Bryan Sykes: Blood of the Isles, Japanese Clans, Books By Bryan Sykes, and a List of Books by Author Bryan Sykes

Search - List of Books by Bryan Sykes

Bryan Sykes (born 9 September 1947) is Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wolfson College.

Sykes published the first report on retrieving DNA from ancient bone (Nature, 1989). Sykes has been involved in a number of high-profile cases dealing with ancient DNA, including those of Ötzi the Iceman and Cheddar Man, and others concerning people claiming to be members of the Romanovs—the Russian royal family. His work also suggested a Florida accountant by the name of Tom Robinson was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, a claim that was subsequently disputed.

Sykes is best known outside the community of geneticists for his bestselling books on the investigation of human history and prehistory through studies of mitochondrial DNA. He is also the founder of Oxford Ancestors, a genealogical DNA testing firm.

Blood of the Isles more » « less

In his 2006 book Blood of the Isles (published in the United States and Canada as Saxons, Vikings and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland), Sykes examines British genetic "clans". He presents evidence from mitochondrial DNA, inherited by both sexes from their mothers, and the Y chromosome, inherited by men from their fathers, for the following points:

The genetic makeup of Britain and Ireland is overwhelmingly what it has been since the Neolithic period and to a very considerable extent since the Mesolithic period, especially in the female line, i.e. those people, who in time would become identified as British Celts (culturally speaking), but who (genetically speaking) should more properly be called Cro-Magnon. In continental Europe, this same Cro-Magnon genetic legacy gave rise to the Basques. But both "Basque" and "Celt" are cultural designations not genetic ones and therefore to call a Celt "Basque" or a Basque "Celtic", is a fallacy.

The contribution of the Celts of central Europe to the genetic makeup of Britain and Ireland was minimal; most of the genetic contribution to the British Isles of those we think of as Celtic, came from western continental Europe, I.E. the Atlantic seaboard.

The Picts were not a separate people: the genetic makeup of the formerly Pictish areas of Scotland shows no significant differences from the general profile of the rest of Britain.

The Anglo-Saxons are supposed, by some, to have made a substantial contribution to the genetic makeup of England, but in Sykes's opinion it was under 20 percent of the total, even in southern England.

The Vikings (Danes and Norwegians) also made a substantial contribution, which is concentrated in central, northern, and eastern England - the territories of the ancient Danelaw. There is a very heavy Viking contribution in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, in the vicinity of 40 percent. Women as well as men contributed substantially in all these areas, showing that the Vikings engaged in large-scale settlement.

The Norman contribution was extremely small, on the order of 2 percent.

There are only sparse traces of the Roman occupation, almost all in southern England.

In spite of all these later contributions, the genetic makeup of the British Isles remains overwhelmingly what it was in the Neolithic: a mixture of the first Mesolithic inhabitants with Neolithic settlers who came by sea from Iberia and ultimately from the eastern Mediterranean.

There is a difference between the genetic histories of men and women in Britain and Ireland. The matrilineages show a mixture of original Mesolithic inhabitants and later Neolithic arrivals from Iberia, whereas the patrilineages are much more strongly correlated with Iberia. This suggests (though Sykes does not emphasize this point) replacement of much of the original male population by new arrivals with a more powerful social organization.

There is evidence for a "Genghis Khan effect", whereby some male lineages in ancient times were much more successful than others in leaving large numbers of descendants.

Some quotations from the book follow. (Note that Sykes uses the terms "Celts" and "Picts" to designate the pre-Roman inhabitants of the Isles who spoke Celtic and does not mean the people known as Celts in central Europe.)

Japanese Clans more » « less

Total Books: 36

2012 - Dna Usa a Genetic Portrait of America (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780871404121
ISBN-10: 0871404125
Genre: Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2012 - Dna Usa a Genetic Biography of America (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780393078046
ISBN-10: 0393078043
Genre: Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2008 - The Seven Daughters of Eve (Other) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette
ISBN-13: 9781439559659
ISBN-10: 1439559651

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2007 - Saxons VIkings and Celts the Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland (Paperback) → Hardcover, Audio CD
ISBN-13: 9780393330755
ISBN-10: 0393330753
Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science & Math, Professional & Technical

Currently 3.9/5 Stars.

2007 - Blood of the Isles (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780552154659
ISBN-10: 0552154652
Genres: Education & Reference, Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2005 - Adam's Curse the Science That Reveals Our Genetic Destiny (Paperback) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
ISBN-13: 9780393326802
ISBN-10: 0393326802
Genres: Nonfiction, Science & Math, Professional & Technical

Currently 3.9/5 Stars.

2005 - La Maldicion De Adan/ Adam's Curse El Futuro De La Humanidad Masculina/ a Future Without Men [Spanish Edition] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9788483066041
ISBN-10: 8483066041
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction, Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2004 - Adam's Curse a Future Without Men (Audio Cassette) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD

2004 - Adam's Curse a Future Without Men (Paperback) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
ISBN-13: 9780552149891
ISBN-10: 0552149896
Genre: Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2003 - Die Sieben Tchter Evas (Paperback) → Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9783404605156
ISBN-10: 3404605152

Currently 0/5 Stars.

2002 - Seven Daughters of Eve (Other) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette

2001 - The Seven Daughters of Eve the Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry (Hardcover) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette
ISBN-13: 9780393020182
ISBN-10: 0393020185
Genres: Nonfiction, Science & Math, Professional & Technical

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.

2001 - Les Sept Filles D'eve (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9782226126177
ISBN-10: 2226126171

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Blood of the Isles Exploring the Genetic Roots of Our Tribal History (Hardcover) → Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780593056523
ISBN-10: 0593056523
Genres: Education & Reference, Science & Math

Currently 0/5 Stars.

One World-many Genes the Fallacy of Genetic Racism [The Grace A. Tanner Lecture in human values] (Other)

The Seven Daughters of Eve the Science That Reveals Our Genetic History (Paperback) → Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette

Las Siete Hijas De Eva [Spanish Edition] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9788483064764
ISBN-10: 8483064766
Genre: Literature & Fiction

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Search - List of Books by Bryan Sykes

Blood of the Isles more » « less

Japanese Clans more » « less

Books By Bryan Sykes more » « less