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Do you know? Mesolithic ‘Cheddar Man’ Shares DNA with English History Teacher!
The Fascinating DNA Link Between Cheddar Man and a Present-Day History Teacher
According to the Guinness Book of world records, Adrian Targett, a teacher from Cheddar, Somerset, UK, holds the distinction of being the farthest traced descendant by DNA. Across approximately 300 generations, he has been established as a direct maternal descendant of Cheddar Man, a 9,000-year-old skeleton, which remains one of the most ancient and complete skeletons ever discovered in Great Britain.
Targett’s DNA was matched to that of Cheddar Man through a process called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing.
mtDNA is passed down from mothers to their children, so Targett’s mtDNA would have been identical to that of his mother, her mother, and so on, all the way back to Cheddar Man’s mother.
The discovery that Targett is a descendant of Cheddar Man was made possible by advances in DNA technology. In the past, it was only possible to trace ancestry back a few hundred years. But with the development of mtDNA testing, it is now possible to trace ancestry back thousands of years.
Targett’s discovery has shed new light on the history of human migration. Cheddar Man lived in a time when Britain was still connected to mainland Europe. His DNA shows that he was a member of a group of people who migrated to Britain from Europe around 10,000 years ago.
Targett’s discovery is also a reminder of the power of DNA to connect us to our ancestors. Even though Cheddar Man lived thousands of years ago, his DNA is still present in Targett’s body. This shows that we are all connected, and that our history is much longer than we might imagine.
In addition to being the farthest traced descendant by DNA, Targett is also a member of the Cheddar Man Project, a group of researchers who are studying the skeleton and its implications for human history. The project is using cutting-edge technology to analyze Cheddar Man’s DNA, teeth, and bones. The goal of the project is to learn more about how Cheddar Man lived and died, and how he fits into the wider picture of human evolution.
Targett’s discovery is a remarkable example of the power of DNA to connect us to our past. It is also a reminder of the importance of preserving our genetic heritage. By studying the DNA of our ancestors, we can learn more about ourselves and our place in the world.
