Scientists Reveal Surprising Origins of English Genetics

Scientists Reveal Surprising Origins of English Genetics

Imagine living in a small village in England, surrounded by peaceful fields and ancient landscapes. Now, picture discovering that one of your ancestors lived here over 10,000 years ago! In Cheddar, Somerset, archaeologists made an astonishing discovery in Gough's Cave — the oldest complete skeleton in Britain, known as Cheddar Man. This individual belonged to a group of hunter-gatherers who roamed England after the last Ice Age. What’s truly remarkable is that DNA analysis later revealed that a local teacher, Adrian Target, shares a direct genetic link with this ancient man.

This discovery is more than just a cool fact; it’s a bridge between the past and present, showing how genetics can connect us to people who walked the Earth thousands of years ago. In this video, we’ll explore the incredible genetic history of England, tracing how migrations, invasions, and cultural shifts over thousands of years have shaped the DNA of modern English people. From the first hunter-gatherers to the Vikings and Normans, this is a journey through time, told through the lens of DNA.

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Genetics history of England

[johnbrereton]

The Cheddar Man Story claiming that he was black was from a C4 TV programme and was later published in New Scientist. However, New Scientist published an appology and a disclaimer in its next issue and quoted the leading genetist on the study saying that his skin colour was not revealed in the dna. The decission to go as dark as possible was made by the programners, not the genetists and was more of a political decision, that a scientific one. Yet London's Natural history museaum and Wikipedia continue to claim this as a fact. Surely if its only a theory, they should make this clear, not claim it as an indisputable fact.

[THEScottCampbell]

The British were originally Jamaicans from Antarctica who arrived by bus through a wormhole. Sure. Doctor Science said so.

[fredmidtgaard]

Anglians and Saxons were two different tribes. I remember as a kid, 60 years ago, meeting an old lade in a remote house in western Denmark who could still speak Anglian. The Saxons were, as you say, a North German tribe that conquered counties ending in—ex. The Jutes conquered Kent. The early Vikings in England were mostly Danes, while those attacking Scotland and Ireland were Norse. But Norse settlers also settled in Normandie in France and contributed there. It is all written down!

[johnbrereton]

You keep interchanging the words 'British' and 'English' in a typically USA way, as if they both mean the same thing, but they don't.
British means the peoples from the British isles which includes 4 nations with their own seperate languages and peoples. The English, though the largest group represent only one of these.

[utinam]

Oh dear, we're still getting Vikings with horns on their helmets. So sad that this Victorian error persists among those claiming to make epic discoveries.

[billmclaurin]

The Bell Beaker Folk did not migrate into the British Isles from Iberia, but from Holland.

[susandrydenhenderson]

There has been more immigration into Britain in the last 25 years than in the previous two thousand years. Until recent mass immigration, the last invasion, which didn’t much affect dna in any case, was nearly 2000 years ago.

[PeterKelly-ic]

Imagine being able to say that your family has been in this area for 10, 000 years 😮

[ThomCoe]

Cheddar man looking like burnt cheddar, man.

[drdarren]

This sort of bs needs to be taken down.

[judylukehart]

Celts is pronounced Kelts and it is from the Greek Keltoi. At least say that correctly.

[ryankellypa]

anyone know what England and Northwestern DNA means on Ancestry? Is it more Bell Beaker or Saxon? I get Norway, Denmark, and Germany too. its abit confusing

[jamistardust]

I share two segments of DNA on two different chromsomes with Cheddar Man. He is my oldest ancestor that I know of. Hard to argue with DNA. 68% of my DNA COMES FROM THE BRITISH ISLES. from Germanic plus 2-3% Viking.this video is all about my ancestors.

[billquinn]

Okay for what you say but why do they have to be dark skinned?