whether Y DNA would show a link between Catacomb People and Yamna. Maybe not, but where do the apparently aggressive traits of IE folk originate from?

Me too to the first...

As for the second, the only thing I remember is some study that purported to show that R1a men were more aggressive. Maybe somebody has a link. I personally don't put much stock in the studies that try to show strict causation between behavior and genetics, especially uniparental haplogroups, however.

I wish the data could be released earlier. We might be over-interpreting the findings. I do have a hunch, however, that the "Indo-Europeans" did differ depending on where they were in that line running from the Baltics to the Black Sea...probably due to when they arrived there, with whom they mated etc.