BAMAD-115

Brit-Am Anthropology and DNA Update (4 November, 2013, Cislev 1, 5774)

Contents:
1. Influence of Y-chromosomal DNA mutations on behaviour and adaptation to climate
2. European Roots for Native Americans?
3. Egyptian Pharaohs: What YDNA haplogroups did they belong to?
4. Marcus West: Jewish YDNA Haplotypes
5. More Notes about Redheads, Gingers of the World, Unite! by Frank Jacobs .
6. Why inbreeding really isn't as bad as you think it is by Alasdair Wilkins
7. Mt[female-transmitted]DNA Influenced by Environment
Climate shaped the worldwide distribution of human mitochondrial DNA sequence variation
8. The Largest Ancestry Groups In The United States by Liz O'Connor, Gus Lubin and Dina Spector
9. Acquired Experiences May be Transmitted by Heredity
Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes by Dan Hurley
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1. Influence of Y-chromosomal DNA mutations on behaviour and adaptation to climate
http://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/29116-Influence-of-Y-chromosomal-DNA-mutations-on-behaviour-and-adaptation-to-climate
Extracts:

The human Y chromosome contains only 86 genes, compared to 20,000 genes on the 45 other chromosomes. While most mutations defining Y-DNA haplogroups lie in non-coding regions of the Y chromosome, a few other take place in actual genes. One of the most important among these genes is SRY (sex-determining region). .... Mutations in that SRY genes are therefore bound to have serious effects on the carrier. It is perhaps not a coincidence then that several of the most successful Y-chromosomal haplogroups are defined by a SRY mutation.

- R1b-M222 (USP9Y+3636) : the presumed lineage of Niall of the Nine Hostages, found chiefly in northern Ireland and southern Scotland. Defects in the USP9Y gene can cause azospermia and infertility. We can therefore assume, considering the quick expansion of this haplogroup since the early Middle Ages, that the USP9Y+3636 mutation improved fertility (more swimmers) in men who have it.

 Haplogroup E doesn't seem to do well in colder countries. E1b1b colonised most of Europe as far as the British Isles during the Neolithic, but didn't survive well (definitely less well than the indigenous I1 and I2). That may be for the opposite reason that I cited above for N, namely that spermatozoa of men belonging to haplogroup E may be more resistant to heat, but less resistant to cold.
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2. European Roots for Native Americans?
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38061/title/European-Roots-for-Native-Americans-/
An analysis of ancient DNA from a 24,000-year-old Siberian skeleton generates a new model for the original peopling of the Western Hemisphere.
By Bob Grant | October 29, 2013
Extracts:

.... A portion of the nuclear DNA recovered from the upper arm bone of a 4-year-old boy that was buried near the Siberian village of Malata about 24,000 years ago is shared by modern Native Americans and no other group. But the boy appears to have been descended from people of European or western Asian origin.

Eske Willerslev, a University of Copenhagen ancient DNA expert, announced the findings last week at the Paleoamerican Odyssey conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the resulting manuscript is in press at Nature. In addition to finding genome regions shared by modern Native Americans, he and collaborator Kelly Graf of Texas A&M University found that the boy's Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA belonged to haplogroups that are found almost exclusively in Europeans and people living in Asia west of the Altai Mountains.

According to Science, Willerslev and Graf suggest that at some point before 24,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern Native Americans and those of East Asians split into two genetically distinct groups. The Malata boy belonged to a population that migrated to Siberia from Eurasia and mixed with the second before the newly formed population moved into the New World, eventually populating the Americas.

Previously, the presence of European DNA in the modern Native American genome was attributed to interbreeding after Europeans made contact. This new finding may turn that supposition on its head. 'The west Eurasian [genetic] signatures that we very often find in today's Native Americans don't all come from postcolonial admixture,' Willerslev said during his presentation. 'Some of them are ancient.'
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3. Egyptian Pharaohs: What YDNA haplogroups did they belong to?

