European Man Found in Ancient Chinese Tomb, Study Reveals

“The first west Eurasian special lineage that has been found in the central part of ancient China”

Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News

Human remains found in a 1,400-year-old Chinese tomb belonged to a man of European origin, DNA evidence shows.

Chinese scientists who analyzed the DNA of the remains say the man, named Yu Hong, belonged to one of the oldest genetic groups from western Eurasia.

The tomb, in Taiyuan in central China, marks the easternmost spot where the ancient European lineage has been found.

“The [genetic group to which Yu Hong belongs is the first west Eurasian special lineage that has been found in the central part of ancient China,” said Zhou Hui, head of the DNA laboratory of the College of Life Science at Jilin University in Changchun, China. Hui led the research, which will be published in the July 7 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

The tomb containing Yu Hong’s remains has been undergoing excavation since 1999.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070524-china-dna.html

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=711

2007-05-27