Modern DNA and the Peopling of the British Isles

Genetic variation has been used to study the interrelationships of human populations since the early twentieth century. With the discovery of more ways to study individual differences at the genetic level, the ability to relate human populations to each other has become more and more sophisticated. With modern techniques of DNA sequence analysis it has now become possible to use a million or more genetic markers to do a fine genetic analysis even of populations as closely related as those of different parts of the British Isles. Using this approach, we have created a “genetic map” of the people of the British Isles, revealing a striking concordance between genetic clusters and geography. The regional patterns of genetic differentiation, and their differing mixture profiles, carry clear signals of events in the history of the UK population.