Wikipedia
DNA history of Egypt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_history_of_Egypt

Scientists at a Zurich-based DNA genealogy centre, iGENEA, in a in Discovery Channel documentary 2011 claimed that Tutankhamun had Haplogroup R1b1a2, to which more than 50% of European men, but less than 1% of modern-day Egyptians, belong to.[16]

But the Y-chromosome of King Tut has never been published and DNA profile displayed in Discovery Channel documentary may not belong to the Pharaoh. According to Carsten Pusch, a geneticist at Germany's University of Tolbingen who was part of the team that unraveled Tut's DNA from samples taken from his mummy and mummies of his family members, iGENEA's claims are "simply impossible." [17][18]

R1b does show up in parts of northern Africa, particularly some regions in Algeria, where tests have found it in 11.8% of subjects.[19] It is also found in central Africa around Chad and Cameroon,[20] but the Chadic-speaking area in Africa is dominated by the branch known as R1b1c (R-V88).[21]

Ramesses III[edit]

A 2012 study done on the mummified remains of Ramesses III and his son determined that both y-chromosomes belonged to Haplogroup E1b1a (Y-DNA). The pharaoh's y-chromosome belongs to the most frequent haplogroup among contemporary Sub-Saharan y-chromosomes.[22]
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4. Marcus West: Jewish YDNA Haplotypes

Extracts:

Hi Yair,

I was looking at the Jewish halotypes, and there are 6 main ones, M35, G, J, Q1, R1a, R1b divided percentage-wise roughly: 20/7/45/6/12/10

... the Cohen halotype is a J haplotype.
The M35 is the Berber haplotype... at 20% it dwarfs the other haplotypes except [J].

Regards
Marcus
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5. More Notes about Redheads
625 - Gingers of the World, Unite!
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/625-gingers-of-the-world-unite
by Frank Jacobs . September 23, 2013, 5:37
Extracts:

Scotland has the highest proportion of ginger-haired people in the world, with 13% of the general population endowed with red hair. Ireland, by the way, has the second-highest incidence of redheads, at 10%. In both Ireland and Scotland, over 40% of the population carries the recessive gene for red hair, meaning that Irish and Scots are significantly more likely to be red-haired than the average of 2 to 6% for other people of northern and western European ancestry.

But red hair is not limited to the northwest corner of Europe. It occurs regularly, albeit generally with lesser frequency, among Polynesians, Ashkenazi Jews, the Berbers of North Africa, and among the various peoples of the Middle East. Still, with an average occurrence of 1 to 2% across the whole of humanity, ginger is the rarest of hair colours. Which translates to between 70 and 140 million redheads the world over.

Historical examples of 'gingerism' date as far back as ancient Egypt, where red-headed men were sacrificed to Osiris. Judas, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans, is often depicted as having red hair. In mediaeval Europe, red hair was frequently considered the mark of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire.

Even in more recent times, redheads were considered behavioural outliers - more temperamental and libidinous than 'normal-haired' people. A 19th-century survey 'proved' that 48% of so-called 'criminal women' (i.e. prostitutes) had red hair, to name but one now discredited example.

... redheads have a different sensitivity to pain than non-gingers: they are more sensitive to thermal pain (heat and cold), but less sensitive to certain other sources of pain (including electrical current). They also require a dose of anaesthetic up to 20% higher than others. And apparently, bees sting redheads more than non-redheads - a fact oft repeated but not corroborated anywhere.

... The list of famous gingers throughout history includes Cleopatra, Rurik (the Viking who founded a state the name of which refers to his red hair: Russia), Queen Elizabeth I, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (hence the name - meaning redbeard), Genghis Khan, George Washington (and at least half a dozen other US presidents), Mark Twain, Vladimir Lenin, Malcolm X (a.k.a. Big Red), Sylvia Plath, Winston Churchill and Woody Allen.

The geographic distribution of redheads across Europe is equally puzzling, as this map demonstrates. There are two ginger hotspots: the Celtic fringe of the British Isles (i.e. Scotland, Ireland and Wales), and an area deep inside Russia, somewhere between Yaroslavl and Kirov.

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6. Why inbreeding really isn't as bad as you think it is by Alasdair Wilkins
http://io9.com/5863666/why-inbreeding-really-isnt-as-bad-as-you-think-it-is
Extracts:

Let's take a look at some actual figures to see what the real risks are. Perhaps the best example is the work of Professor Alan Bittles, an adjunct professor at the Centre for Comparative Genomics at Australia's Murdoch University, who has worked on the subject for over three decades and in 2008 conducted a review of forty-eight studies from eleven countries on the rate of birth defects in the children of first cousins.

