Dear all,

Firstly apologies for the bulk nature of this email again and secondly apologies to those who have had difficulty accessing the book (with its marvellous foreword by Michael Wood) through amazon.co.uk.:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Viking-DNA-Wirral-Lancashire-Project/dp/1906823464

Although because of the demand (many thanks!) the site says "Out of Stock" if you click on the "2 new" you should be able to order the book immediately and in time for Christmas. Thirdly apologies if you have no interest in

the Vikings!

All best wishes

Steve, Turi and Mark

---

From: Harding Stephen

Sent: 02 December 2010 14:41

To: undisclosed recipients

Subject: Viking DNA book

Dear Colleagues (including many of you who took part in the genetic survey of northwest England, 2002-2007, or the Nordic Festival in 2008)

Apologies if you get this message more than once!

We are writing to bring to your attention a publication we have just produced. It

focuses on the first part of a genetic

survey of northern England – the Wirral and West Lancashire project in the

northwest – and explains the basis behind the DNA method

to probe ancestry, the use of surnames to help to localize volunteers to specific regions of the country, and how genetic methods are being used in conjunction with historical, archaeological and linguistic evidence to learn about Viking ancestry.

It also gives some examples from individual results and from comparing populations of people to help show what these new technologies can achieve.

Publication of the book has been supported by one of the UK Research Councils who have been supporting the study (the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council)

– and Nottingham University Press in conjunction with Countyvise Limited have very kindly produced this for us and indeed done a splendid job.

We would like to stress that we as authors are not taking any Royalties or profit!

The book is introduced with a brilliant foreword by famous UK/BBC historian/broadcaster

Michael Wood after which we set out to show as clearly as we can, with the help of full colour illustrations – what DNA is and how DNA methods can be used to probe both individual and population ancestry.

For probing Viking ancestry it shows the importance of using DNA in conjunction with historical, linguistic, place name and archaeological evidence – again with the help of many colour illustrations, and explains

how DNA can be used to probe paternal ancestry and maternal ancestry either for individuals or for populations of people, explaining also some of the sometimes complicated jargon that scientists use.

A major problem in studying population ancestry is the large population movements that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution.

However there is a strong link between surnames and paternal DNA ancestry and the book explains how information such as Henry VIII’s tax rolls, , and even criminal records (including someone accused of killing a dog in 1348 …. found not guilty!) can

be used to help establish the volunteer base for specific regions of northern England.

Using these methods significant Scandinavian ancestry (up to 50% of the mixture of DNA from the old populations) has been shown for Wirral and West Lancashire.

One youngster from Wirral was so impressed with the results for her father she wrote a School project “My Viking Dad and his Viking Dog”! The book finishes with a look towards the current testing of other

regions of Northern England and the research currently being undertaken with colleagues in Norway to study the genetic profile of Scandinavia in the Viking Age.

This broadcast on BBC Radio 4 gives some more information about the survey:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/making_history_20080520.shtml (after the first minute or so)

So we think it will be a useful read for anyone interested in DNA ancestry and, after seeing what we have done in the North West, give people from other regions an idea

of how their own past could be researched. The book is 150 pages long and extensively illustrated in colour.

The book has just become available in all good bookshops in the north West or from

Amazon.co.uk *and

would make an excellent Christmas present.

Steve Harding, Mark Jobling and Turi King

Stephen Harding DSc(Oxon)

Professor of Applied Biochemistry

NCMH Laboratory,

University of Nottingham

Sutton Bonington

LE12 5RD, UK

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/–sczsteve

steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk

*in case of difficulty contact us on this email address, and we will put you in contact with Nottingham University Press or Countyvise

This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may

contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error,

please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use,

copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment.

Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily

reflect the views of the University of Nottingham.

This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment

may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system:

you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the

University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.