https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...rk-skin-and-blue-eyes/?utm_term=.7b8f5b4bb14a
They call him Cheddar Man.
He lived more than 10,000 years ago, had brown hair, blue eyes and “dark to black” skin. To the surprise of many, he is believed to have been the first modern Briton.
Scientists obtained DNA from Cheddar Man by drilling a 2-millimeter hole in his skull and extracting bone powder.
Initially, it was assumed that the man, who died in his 20s, had pale skin, but new analysis and facial reconstruction have revealed quite the opposite. It is now believed that Cheddar Man’s ancestors arrived in Britain via the Middle East after leaving Africa.
“He is just one person but also indicative of the population of Europe at the time,” said Tom Booth, a researcher at the museum. “They had dark skin, and most of them had pale-colored eyes, either blue or green, and dark brown hair.”
Hence Cheddar Man, Booth said, “subverts people's expectations of what kinds of genetic traits go together.”
It didn't take long for Cheddar Man to trend worldwide on Twitter. Reactions to the extraordinary findings were mixed. Some praised the work of those involved with the reconstruction of Britain's oldest skeleton.
“Some excellent work by some brilliant colleagues — dark skinned and blue eyed Cheddar Man, one of the first successful colonizers of Britain. How cool is this?” one Twitter user said.
Others focused on the racial tension in Britain and pointed out that perhaps not all Brits would be happy about their ties to the ancient human.
“Oh my. There's going to be some very unhappy racist Britons out there today,” read one tweet.
In true British style, many social media users reacted to Wednesday's news with celebrity comparisons and cheese-related puns that did not disappoint.
“Cheddar man: Black Britons date fromages ago,” tweeted one user.
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Not to be out-trumped in the joke department, we in America elected as President, of course, an even more primitive Cheddar Man out of the dim past and this time truer to the original color, our very own Orangeutan.
They call him Cheddar Man.
He lived more than 10,000 years ago, had brown hair, blue eyes and “dark to black” skin. To the surprise of many, he is believed to have been the first modern Briton.
Scientists obtained DNA from Cheddar Man by drilling a 2-millimeter hole in his skull and extracting bone powder.
Initially, it was assumed that the man, who died in his 20s, had pale skin, but new analysis and facial reconstruction have revealed quite the opposite. It is now believed that Cheddar Man’s ancestors arrived in Britain via the Middle East after leaving Africa.
“He is just one person but also indicative of the population of Europe at the time,” said Tom Booth, a researcher at the museum. “They had dark skin, and most of them had pale-colored eyes, either blue or green, and dark brown hair.”
Hence Cheddar Man, Booth said, “subverts people's expectations of what kinds of genetic traits go together.”
It didn't take long for Cheddar Man to trend worldwide on Twitter. Reactions to the extraordinary findings were mixed. Some praised the work of those involved with the reconstruction of Britain's oldest skeleton.
“Some excellent work by some brilliant colleagues — dark skinned and blue eyed Cheddar Man, one of the first successful colonizers of Britain. How cool is this?” one Twitter user said.
Others focused on the racial tension in Britain and pointed out that perhaps not all Brits would be happy about their ties to the ancient human.
“Oh my. There's going to be some very unhappy racist Britons out there today,” read one tweet.
In true British style, many social media users reacted to Wednesday's news with celebrity comparisons and cheese-related puns that did not disappoint.
“Cheddar man: Black Britons date fromages ago,” tweeted one user.
--------------------------------------------
Not to be out-trumped in the joke department, we in America elected as President, of course, an even more primitive Cheddar Man out of the dim past and this time truer to the original color, our very own Orangeutan.
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