He found that increased risks do exist, but not nearly to the extent that we might imagine. While there's about a 2% risk of birth defects in the general population, first-cousin children have about a 4% chance. Of course, you can phrase that in any number of ways, depending on how you want to spin it. On the one hand, that means that there's double the risk of birth defects in the children of first cousins. On the other hand, 96% of such children are born completely healthy, which is still the vast majority.

As weird as it might sound, third cousin marriages actually might produce healthier offspring than the general population, at least if Iceland is anything to go by. In 2008, researchers at the deCODE Genetics company in Reykjavik conducted a study of all Icelandic couples born between 1800 and 1965, a cohort that included some 160,811 couples. The results were, to put it mildly, unexpected:

Researchers were shocked to find that for women born between 1800 and 1824, marriages between third cousins produced an average of 4.04 children and 9.17 grandchildren, while marriages between eighth cousins or more distantly related couples had averages of only 3.34 children and 7.31 grandchildren. For women born between 1925 and 1949, with mates related at the degree of third cousins, the average number of children and grandchildren were 3.27 and 6.64, compared with 2.45 and 4.86 for those with mates who were eighth cousins, or more distantly related.

So Where Does This Biological Benefit Come From?

That's a very good question, and one to which nobody really knows the answer. Interviewed by ABC News, Dr. Bruce Buehler, the director of HBM Genetics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, tried to explain these surprising results. He frankly admitted that the explanation eluded him:

"At least genetically, this information doesn't suggest that second or third cousins would be at any higher risk for passing down unfavorable traits. [I] can't think of any genetic explanation for why the third or fourth cousins would have more babies. Maybe what we're seeing here is biologic attraction. If you really look alike, feel alike and think alike, then maybe you have sex more often and have more babies. We do know that there are pheromones which cause attraction, and I wouldn't be surprised if related people have higher sexual desire for one another."

Ultimately, Stefansson concluded that maybe our taboos against consanguinity, or the marriage of related people, haven't just overestimated existing risks - they've actually covered up potential benefits:

"The take-home message is that ...we, as a society of [the] 21st century, have basically ruled against the marriages of closely related couples, because we do not look at it as desirable that closely related people have children. But in spite of the fact that bringing together two alleles of a recessive trait may be bad, there is clearly some biological wisdom in the union of relatively closely related people."
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7. Mt[female-transmitted]DNA Influenced by Environment
Climate shaped the worldwide distribution of human mitochondrial DNA sequence variation
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/07/07/rspb.2009.0752.abstract?papetoc
Francois Balloux1,*,
Lori-Jayne Lawson Handley2,
Thibaut Jombart1,
Hua Liu3 and
Andrea Manica4,*

Abstract
There is an ongoing discussion in the literature on whether human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolves neutrally. There have been previous claims for natural selection on human mtDNA based on an excess of non-synonymous mutations and higher evolutionary persistence of specific mitochondrial mutations in Arctic populations. However, these findings were not supported by the reanalysis of larger datasets. Using a geographical framework, we perform the first direct test of the relative extent to which climate and past demography have shaped the current spatial distribution of mtDNA sequences worldwide. We show that populations living in colder environments have lower mitochondrial diversity and that the genetic differentiation between pairs of populations correlates with difference in temperature. These associations were unique to mtDNA; we could not find a similar pattern in any other genetic marker. We were able to identify two correlated non-synonymous point mutations in the ND3 and ATP6 genes characterized by a clear association with temperature, which appear to be plausible targets of natural selection producing the association with climate. The same mutations have been previously shown to be associated with variation in mitochondrial pH and calcium dynamics. Our results indicate that natural selection mediated by climate has contributed to shape the current distribution of mtDNA sequences in humans.
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8. The Largest Ancestry Groups In The United States
by Liz O'Connor, Gus Lubin and Dina Spector     Aug. 13, 2013,
http://www.businessinsider.com/largest-ethnic-groups-in-america-2013-8#ixzz2h8ouXyT1
Extracts:

Below is a list showing many of America's largest ancestry groups. Please note that respondents may have selected more than one ancestry group or race.

