Cheddar Man ancestry goes beyond skin deep

Surprising results as skeleton analysed

WHEN Adrian Targett, a retired history teacher from Somerset, visited his local news agent earlier this week, he was startled to see a familiar face staring at him.

That face, appearing on the front page of several newspapers, belonged to a distant relative of his known as Cheddar Man.

Found in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge in 1903, Cheddar Man is the oldest complete skeleton to be discovered in the UK, and has long been hailed as the first modern Briton who lived around 7150 BC.

Some 20 years ago, in an amazing piece of DNA detective work, scientists were able to identify Targett, 62, as a direct descendant.

Now Cheddar Man is back in the headlines because a new study of his DNA, has enabled researchers to create a forensic reconstruction of his facial features, skin and eye colouring, and hair texture.

And the biggest surprise is the finding that this ancient Brit had “dark to black” skin – and bright blue eyes. No one had thought to tell Targett any of this or invite him to the unveiling of the new reconstruction of his ancestor at the Natural History Museum on Monday.

“I do feel a bit more multicultural now,” he laughs. “And I can definitely see that there is a family resemblance. That nose is similar to mine. And we have both got those blue eyes.”

The initial scientific analy- sis in 1997, carried out for a TV series on archaeological findings in Somerset, revealed Targett’s family line had persisted in the Cheddar Gorge area for around nine millennia, their genes being passed from mother to daughter through what is known as mitochondrial DNA which is inherited from the egg.

To put it simply, Targett and Cheddar Man have a common maternal ancestor.

“There is definitely a resemblance when you look across photos of my cousins,” Targett said.

The slight wave in his hair is also similar to Cheddar Man’s curly locks. “Though obviously I’m much more grey,” he adds. “But then my ancestor did die in his 20s.”

It is only Cheddar Man’s skin colouring that marks the difference across this vast space of time. It was previously assumed that human skin tones lightened some 40 000 years ago as populations migrated north out of the harsh African sunlight where darker skin had a protective function.

At less sunny latitudes, lighter skin would have conferred an evolutionary advantage because it absorbs more sunlight which is required to produce vitamin D, a nutrient vital for preventing disabling illnesses such as the bone dis- ease rickets.

Later, when farming crops began to replace hunter-gatherer lifestyles and communities ate less meat, offal and oily fish – a dietary source of vitamin D – paler skins would have conferred an even greater advantage and accelerated the spread of relevant genes.

However, Cheddar Man’s complexion chimes with more recent research suggesting genes linked to lighter skin only began to spread about 8 500 years ago, according to population geneticists at Harvard University.

The new findings on Cheddar Man are the result of a joint project between the Nat- ural History Museum and University College London and were filmed for a Channel 4 documentary.

This time the DNA came from bone powder created by drilling a 2mm hole in the skeleton’s skull. From this scientists were able to extract a full genome – a complete set of genes – which revealed Cheddar Man’s true skin colour, striking blue eyes, wide cheekbones, delicate chin and family nose. While they might not have travelled far in almost 10 000 years, Cheddar Man’s ancestors certainly put some kilometres under their leathery feet.

Wandering was also embedded in his genes. The tribal people who crossed Doggerland – it was later flooded by melting glaciers – led a harsh subsistence existence as hunter- gatherers who migrated with the seasons, fishing with harpoons, hunting red deer and wild boar with spears, and bows and arrows, and foraging for wild food such as hazelnuts and berries.

Although ancient humans are known to have lived in Britain far earlier – at least 900 000 years ago – all previous colonies had died out during a series of ice ages. The population of the British Isles at this time was about 12 000.

Cheddar Gorge remains a prime site for Palaeolithic human remains. Cheddar Man was buried alone in a chamber near a cave mouth.

Modern Britons draw about 10% of their genetic ancestry from the West European hunter- gatherer population from which Cheddar Man sprang. In fact, he confirms what geneticists have long suspected – that even the most flag-waving patriotic Brit comes from a rich mix of racial roots. Cheddar Man, on the other hand, might be very surprised to discover just how pale his descendants have turned out. – Daily Mail

PICTURE: REUTERS A likeness of ‘Cheddar Man’, Britain’s oldest known almost complete human skeleton, is seen at the Natural History Museum, after genetic research concluded that he was dark skinned and blue eyed.