Dataset Information

Social stratification without genetic differentiation at the site of Kulubnarti in Christian Period Nubia.

ABSTRACT: Relatively little is known about Nubia's genetic landscape prior to the influence of the Islamic migrations that began in the late 1st millennium CE. Here, we increase the number of ancient individuals with genome-level data from the Nile Valley from three to 69, reporting data for 66 individuals from two cemeteries at the Christian Period (~650-1000 CE) site of Kulubnarti, where multiple lines of evidence suggest social stratification. The Kulubnarti Nubians had ~43% Nilotic-related ancestry (individual variation between ~36-54%) with the remaining ancestry consistent with being introduced through Egypt and ultimately deriving from an ancestry pool like that found in the Bronze and Iron Age Levant. The Kulubnarti gene pool - shaped over a millennium - harbors disproportionately female-associated West Eurasian-related ancestry. Genetic similarity among individuals from the two cemeteries supports a hypothesis of social division without genetic distinction. Seven pairs of inter-cemetery relatives suggest fluidity between cemetery groups. Present-day Nubians are not directly descended from the Kulubnarti Nubians, attesting to additional genetic input since the Christian Period.

SUBMITTER: Sirak KA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8671435 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Social stratification without genetic differentiation at the site of Kulubnarti in Christian Period Nubia.

Sirak Kendra A KA Fernandes Daniel M DM Lipson Mark M Mallick Swapan S Mah Matthew M Olalde Iñigo I Ringbauer Harald H Rohland Nadin N Hadden Carla S CS Harney Éadaoin É Adamski Nicole N Bernardos Rebecca R Broomandkhoshbacht Nasreen N Callan Kimberly K Ferry Matthew M Lawson Ann Marie AM Michel Megan M Oppenheimer Jonas J Stewardson Kristin K Zalzala Fatma F Patterson Nick N Pinhasi Ron R Thompson Jessica C JC Van Gerven Dennis D Reich David D

Nature communications 20211214 1

Relatively little is known about Nubia's genetic landscape prior to the influence of the Islamic migrations that began in the late 1st millennium CE. Here, we increase the number of ancient individuals with genome-level data from the Nile Valley from three to 69, reporting data for 66 individuals from two cemeteries at the Christian Period (~650-1000 CE) site of Kulubnarti, where multiple lines of evidence suggest social stratification. The Kulubnarti Nubians had ~43% Nilotic-related ancestry (i ...[more]

PMID: 34907168

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Project description:Study questionHow do Christian religious beliefs affect attitudes to ART?Summary answerAttitudes to ART depend on the religiosity of the respondent, and although the majority of those that had successfully used ART were positive or moderately positive in their views, the acceptability of procedures fell when damage to the marriage relationship or the embryo was a potential outcome.What is known alreadyReligion can impact views on ART. Sanctity of marriage and sanctity of the embryo are major concerns for some Christians, but details are unclear.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was used to collect data from 1587 participants over a 3-month period in 2013, of which 1334 were of the Christian faith and included in this study. Descriptive statistics were reported for individual ARTs, and a general score of all ART approval was calculated. A multivariable linear and logistic regression was conducted on general approval for ART to identify predictors of ART approval.Main results and the role of chanceIndicators of religiosity (religious meeting attendance and Bible reading frequency) showed that this was a highly religious sample. We found that in this cohort of English-speaking, well-educated, practising and mainly Protestant Christians 164 (12.3%) of those had personal experience of ART. Most participants that had successfully used ART were positive or moderately positive in their views. Throughout the cohort, procedures were less acceptable if there was a perception that the marriage relationship or the life of the embryo was threatened: including donated gametes (28.7-29.1% approval), surrogacy (22.7-33.1% approval), and PGD (1.0-23.8% approval). A multivariable analysis of the ART approval score found that it was higher among those with Protestant compared with Catholic/Orthodox faith (P < 0.001; mean score difference, 5.06; 95% CI 4.36-5.81) and those who believe life begins after fertilisation (P < 0.001; mean score difference, 4.86; 95% CI 4.14-5.57). Approval was also higher, but to a lesser extent, in women than men (P = 0.008; mean score difference, 0.73; 95% CI 0.18-1.28), and those with lower religiosity (P < 0.001). The area raising most indecision for this cohort was disposal of excess embryos.Limitations reasons for cautionThis sample includes an uneven geographical spread of respondents and restriction to English-speaking participants. Different views may be expressed by a different religious cohort. Use of an online survey platform means that a bias towards those with computers (consistent with education levels of this cohort) could exist. Use of this platform also makes it impossible to know the response rate, and the veracity of responses cannot be verified. However, despite these limitations we believe this survey gives us insight into the reservations held among a certain population of Christians regarding the use of reproductive technology.Wider implications of the findingsOur findings highlight the need for ART clinicians to consider the influence of patient spiritual beliefs on therapeutic options and provide detailed information that will allow them to be accommodated. Practices such as widening the options for collecting semen and limiting the number of embryos created through IVF so as to reduce or eliminate excess embryos may be helpful for these patients.Study funding/competing interestsThis study was supported by a grant from The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity in Deerfield, Illinois, USA. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.Trial registration numberN/A.

Dataset Information

Social stratification without genetic differentiation at the site of Kulubnarti in Christian Period Nubia.

Publications

Social stratification without genetic differentiation at the site of Kulubnarti in Christian Period Nubia.

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