ANALYSIS
We have taken samples from c. 100 men who fulfil one or both of the sampling criteria. Because surnames are paternally inherited, only men have been asked to take part. This is a methodological issue rather than a historical one: we are aware that women played a significant role in the Scandinavian diaspora. Over and above our interest in surnames, men carry both the Y-Chromosome (past from father to son) and Mitochondrial DNA (passed from mother to both sons and daughters). Consequently sampling males permits the collection and analysis of these two dimensions of human DNA to be most efficiently achieved.
This study will use a model established by the Wellcome Trust-funded People of the British Isles project to analyse the results. DNA will be extracted from the saliva and whole genome SNP typing carried out using the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP array. Whole genome SNP typing allows us to ascertain the DNA sequence that an individual carries at ~1 million sites simultaneously across the genome and examine genetic variability in and between populations. This is a method which provides a powerful way of understanding genetic ancestry and has been used very successfully in studies of the population genetics of modern populations in Europe. The 'old Normandy' population data-set will undergo population genetic analysis alongside British, Norwegian, Danish and other European datasets.
When the research is published, we will ensure that it is not possible to identify individuals who took part in the study.
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