Professor of genetics from Oxford, Brian Sayke, stunned everyone with his hypothesis: Europeans descended, it turns out, from seven female progenitors, and this was 45 thousand years ago. The scientist believes that our ancient ancestors arrived in Europe at different times, most likely from Africa. Their numerous descendants first formed seven tribes, which then mingled with each other and sowed the old continent.
Homo sapiens, homo sapiens, as a biological species belongs to the order of primates, and his origin still remains one of the most interesting mysteries for science. Anthropologists still cannot unequivocally answer the questions of exactly where and when the first man appeared. Recent advances in genetics and the deciphering of so-called mitochondrial DNA have shed light on this problem. Studies of this molecule in various people helped to draw up some "genetic passports", and this, in turn, made it possible to determine who our ancient ancestors were and at what time they lived.
Until recently, there was a hypothesis that suggested that each race descended from almost different ape-like ancestors in several parts of the world (for example, the features of the Mongoloids are found among the Sinanthropans, and the Caucasians among the Neanderthals). Other experts believed that man originated in one some place, most likely in Africa, and then settled all over the world.
Schematic representation of the seven daughters of Eve.
It was recently recognized that all modern Europeans are descendants of only 7 women (from different geographic regions). These 7 ancestors, who lived in the prehistoric Mediterranean, were given the conventional names of Ursula, Xenia, Elena, Velda, Tara, Catherine and Jasmine by the English geneticist Brian Sayke.
Of the three so-called great human races - Negroid, Caucasoid and Mongoloid - Europeans turned out to be the most resilient and spread their gene pool around the world.
Oxford geneticist Professor Brian Syke, who owns this statement, gave modern European names to the conventional mothers-progenitors for greater clarity. All other daughters of the foremother of Eve were genetically exterminated in Europe, leaving no trace in our hereditary substance. The strongest triumphed, of course, not so much in the sense of physical strength, although health played a role here, as in the sense of hereditary strength, which is closely related to those qualities that are considered to be manifestations of female attractiveness.
Founded by Professor Brian Sykes, Oxford Ancestors is the world's first privately held personalized DNA analysis company. It provides its clients with unique services that allow them to look back thousands of years and discover their distant ancestors. This analysis makes it possible to identify among their ancestors famous historical figures: kings, generals, saints, writers, who left a noticeable mark in ancient and modern history.
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Professor Sykes' company has already served thousands of Englishmen and clients from abroad, who unexpectedly discovered a genetic relationship with the great figures of world history. Some found out their relationship with Napoleon, others with the Russian imperial house of the Romanovs, and still others with Genghis Khan.
Brian Sike is the author of The Seven Daughters of Eve, in which he argues that 97 percent of modern Europeans are descended from seven primitive women. How does Professor Saike create a family tree?
There are two kinds of DNA. One of them is the DNA of the paternal line, which is passed from father to son and further to all male descendants. Another kind is maternal DNA. Only women inherit it. Men and women receive this DNA from their mothers, and those from their female ancestors, and this line of inheritance lasts hundreds of thousands of years.
In the case of Europeans, it is clear that almost all of them inherited their maternal DNA from one in seven women. All many of Sykes' clients would like to know is which of these seven women they are from.
The English scientist managed to indicate (albeit very approximately) the era of life and localize the homeland of each of the seven women on the map of Europe. The eldest of all, Ursula, lived about 45 thousand years ago in today's Greece. She was distinguished by harmony and grace. The conditional Xenia made a fire and nursed children on the southern shores of the Black Sea, in forests teeming with wolves and bears. It was 25 thousand years ago. Ksenia was distinguished by homeliness and hospitality. Then follows Tara, who lived 17 thousand years ago. This woman, the embodiment of firmness and inflexibility, was born in today's Tuscany, whose main city is Florence.
Mysterious Etruscans lived here even before the Romans, but this disappeared people most likely did not come from Tara, for they were not of Indo-European root. The descendants of Tara moved north to the future Germanic lands. To the north, to today's France, many of those who traced their origins from Walda, who were distinguished by their ability to command, left the Iberian Peninsula. Conditional Jasmine - originally from modern Syria from a tribe of hunters, who were among the first to appreciate the brilliant idea - to cultivate the land.
Jasmine was as fragile as a flower and just as attractive. Catherine was distinguished by her sincerity, directness and openness. She and her family lived primarily on fishing off the northern shores of the Adriatic Sea, in the area of today's Venice and Trieste. It was about ten thousand years ago. And most of all among us are the descendants of Elena, in whose character gaiety, clarity and simplicity prevailed. Elena is a native of the islands of the Pyrenees mountains, from a tribe of hunters who settled around the places where the Catalans now live.