Half of all males in Western Europe 'descended from one man'
Genetic study of 1,200 men traces their family tree back to powerful Bronze Age 'king'
Half of all males in Western Europe are descended from one man, a Bronze Age "king" who lived 4,000 years ago, a new study by genetic scientists claims.
The monarch is believed to be one of the earliest people to take power in Europe following the Stone Age.
According to the Daily Telegraph, it is likely he was able to wield great power due to his control of new technologies such as wheeled transport, which led to the first examples of organised warfare.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"He was part of a new order which emerged in Europe following the Stone Age," says the paper. "Sweeping away the previous egalitarian Neolithic period and replacing it with hierarchical societies which were ruled by a powerful elite."
Although it is not known who the king was, the scientists say he must have existed because of genetic variation in today's European populations
Dr Chris Tyler-Smith, who led the study, which has been published in the Nature Genetics Journal, told the Telegraph: "In Europe there was huge population expansion in just a few generations. Genetics can't tell us why it happened but we know that a tiny number of elite males were controlling reproduction and dominating the population."
He added: "Half of the Western European population is descended from just one man. We can only speculate as to what happened. The best explanation is that they may have resulted from advances in technology that could be controlled by small groups of men."
The study analysed sequence differences between the Y chromosomes of more than 1,200 men from 26 populations around the world using data generated by the 1000 Genomes Project. As the chromosome is passed down the male line, mutations can reveal how the men are linked, allowing the researchers to go back generations.
The findings also corroborate the theory that all modern humans evolved out of Africa.
"We see an origin of Y lineages in Africa and a massive expansion in Europe and Asia 50,000-55,000 years ago, just after the time when humans are proposed to have migrated out," Dr Tyler-Smith told the Daily Mail.
The data suggests a "gene flow between Africa and nearby regions of Asia, 50,000 to 80,000 years ago" which "supports the theory that people returned and moved around", says the newspaper.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the Gaza war tearing U.S. campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
14 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How happy is Finland really?
Today's Big Question Nordic nation tops global happiness survey for seventh year in a row with 'focus on contentment over joy'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Africa's renewed battle against female genital mutilation
Under the radar Campaigners call for ban in Sierra Leone after deaths of three girls as coast-to-coast convoy prepares to depart
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Argentina: the therapy capital of the world
Under the radar Buenos Aires natives go hungry to pay for psychoanalysis, amid growing instability, anxiety – and societal acceptance
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Does declining birth rate spell doom for Britain?
Today's Big Question Ageing population puts pressure on welfare state, economy and fabric of society, while fertility is rising on populist agendas
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How a new blood test could revolutionise sepsis diagnosis
The Explainer Early results from ongoing trial suggest faster identification of deadly condition is possible
By The Week Staff Published