All modern Europeans descend from ancient Belgians

Researchers have been able to figure out in greater detail the genetic features of Europeans in the Ice Age, concluding that all Europeans are related to the early humans who may have lived in Belgium some 35,000 years ago. It has also been concluded that natural selection has played a role in making Europeans’ Neanderthal ancestry less prominent over time.

For their study, scientists analyzed genomes rom 51 people who existed between 45,000 years and 7,000 years ago, including some notable fossilized discoveries from years gone by. This allowed them to glean information on the people’s skin color, their eye color, and how various European populations were related to each other. Patterns of migration were also revealed, suggesting that these movements were quite intricate, possibly as complex as modern migration patterns are. And it was there where the researchers found that about 37,000 to 14,000 years ago, different European populations had descended from a founder group from what is currently known as Belgium.