Clues to ancient invasion in DNA

[sutherlands]

Yes but is there such a thing as scottish DNA?

Obviously differant groups of people may have unique DNA composition. However, I would not sya there is such a thing as 'scottish' My DNA comes from my ancestors but that is not lateral. The fact that they are scottish is irrelevant.

I am willing to bet that it is unlikely that genetisists could tell apart an englishman from a scotsman. Most DNA tets can only differentiate between northern european, southern european, sub sharan african etc

Any thoughts on this ?

[slohairt]

I think the science, as a whole, is still in its infancy. I imagine years from now things will be made clearer; some long-held theories will be proven while others will be discredited. Distinguishing an Englishman from a Scotsman by DNA? I think it would depend where in the country their ancestors hailed from. I would even tentatively wager that there is a considerable difference between a Lowlander and someone from the Hebrides.

[sutherlands]

I think the science, as a whole, is still in its infancy. I imagine years from now things will be made clearer; some long-held theories will be proven while others will be discredited. Distinguishing an Englishman from a Scotsman by DNA? I think it would depend where in the country their ancestors hailed from. I would even tentatively wager that there is a considerable difference between a Lowlander and someone from the Hebrides.

I dont believe there is that much differance between a lowlander and a highlander these days, especially with cross migraiton that has been prevalent since the industrial revalution. Most scots in glasgow have highland last names. There is little differance in culture aswell.

[slohairt]

I don't really know. Like I said, I think the studies are far from complete. Cross migration is/was common, but not everywhere. My own family lived in the same Irish county for many centuries and only moved here (Canada) recently.

[gilmore]

Yes but is there such a thing as scottish DNA?

Obviously differant groups of people may have unique DNA composition. However, I would not sya there is such a thing as 'scottish' My DNA comes from my ancestors but that is not lateral. The fact that they are scottish is irrelevant.

I am willing to bet that it is unlikely that genetisists could tell apart an englishman from a scotsman. Most DNA tets can only differentiate between northern european, southern european, sub sharan african etc

Any thoughts on this ?

Rather than making wild and subjective statements about DNA, it's preferable to get the facts, and the best source for an introduction to genetic genealogy online that I know of is the FAQ at www.familytreedna.com

Briefly, there are three kinds of DNA testing used in this context: Y DNA that men inherit from their fathers, mitochondrial DNA that both men and women inherit from their mothers, and autosomal DNA testing which is used to determine which part of the world a person's ancestors came from.

All three of these could show Scottish ancestry, albeit in different ways.