I read with fascination this story by Razib Khan, about the genetic “arrangements” of the inhabitants of Ireland over the last 10,000 years. Khan is reportedly a geneticist and Director of Science at the Insitome Institute, so although I have no particular mechanism to authenticate the accuracy of this story, I also have no reason to doubt it:
These newcomers arrived in Ireland around 4500 BC, many thousands of years after they had established themselves in southern Europe. They brought with them their grains, sheep and cattle, but many of the elements of Irish agricultural life were already in place and had been for over 1,500 years, conditioned by the local ecology and climatic regime. Though the new people mixed with the native hunter-gatherers, their own language and culture came to dominate, while ancient DNA indicates that the hunter-gatherers were very small in number. There were simply many more of the newcomers.
How the Irish became white
Up until around 10,000 years ago, an ice sheet substantially covered the area currently occupied by these Isles. As the ice sheet receded at the end of that ice age, humans to live in the areas occupied by modern day Isle of Man. As the ice sheet continued to melt, the global sea levels rose, eventually cutting off Ireland and Britain from the Isle of Man.
In the article above by Khan, it was excellent to read a coherent narrative that I was able to follow and understand. Narratives like this make it much easier for me to remember and fully comprehend the story.
Does anyone know of an equivalent narrative for the genetic history of the people of Mann?
