What anomaly in Northumberland clustered with the Scottish Clade 1 lineage despite proximity to the south?
Answer
An English sample directly adjacent to the Scottish border
The genetic division in Britain clearly shows Scottish samples belonging to Clade 1 (Iberian lineage) and English/Welsh samples belonging to Clade 2 (Eastern European lineage). However, proximity allows for exceptions to this general rule. In Northumberland, an area situated right next to the Scottish border, researchers found an English sample that clustered with the Scottish Clade 1. This anomaly is attributed to recent gene flow, suggesting that ongoing or relatively recent genetic exchange across the boundary influenced the genetic makeup of that specific sample, contrasting with the broader replacement pattern observed further south in England.
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