Cheddar Man's DNA

[Redroger]

There does seem to be a possibility he met with foul play, according to this report.

Does the big hole in the top of the skull have nything to do withe this possibility?

[LizzieW]

Ha, ha.  On the programme I saw, they were making a large hole on the top of his head to extract DNA.  I'm not sure why it had to be such a large hole though.

[Redroger]

It looked to me Lizzie as though an existing hole had been extended!

[LizzieW]

You could be right.  I like the theory that if he was dark skinned and really did have blue eyes that the other people might have thought he was a demon or something.

It's amazing what DNA can tell you, I hadn't realised it could tell the colour of your skin, the colour of your eyes and even - looking at the model that's been made - how long his hair was. 

[Sinann]

Did I misread that link, I thought one of the points they made was that everyone would have had dark skin at that time.

[groom]

Did I misread that link, I thought one of the points they made was that everyone would have had dark skin at that time.

That's what I understood, in which case he wouldn't have stood out as looking any different.

[Mowsehowse]

But isn't the evolutionary purpose of dark skin to protect against the UV rays from the sun? Which is also the reason that most people with dark skin have brown, not blue, eyes.  In which case, surely blue eyes and dark skin would not be usual?

[youngtug]

Blue eyes are a mutation that is without a reason.

[groom]

It will be interesting to see what is said on the programme, whether they think all dark skinned people at that time had blue eyes or whether it was just him. If so, how can they be absolutely sure that all people living at that time were dark skinned? Looking forward to watching it - I must set it to record.