The first ever full DNA analysis of Britain’s ancient human specimen, known as Cheddar Man has provided a great insight into the appearance of Britain’s oldest modern human. The discovery is said to be a very strong reminder that we all originate from Africa.
Through the reaction of social media, the main question raised by the public has been the name of the ancient human. But, we can confirm that the name, Cheddar Man does in-fact have some logical meaning behind it. This being the location in which the skeletal body was found; Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England.
The Cheddar Man specimen has been identified to the group of people known as ‘Western Hunter-Gatherers’ who migrated to Europe from the Middle East at the end of the last Ice Age around 12,000 years ago. Until recently, it was believed that early inhabitants of Europe had pale skin around 45,000 years ago.
The analysis which has been provided by numerous scientists, gives a deep insight into Cheddar Man’s characteristics. Through ground-breaking advancements in DNA technology, the studies have found that he was lactose intolerant and therefore couldn’t process alcohol. Although DNA usually degrades over a long period time, due to the careful preservation of Cheddar Man, the scientists were able to extract a sample from the inner ear bone which has proven to be an excellent source for ancient DNA.
Professor Chris Stringer, research leader in human origins at the Natural History Museum, has been studying material from the site of Cheddar Man’s discovery for decades. Speaking about the 40 year process of studying the ancient human, he says, “To go beyond what the bones tell us and get a scientifically-based picture of what he actually looked like is a remarkable (and from the results quite surprising) achievement.”