49,206,934 Germans
The largest wave of Germans came to America during the middle of the 19th century, facing civil unrest and high unemployment at home. Today, the majority of German-Americans can be found in the non-coastal states, with the largest number in Maricopa County, Arizona. Famous Americans of German descent include Sandra Bullock, John Steinbeck, Ben Affleck, Jessica Biel, Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, David Letterman, Walt Disney, Henry J. Heinz, and Oscar Mayer.

41,284,752 Black or African Americans
Black or African American are terms used for citizens or residents of the U.S. with part or total ancestry from a native population of Sub-Saharan Africa.  Most African Americans are the descendants of slaves from West and Central Africa. 

35,523,082 Irish
The great famine of the 1840s sparked a mass exodus from Ireland. Between 1820 and the 1920s, an estimated 4.5 million Irish moved to the United States, many of whom settled in large cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. At least 22 U.S. presidents have been of Irish descent. Notable Americans of Irish descent include  John  F. Kennedy, Neil Armstrong, Henry Ford, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Conan O'Brien, Derek Jeter, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Springsteen.

31,789,483 Mexican
Between 1990 and 2000 the number of people who reported Mexican ancestry nearly doubled in size. Mexican is the most commonly reported ancestry along the Southwestern border of the United States and leading ancestry in Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Dallas, and San Antonio, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

26,923,091 English
English Americans are found in large numbers in the Northwest and West, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The number of people who reported English ancestry decreased by at least 20 million since the 1980 U.S. Census, partly because more citizens of English descent have started to list themselves as "American." Notable Americans with English ancestry include Justin Timberlake, Clint Eastwood, Orson Welles, Seth MacFarlane, George Clooney, Cher, Liza Minnelli, Ernest Hemingway, and Bill Gates.

19,911,467 Americans
A large number of people claim American ancestry, either as a political statement or because their pre-American ancestry is mixed or uncertain. This is particularly common in the South.

17,558,598 Italian
Between 1880 and 1920, more than 4 million Italian immigrants arrived in the United States. Immigrants formed "Little Italies" in many large Northeastern cities as well as remote areas in California and Louisiana. As these communities grew and prospered, Italian food, entertainment, and music greatly influenced American life and culture.  Another large wave of immigrants arrived after World War II. Today, the largest concentration of Italian-Americans can be found in Suffolk County, New York. Famous Americans of Italian descent include Maria Bartiromo, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino, and Madonna.

9,739,653 Polish
Polish Americans are the largest of the Slavic groups in the United States and represent some of the earliest colonists in the New World. Immigration reached new heights between the mid-19th century and World War I, when an estimated 2.5 million Poles entered the United States. These new arrivals flocked to industrial cities like New York, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Chicago in search of a better economic life.

9,136,092 French (except Basque)
Historically, the number of immigrants from France has been smaller than from other European nations. Figures may also be lower since French Americans are more specifically identified as French Canadian, Acadian, or Louisiana Creole by the U.S. Census. States with the largest French communities include California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York. Notable Americans of French descent include Warren Buffett, Louis Chevrolet, Zooey Deschanel, Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Revere, Henry David Thoreau, and Anthony Bourdain.

5,706,263 Scottish
More than one million Scots left for the United States in the 19th century, many in search of work in the shipping industry. Scottish immigrants continued to trickle in through the 1920s, especially as economic conditions worsened in Scotland. California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Michigan have the most Scottish descendants. Notable Americans with  Scottish heritage  include  Reese Witherspoon, Lucille Ball, Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Cash, Lyndon B. Johnson, Edgar Allen Poe, and Malcolm X.

5,102,858 Scotch-Irish
Between 1717 and 1775 hundreds of thousands of Scotch-Irish immigrated to the United States, mostly coming from the province of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Most settled in New England, but many moved westward toward the frontier, settling in Appalachia or even further west. Today Scotch-Irish can be found throughout the country, but still dominate the East Coast. Famous Americans of Scotch-Irish descent include Ulysses S. Grant, Elvis Presley, and Andrew Jackson.

