Stories tagged Haplogroup J

Or at least your genes. A new study has found that men in Arab countries carry two different versions of a gene set called “Haplogroup J.” Those with one set come from wetter lands, and are descended from farmers. Those with the other set come from drier lands, and are descended from herders. Scientists speculate that climate change in the Middle East some 11,000 years ago split the population in two. As lands grew drier, some people were still able to farm, but others had to give up the farm and turned to sheep herding and similar pursuits. The two groups didn’t mix much thereafter, and eventually evolved slightly different genes.

The division of the population into two groups also affected material culture, such as the pottery each produced; lifestyle; and possibly even religion.

Tags : genetics, Arabs, Middle East, Haplogroup J, race, Arab, climate

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