Genealogy Press

DNA testing on 2,000-year-old bones in Italy reveal East Asian ancestry

(McMaster University) Researchers excavating an ancient Roman cemetery were surprised when DNA testing on a set of bones revealed East Asian ancestry.

Novel studies of decomposition shed new light on our earliest fossil ancestry

(University of Leicester) Decaying corpses are usually the domain of forensic scientists, but palaeontologists have discovered that studying rotting fish sheds new light on our earliest ancestry.

Did rice wine lead to flushed faces in Asia?

A mutation that causes some people to flush red when they down a beer may have evolved to help their ancestors cope with rice wine

Bishopsgate Library

There's an article about the Bishopsgate Institute and its archival holdings in the new issue of Ancestors. It talks about the Library which at the time of writing was closed for rebuilding. We have just heard that it will re-open on Tuesday 6 April at 10am. Opening hours are to be Monday - Friday, 10am to 5.30pm, with a late night on Wednesdays till 8pm. They will continue to close at 2pm on the first Friday of every month. More at http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk.

Britannica Reports the Latest on Primates and Human Evolution; New Research Sheds Light on Our Ancestors, Ourselves

Humans and their primate cousins parted ways along the evolutionary road millions of years ago, but despite their divergent paths they still have a few things in common, according to two special reports on recent scientific findings just published by Encyclopaedia Britannica. (PRWeb Jan 27, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3520274.htm

National Archives Announces New Ban on Photography

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On January 25, 2010, the National Archives announced in the Federal Register that filming, photographing, and videotaping by the public will be prohibited in all exhibition areas in the National Archives Building, Washington, DC, beginning February 25,

African American Newspapers Added to GenealogyBank.com

Popular Online Family History Resource Now Offers Broadest National Coverage Of Black Newspapers GenealogyBank, a leading online provider of newspapers for family history research, announced today that it will be adding over 280 fully-searchable African-American newspapers with coverage from 1827 to 1999. GenealogyBank released the first 61 newspapers in this new series earlier this month, including coverage from 20 states. (PRWeb Jan 21, 2010) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/african-american-history/newspapers/prweb3466794.htm

MEDomics Performs The First NEXTGEN Sequencing Mini Genome Clinical Test.

The diagnosis of mitochondrial disease by massive sequencing of a girl's complete “MINI GENOME” yields clinical benefits. Personalized medicine is enhanced by the revolutionary NEXTGEN sequencing (PRWeb Jan 19, 2010)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3467144.htm

Most European men descended from early farmers, study says

Most European men trace a line of descent to stone age farmers who migrated from the Near East, a study says.

Seven Ages of Britain

The story of our nation told through its treasures
TX Sunday 31 January, 9pm, BBC ONE

David Dimbleby charts a landmark history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over 2000 years in Seven Ages of Britain (7x60) shot in HD.
Produced in partnership with The Open University, Seven Ages of Britain looks at our extraordinary past through the Arts - both as treasures that have often played a decisive part in events and as marvels of their age.

From painted images and monuments of stone and gold to religious relics, weapons of war, instruments of science and works of art; often they are artefacts of great beauty and craftsmanship, but sometimes they are simple, everyday things which have a powerful story to tell.
Over the seven one hour programmes, David roams far and wide - including Italy, Germany, Turkey, India and America - tracking down astonishing artefacts that both encapsulate events or originate from the UK, and yet ended up leaving our shores.

Jay Hunt Controller of BBC One said: "The Seven Ages of Britain is a hugely ambitious arts series for BBC One. David brings the subject matter alive with journalistic endeavour and a twinkle in his eye."

In Britain or abroad, The Seven Ages of Britain is a journey revealing treasures of great beauty and craftsmanship that tell us who we were and are, and pay testament to the great events that formed our nation.

David Dimbleby added: "Seven Ages of Britain has proved an exhilarating quest. The television camera offers a spectacular view of some of our most precious national treasures. It allows us to see them in ways beyond the reach of the human eye as we tell the story of our country's history over two thousand years through the art we have created in good times and bad."

Dr Rachel Gibbons, Academic Consultant for The Open University, commented: “Seven Ages of Britain is our social and cultural history, telling the story of the nation and its peoples through art and artefacts, through the precious treasures and the everyday objects created in Britain. Each of these objects and artefacts is evidence of the society in which it was produced. They all have value to historians for what they can tell us about our ancestors and how we, as a society, have become who we are now.”

Editor's Notes
Seven Ages of Britain was co-produced by The Open University. The Executive Producer is Basil Comely. BBC Commissioning Executive for The Open University is Catherine McCarthy. The Broadcast Learning Executive for The Open University is Caroline Ogilvie. The Open University academic consultant for the series is Rachel Gibbons.

For your free Open University 'Exploring History' booklet or to discover what artefacts reveal about Britain's history call 0845 366 8012

Media enquiries: Alexandra Heybourne, details right.