4,920,336 American Indian or Alaska Native
Nearly 5 million Americans identify as Native American or Alaska Native alone or in combination with one or more races, while 2,502,653 Americans identify as Native American or Alaska Native alone. As of 2012, 70% of Native Americans live in urban areas according to The New York Times. The largest American Indian tribe is the Cherokee with 284,000 full-blooded individuals. Alaska has the highest Native American population, followed by New Mexico, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Montana, according to the 2010 Census. Notable Americans with Native American ancestry include  Wilma Mankiller, John Herrington, Sitting Bull, and Armie Hammer.

4,810,511 Dutch
New York City (originally New Amsterdam) was established by Dutch Immigrants in the early 17th century. Although Dutch immigration slowed in the 18th century, a new wave of Dutchmen came to America following World War II. Today, Dutch Americans are concentrated in several counties in Michigan and Ohio. Many Dutch Americans also live in California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Notable Americans of Dutch ancestry include Thomas Edison, Walt Whitman, and Theodore Roosevelt.

4,607,774 Puerto Rican
Puerto Ricans first began migrating to the States in large numbers after the 1917 passing of the Jones-Shafroth act granted all Puerto Ricans U.S. Citizenship. Since then, Puerto Rican immigration to the continental U.S. has been significant, with numbers spiking since the late '90s. As of the 2010 Census, the highest number of Puerto Ricans could be found in New York, followed by Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan draws millions of spectators each year and is one of the largest outdoor events in the United States. Famous Americans of Puerto Rican descent include Jennifer Lopez, Joaquin Phoenix, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, and Geraldo Rivera.

4,557,539 Norwegian
Norwegian immigration reached its peak between the end of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. Between 1880 and 1893, Norwegian immigration was the second largest in Europe behind Ireland. Historically, the majority of Norwegian Americans live in the upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa and the Dakotas.

4,211,644 Swedish
During the 19th century, Swedish emigration to the United States was largely motivated by economic advancement. From 1851 to 1930, more than 1.2 million Swedes crossed the Atlantic, traditionally settling in Midwest homesteads. By the turn of the century, however, more Swedes moved to urban centers in search of industrial jobs. Today, Minnesota has the largest concentration of Swedish descendants in the country.

3,245,080 Chinese (except Taiwanese)
Chinese immigrants first began arriving on the West Coast in the early 1820s and trickled in slowly up until the Gold Rush began, when the Chinese American population grew exponentially.  The majority of Chinese Americans today live in California, with notable communities in Hawaii and around New York City, Boston, and Chicago.

3,060,143 Russian
Alaska was originally settled and controlled by Russians. After the U.S. purchased the land in 1867, many Russians remained in the territory. However, most came to America during the large wave of European immigration that took place during the late 19th century. U.S. states with the highest percentage of people who claim some sort of Russian ancestry include Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and South Dakota, according to the 2000 census.

2,781,904 Asian Indian
Asian Indians had been immigrating to the U.S. in small numbers for decades, but starting in 2000, the population has grown rapidly. The Asian Indian population was one of the most rapidly-growing ethnic groups in the U.S. as of 2011. They comprise over 16% of the Asian-American community and are one of the highest-educated groups in the nation. California, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Illinois were the states with the highest populations of Indian Americans as of the 2000 Census.
2,625,306 West Indian (except Hispanic groups)

This group includes Americans who self-identified as Bahamian, Barbadian, Belizean, Bermudan, British West Indian, Dutch West Indian, Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Tobagonian, or U.S. Virgin Islander. 290,828 people also stated that they were simply "West Indian" or "Other West Indian." Many West Indians first came to the United States in search of economic opportunity at the turn of the century, and West Indian immigration continued until the onset of the Great Depression. Another wave of West Indian immigrants came to America in the 1950s and 1960s. Notable Americans of West Indian descent include Colin Powell, Notorious B.I.G., Rihanna, Lenny Kravitz, and Tim Duncan.

2,549,545 Filipino
The 1965 Immigration Act led large numbers of Filipinos to immigrate to the U.S.; more than 40,000 Filipinos have been arriving in the U.S. annually since 1979. Filipinos make up a large part of the visa waitlist. California, Hawaii, greater New York, Illinois, and Texas all have large Filipino populations.

