10-10-09 – Updated picture. This one has corrected the color blotch that was at the top of the original
Phoenicians Left Deep Genetic Mark, Study Shows
The Phoenicians, enigmatic people from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, stamped their mark on maritime history, and now research has revealed that they also left a lasting genetic imprint.
Scientists reported Thursday that as many as 1 in 17 men living today on the coasts of North Africa and southern Europe may have a Phoenician direct male-line ancestor.
These men were found to retain identifiable genetic signatures from the nearly 1,000 years the Phoenicians were a dominant seafaring commercial power in the Mediterranean basin, until their conquest by Rome in the 2nd century B.C.
Pierre A. Zalloua, a geneticist at Lebanese American University in Beirut used Y-chromosomal variability in in their research into Phoenician migrations. Future studies may include Celtic migration across Europe and the spread of the Inca in South America.
Rare, prehistoric-age reptile found in New Zealand
A rare reptile with lineage dating back to the dinosaur age has been found nesting on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in about 200 years, officials said Friday.
Four leathery, white eggs from an indigenous tuatara were found by staff at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in the capital, Wellington, during routine maintenance work Friday, conservation manager Rouen Epson said.
The tuatara looks a little like a small dragon, though at maturity they’re up to 32 inches(81cm) so they wouldn’t seem small for a hiker that came up on one. The report says they’re descended from of a species of reptile that goes back 225 million years. There is a photo at the link.
Rate of Diabetes Cases Doubles in 10 Years: CDC – The obesity epidemic is fueling the type 2 disease epidemic, officials say
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