A new study reveals the secrets of the Middle East through the genes of its peoples
A team of scientists and researchers from the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reconstructed the genetic history of the population of the Middle East for the last 125,000 years, in order to answer questions about the history and health of the peoples of the region.
In a study, the first of its kind, the researchers found millions of new genetic mutations that are common across the region but are rare in other regions.
The data made it possible to analyze the genetic makeup of a population with unprecedented precision.
The study, conducted by the University of Birmingham, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and other international collaborators, is an important step in bridging the knowledge gap about the genetic origin of this region.
The study represents the first comprehensive and open source data set for the entire human genome in the Middle East.
The researchers analyzed the DNA data of hundreds of people from the region to reconstruct their genetic history.
The scientists discovered that the genetic makeup of most of the current inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula is derived from peoples who lived before the Neolithic period in the region and from regional peoples who lived during the Bronze Age. The composition of the population of the Arabian Peninsula also includes a proportion of a mysterious group that emerged from Africa about 60,000 years ago but is genetically distinct from all other major Eurasian populations.
An international team of researchers from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Estonia published their research results today (4 August) in the scientific journal Cell, and the study revealed several important results, including:
• The increased proportion of genetic mutations associated with type 2 diabetes recently due to natural selection, which contradicts With the idea that the high rates of diabetes in the Middle East are only a result of a recent shift in lifestyle
There is a correlation between the movement of a Bronze Age population into the Fertile Crescent and the spread of Semitic languages to Arabia and East Africa
The population throughout the Middle East has grown exponentially Similar over a period spanning 15,000 to 20,000 years, the population of the Fertile Crescent continued to grow while the population of the Arabian Peninsula remained stable, a trend that emerged with the innovation of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, leading to stable societies supporting a larger population
• Periods of drought and desertification associated with climate change coincided with the decline in the population of the Arabian Peninsula before 6000 years ago and the decline in the population of the Fertile Crescent 4200 years ago
Dr Mark Heber, from Britain's University of Birmingham, said: "We have reconstructed the genetic history of the Middle East with unprecedented precision to answer important questions in population genetics. For example, we discovered how past events, such as the development of agriculture in the Middle East and the spread of Semitic languages, were It has an impact on the genes of the population of the region, as well as the impact of climate change on population numbers.”
"Our analyzes demonstrate the impact of lifestyle and climate on the demographic history of the populations of the Middle East, and the genetic differences between the Fertile Crescent and the Arabian Peninsula," said Dr. Mohammed Al Marri, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Dubai Police General Command.
Dr Chris Tyler-Smith of the Wellcome Sanger Institute commented: “The Middle East region is of great importance for understanding human genetic diversity, but it has not been well studied in previous global research. Our study and the recent establishment of biobanks in the region will help to reduce these differences and provide opportunities for To discover health-related genetic mutations in the Middle East.
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