vader
07-13-2025, 05:01 PM
A new genetic study has revealed a surprising chapter in Galician history. Researchers found that people from Galicia carry up to 16.5 percent ancestry from North Africa and the Middle East, and it entered the population around 620 to 670 CE. This predates the Islamic conquest of Iberia, suggesting that the connection came through earlier Mediterranean trade or migration during the Visigothic or late Roman period.
Even more unexpected, this ancestry came mostly through men. About 21 percent of Galician Y-chromosomes show North African or Middle Eastern origin, while less than 1 percent of maternal DNA does. This points to a male-dominated migration event.
The study also found subtle genetic clusters within Galicia that are tied to differences in disease risk. This challenges the idea that Galicia is genetically uniform and highlights the need for region-specific public health strategies.
Read the full study here:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.662083v1
Even more unexpected, this ancestry came mostly through men. About 21 percent of Galician Y-chromosomes show North African or Middle Eastern origin, while less than 1 percent of maternal DNA does. This points to a male-dominated migration event.
The study also found subtle genetic clusters within Galicia that are tied to differences in disease risk. This challenges the idea that Galicia is genetically uniform and highlights the need for region-specific public health strategies.
Read the full study here:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.662083v1