Columbus probably Spanish and Jewish, study says (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 2 days ago by Zip2@feddit.uk to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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[-] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago

I might be missing something here, but how would a genetic study prove where he was born? I see how it could prove Spanish and Jewish ancestry, but how does it show that he was the immigrant and not his parents? Beside, they even say he was born in Valencia... Awfully precise. And they're quoting a documentary rather than a research paper...

[-] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago

Race science is pseudo-science.

[-] Zip2@feddit.uk 3 points 2 days ago

I did wonder if they’d possibly done an isotope analysis at the same time, but nothing was mentioned.

[-] pntha@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago

same way we can map the origin of the human species to west africa: identifying unqiue dna sequences of local areas and correlating the data (e.g. if they’ve found a certain dna sequence in all humans that they’ve also found on bones from 100,000 years ago in west africa, then that could suggest all humans originated from west africa at least 100,000 years ago)

[-] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Okay, but the question is how would DNA differ between a Sephardic Jew who was born in Valencia and someone born in Genova from one or both parents of Sephardic Jewish background? They don't just say he had Spanish and Jewish ancestry, they say he was born in Valencia, despite the previous most widespread theory that he was born in Genova.That's what intrigues me.