Post by zarahan on May 1, 2010 11:32:08 GMT -5
A study done in Human Heredity examined blood groups of Somalis, an East African population. They found little evidence of much Caucasoid admixture and found Somalis are much more related to other Africans, than Europeans or Middle Easterners.
The Somalis showed high levels of Type O, a pattern similar to many other African populations. It also showed small frequencies of blood type A2, supposedly a "special" type confined only to Europeans. In Africa however, A2 is anything but "special", and appears in Bantu and other black populations as well. Africa has the highest variant distribution of blood type A. In comparison with East Africans and other groups, the Somalis clustered closer to other Africans, than to Middle Easterners like the Arabs, contradicting claims of Sanchez, Hammer, etc etc that East Africans like Somalis are more related to Eurasians than Africans.
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"The results of a population survey on blood group distribution in Somalia, East Africa, are presented. Over 1,000 subjects were tested for most blood groups included in the survey. The sampling covered the whole country and was well in accordance with the population density as estimated by the recorded birth places of the subjects. Altogether, 46 blood group antigens were tested, partly common antigens within 11 of the major blood group systems, but also infrequent and very frequent antigens, some not tested before in Africa, were included. The results were compared with the available data for other related peoples and for populations from the same geographical area. The standard genetic distances were also applied in the comparison. The results suggest that only a minor component in the genetic constitution of the Somali population can be ascribed to Caucasian admixture. They are markedly in contrast with some earlier findings. During the survey we observed a previously unknown Rh gene complex occurring with a polymorphic frequency in Somalis."
"It is evident that our results point only to a minor admixture of Caucasian genes in the Somali population. Among these might be the relatively high frequency of Dce, the low M and the unequal distribution of S and between s between M and N as well as the somewhat lower Fy4 as compared with East African Bantus. Consequently it is very probable that the long-standing cultural and other connections with the Arabic world have not similarly found expression in the genetic make-up of the Somali population as they have affected the society. Rather to the contrary, it is known that the nearby Arab populations are the ones that have quite a considerable admixture of African genes. However there are similarities between the Cushitic peoples, as in Rh and MNSs frequencies, which today differentiate them from other populations in this part of African continent. Rather than suggesting a recent admixture (within the past 1,000 years or so), these could be of a very ancient nature, dating back to a period of consolidation of the aboriginal Cushitic population from which the presently known groups later diverged."
-- P. Sistonend, J. Koistinena, Aden Abdulleb. (1987) Distribution of Blood Groups in the East African Somali Population
Hum Hered. 37(5):300-313
OTHER SOMALI STUDIES
The Somalis showed high levels of Type O, a pattern similar to many other African populations. It also showed small frequencies of blood type A2, supposedly a "special" type confined only to Europeans. In Africa however, A2 is anything but "special", and appears in Bantu and other black populations as well. Africa has the highest variant distribution of blood type A. In comparison with East Africans and other groups, the Somalis clustered closer to other Africans, than to Middle Easterners like the Arabs, contradicting claims of Sanchez, Hammer, etc etc that East Africans like Somalis are more related to Eurasians than Africans.
[quotes]
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"The results of a population survey on blood group distribution in Somalia, East Africa, are presented. Over 1,000 subjects were tested for most blood groups included in the survey. The sampling covered the whole country and was well in accordance with the population density as estimated by the recorded birth places of the subjects. Altogether, 46 blood group antigens were tested, partly common antigens within 11 of the major blood group systems, but also infrequent and very frequent antigens, some not tested before in Africa, were included. The results were compared with the available data for other related peoples and for populations from the same geographical area. The standard genetic distances were also applied in the comparison. The results suggest that only a minor component in the genetic constitution of the Somali population can be ascribed to Caucasian admixture. They are markedly in contrast with some earlier findings. During the survey we observed a previously unknown Rh gene complex occurring with a polymorphic frequency in Somalis."
"It is evident that our results point only to a minor admixture of Caucasian genes in the Somali population. Among these might be the relatively high frequency of Dce, the low M and the unequal distribution of S and between s between M and N as well as the somewhat lower Fy4 as compared with East African Bantus. Consequently it is very probable that the long-standing cultural and other connections with the Arabic world have not similarly found expression in the genetic make-up of the Somali population as they have affected the society. Rather to the contrary, it is known that the nearby Arab populations are the ones that have quite a considerable admixture of African genes. However there are similarities between the Cushitic peoples, as in Rh and MNSs frequencies, which today differentiate them from other populations in this part of African continent. Rather than suggesting a recent admixture (within the past 1,000 years or so), these could be of a very ancient nature, dating back to a period of consolidation of the aboriginal Cushitic population from which the presently known groups later diverged."
-- P. Sistonend, J. Koistinena, Aden Abdulleb. (1987) Distribution of Blood Groups in the East African Somali Population
Hum Hered. 37(5):300-313
OTHER SOMALI STUDIES