2,087,970 French Canadian
French Canadian Americans make up a large and diverse group. Many immigrated to America from Quebec between 1840 and the late 1920s, while others in more Midwestern states had lived there for generations. Many Americans of recent French Canadian descent speak French at home. French Canadian Americans today are overwhelmingly concentrated in New England, with the state of Maine having the highest population.

1,888,383 Welsh
In the late 1600s, Welsh Quakers began coming to America in droves, settling largely in Pennsylvania and later in Ohio. The Welsh language was commonly spoken in many of these intensely-
Welsh areas until the 1950s when it began to die out. Today, Welsh Americans can be found around the country, with particularly high numbers in the Midwest. Notable Americans of Welsh descent include Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and J.P. Morgan.

1,764,374 Cuban
Cubans began immigrating to the states in the early 1900s, with large numbers flowing in after the Cuban revolution of 1959. Today, Cuban Americans are major contributors to politics, professional sports, academia, and the entertainment industry. Nearly 70% of Cuban Americans  live in Florida, but prominent Cuban communities can also be found within New York and New Jersey.

1,733,778 Salvadoran
Before 1960, the U.S. was home to fewer than 10,000 Salvadorans, but the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee El Salvador. Many of them came to America. California, Texas, New York, Virginia, and Maryland have the highest number of Salvadorans.

1,620,637 Arab
Arab Americans from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Syria, among other countries, comprise a large and diverse ancestry group that has been settling in the U.S. since the late 1800s. According to the Arab American Institute, nearly 94% of Arab Americans live in metropolitan areas. The metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of Arab Americans include Los Angeles, Detroit, New York/New Jersey, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Notable Americans of Arab ancestry include Edward Said, Ralph Nader, Steve Jobs, Hala Gorani, and Frank Zappa.

1,576,032 Vietnamese
Many Vietnamese immigrants came to America after the Vietnam war, often via boat, to escape extreme poverty or persecution

1,573,608 Czech
Czech immigrants were known in the 19th and early 20th centuries as "Bohemian" since they originally came from the lands that made up what was once the empire of the Bohemian crown. These lands are now presided over in large part by the Czech Republic. The most Czech Americans can be found in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Famous Americans of Czech descent include George W. Bush, E. Lauder, Jason Mraz, and Sissy Spacek.

1,511,926 Hungarian
Hungarian Americans comprise one of America's oldest ethnic groups, with records of Hungarians participating in the American Revolution. After the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, even more Hungarians came to the states in search of a better life. Notable Americans of Hungarian descent include Milton Friedman, John Kerry, Paul Simon, Paul Newman, Louis CK, Kate Hudson, Steven Spielberg, Drew Barrymore, and Calvin Klein.

1,423,139 Portuguese
The Portuguese have a long history in the U.S., with Portuguese soldiers fighting in the American Revolution. A large wave of Portuguese immigrants also came to the U.S. in the mid-to-late 20th century. 

1,422,567 Korean

1,420,962 Danish
Danes have been living in the U.S. since the late 1600s, but they steadily immigrated to America for much of the 1800s before Danish immigration tapered off. California, Utah, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all have large numbers of Danish Americans.

1,414,551 Dominican (Dominican Republic)

1,319,188 Greek
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/largest-ethnic-groups-in-america-2013-8#ixzz2jfDLQMsL
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9. Acquired Experiences May be Transmitted by Heredity
Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes
By Dan Hurley|Tuesday, June 11, 2013
http://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/13-grandmas-experiences-leave-epigenetic-mark-on-your-genes#.Ug1bPRYb6oP
Extracts:

Geneticists were especially surprised to find that epigenetic change could be passed down from parent to child, one generation after the next. A study from Randy Jirtle of Duke University showed that when female mice are fed a diet rich in methyl groups, the fur pigment of subsequent offspring is permanently altered. Without any change to DNA at all, methyl groups could be added or subtracted, and the changes were inherited much like a mutation in a gene.

According to the new insights of behavioral epigenetics, traumatic experiences in our past, or in our recent ancestors' past, leave molecular scars adhering to our DNA. ...

 The DNA remains the same, but psychological and behavioral tendencies are inherited....
...The mechanisms of behavioral epigenetics underlie not only deficits and weaknesses but strengths and resiliencies, too.