FROM THE TRENCHES.

The article reports that British geneticist Bryan Sykes determined that five clan chiefs living in Scotland were descended from the same common male ancestor, Somerled, who conquered the Vikings. Through DNA testing, Sykes determined that five clan chiefs now living in Scotland were all descended from the same common male ancestor who lived about 1,000 years ago; based on clan history, he deduced that it was Somerled, who died in the mid-twelfth century after conquering the Vikings. Though Somerled supposedly was descended from an ancient line of Irish kings, the type of Y-chromosome shared by the clan members generally exists only in Norse populations. Not only was Somerled a bit Viking, he also sowed his royal oats. While DNA evidence suggests Somerled may have run his own people out of the western part of the country, it is also showing that Viking families had firm footing in the eastern half of Scotland. Oxford University researchers looking at X and Y chromosomes in populations from Shetland and Orkney realized that more Viking women had settled in eastern Scotland than in western Scotland.