Will the imbalance of Isles vs. Continental results ever change?

[eochaidh]

It seems that the imbalance of test results between the Isles and the European Continent is a real stumbling block in determining the origin of the P312 SNP and those downstream of it. Will this ever change? Is there good news out there about more testing on the Continent?

If the imbalance remains, is there anything that can be done mathematically to compensate for the imbalnce when trying to determine an SNP's origin?

Thanks,  Miles

[rms2]

I am not sure that problem will ever be fully resolved, but it is mitigated for newly discovered subclades as time passes and they become not-so-newly-discovered, that is, as more European data are accumulated.

Of course, a Europe-wide scientific study of R1b1b2 and all its subclades would really help out, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that.

U106 and U152 were both discovered in 2005. They have the advantage now of over three years of data-gathering under their belts. L21, on the other hand, was only just discovered (for all practical purposes) in October of 2008. P312 itself was discovered in March of 2008.

Let's see where the next three years take us.

[eochaidh]

I just heard on another forum that Belgium is about to start an extensive DNA study. I think Belgium is a perfect location for such a study as it is near France, Germany and the Isles. It may be a while before we get any data. I certainly hope they will be doing deep clade tests.

Thanks,  Miles

[GoldenHind]

I think, if one is considering the place of origin of an R1b SNP, we need to have testing in Asia and eastern Europe, if nothing else just to eliminate that possibility. Take for instance the Kipchak U152. Is he the descendant of some lone wanderer from the west, or did U152 originate in that vicinity and then migrate to Europe where it later expanded? There really is no way to know unless we test a siginificant sample from that general area, and that is only going to happen if someone conducts a study.
As far as the imbalance of Isles vs. continent, I believe most of the people who take DNA tests on their own initiative are Americans who are curious about their roots. What I cannot understand is why this doesn't include more people of German and Scandinavian descent, as both of these groups contributed in a large measure to immigration to America. Perhaps the language barrier tends to discourage them from genealogical research, while the comparative ease of researching in English makes genealogy more popular among those with ancestors from the British Isles. Genealogists are probably more likely to get involved in DNA testing.