I posted earlier about the DNA results I received from Ancestry. They recently sent an update that reports a reduction in the Scottish component of my DNA from 3% to 2%, but increases my Welch component from 0% to 2%. While I am deeply saddened by being 50% less Scottish, I will quickly remind everyone that Wikipedia noted: “a single human has an average of around 2% Neanderthal DNA overall with some countries and backgrounds having a maximum of 3% per human.” This suggests to me that my Welsh and Scottish “heritage” are little more than background noise.
I put heritage in quotes as a gateway to question the assumption is that these DNA strands were passed on to me by some wayward Scot meandering the Thüringian Woodlands some thousands of years ago. That is, is heritage the only explanation?
Consider that the general migration path through Europe has been from east to west. What if the Celts, who crossed from eastern and then central Europe to the British Isles and Ireland, carried with them this very same strand of DNA? So rather than the DNA being passed down, it was passed along.
References
Wikipedia contributors, “Neanderthal genetics,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neanderthal_genetics&oldid=1176962243 (accessed October 8, 2023).
Leave a Reply