Dr Grierson explained the task: 'Understanding European history since man first arrived on the continent is a huge challenge for archaeologists and historians. One way that scientists can help is by studying the genetics of European men. All men carry a Y chromosome that they inherit from their father, which has been passed down the generations from father to son for thousands of years. So most men in Europe will share common ancestry at some point in the past, and we are able to investigate this shared ancestry using genetic studies of the Y chromosome. However, up until recently, there have not been many genetic clues on the Y chromosome to allow scientists to be certain about identifying different populations.'
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