Sunday, September 25, 2011
By Leila Battison
Science reporter
A lock of hair is all that is needed to decode the history of an entire people
A lock of hair has helped scientists to piece together the genome of Australian Aborigines and rewrite the history of human dispersal around the world.
DNA from the hair demonstrates that indigenous Aboriginal Australians were the first to separate from other modern humans, around 70,000 years ago.
This challenges current theories of a single phase of dispersal from Africa.
An international team of researchers published their findings in the journal Science.
While the Aboriginal populations were trailblazing across Asia and into Australia, the remaining humans stayed around North Africa and the Middle East until 24,000 years ago.
Only then did they spread out and colonise Europe and Asia, but the indigenous Aborigines had been established in Australia for 25,000 years.
Australian Aborigines therefore have a longer claim to the land in which they now live than any other population known.
The research also highlights the exciting future possibilities of comparing the genomes of multiple individuals to track migration of small indigenous groups.
Tiny genetic differences
Archaeological remains are known from Australia from around 50,000 years ago, putting a maximum age of the Aborigines' settlement there.
But the history of their journey and their relationship with the indigenous people of Asia and Europe had not been solved.
It was previously thought that modern humans dispersed in one pulse out of Africa and the Middle East, and because of the distances involved, the modern Europeans would have separated from the Asians and Australians first.
Genetic information from a lock of Aboriginal hair has been used to show that the Australians set off a lot earlier.
By looking at the tiny (fraction of one percent) differences between the DNA of Aborigines and other ancient humans, the scientists show that the indigenous Australians were first isolated 70,000 years ago.
Dr Francois Balloux, of Imperial College London described how a "population expanded along the coastline because of the rich resources available there. They could walk almost the entire way because the sea level was much lower". Just one small sea crossing would be required to reach Australia.
Any potential archaeological remains of this journey, which lasted 25,000 years, would be lost to the deep sea under rising sea levels.
The remaining populations in the Middle East moved out to colonise Europe and Asia 24,000 years ago, and the aboriginal genome records some interbreeding between Asian populations and aboriginal ancestors at this time.
Discovering the history of human migration with DNA has been made possible by improvements in the techniques used to study the genome.
Traditionally, genetic divergence dates were arrived at by combining the number of unique mutations in the DNA with an assumed rate of acquiring those mutations.
Now, computationally powerful models can simulate lots of different scenarios for migration timings and directions, and researchers can compare and choose the situation that most closely matches what is seen in the genome.
By comparing the Aboriginal genome with the DNA of African, European and Han Chinese individuals it was possible to highlight the later interbreeding after initial colonisation.
Comparison with Eurasian populations show that the Australian Aborigines have a similar percentage of Neanderthal genes within their DNA as their Eurasian counterparts, suggesting that any interbreeding occurred before the Aborigines embarked on their colonising journey.
The findings of these researchers are supported by an independent study, published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics, which looks at the characteristic DNA from an extinct, archaic form of human, the Denisovans.
Denisovans lived over 30,000 years ago, and contributed genes mostly to present-day New Guineans.
This independent study identifies a pattern of Denisovan DNA in Asian individuals that can only be explained by two separate waves of human migration: the first of Aboriginals colonising Australia, and the second involving the occupation of Asia itself.
'Jurassic Park science'
The Aboriginal research was carried out on a single lock of hair, which was donated by a young Aboriginal man to the British anthropologist Dr A C Haddon in 1923.
"At this time, it was fashionable to take human samples," said Dr Balloux. The collection of hair was one of the more innocuous efforts of anthropologists at the time.
The researchers chose to examine the hair, as opposed to any other type of remains, for legal reasons. Hair is not classified as a human tissue.
"More important to us was that the research would be acceptable from a social and moral point of view" said Dr Balloux.To the surprise of the scientists, the people they consulted were very supportive of the study and its results. Dr Balloux explained that in the past, indigenous people have been "extremely sensitive of the motivations of western scientists".
The research has been published with "strong endorsement" from the Goldfields Land and Sea Council, the organisation that represents the Aboriginal traditional owners of parts of Western Australia, he said.
Genomics techniques like those used in this study have the potential to be used more extensively in the study of human migrations and the evolution of health and disease.
The international team next plans to look in more detail at the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa, as well as solving how and when the Americas were colonised.
Dr Balloux said he was excited about the unexpected potential of the techniques, describing it as "borderline Jurassic Park science".
Sunday, September 4, 2011
3
0
Part of KTM railway line to be reopened to public
Fri, Sep 02, 2011 | AsiaOne
Part of the former KTM railway land will be reopened for public walks and recreation from September 16.
The land to be reopened stretches from the Bukit Timah bridge south towards Holland Road.
Some parts of the tracks have been removed, while others, such as the stretch next to Bukit Timah Railway Station and along the bridge, have been preserved.
Works to remove the tracks and other rail structures are ongoing and are about 30 per cent complete, said the Singapore Land Authority.
klim@sph.com.sg
Saturday, September 3, 2011
HISTORY OF OLD CHINA TOWN
Currency Converter: Find Euro Currency, US & other currency exchange rates here!
S'pore Map
Jobs
Images
S'pore Guide
SD Editorials
Food Advisor
Business Finder
Classifieds
more »
Search Travel Guide
& SD Editorials
Cheap Hotel Reservations
S'pore
Expat Guide
Districts & Street Names
Tourist Guide
Local Guide
Hotel
Nightlife
Travel Guide » Tourist Guide » Facts of Old Singapore
History of Old Singapore Chinatown
by: Mr Dhoraisingam S. Samuel
Early settlement of Chinese
Immigrants - locality assigned
By Stamford Raffles in 1822; living and working under
Extreme conditions they contributed to the
Development of Singapore.
In November 1822 Stamford Raffles wrote to the Town Committee in Singapore about his plans for the layout of the Town and the setting of the various major ethnic groups in the island. These major ethnic areas were for the poor but the rich could settle anywhere they chose to.
'The Chinese,' Raffles wrote, 'will form by far the largest portion of the community' and he assigned the south-west of the Singapore River to them. They should also be settled according to the provinces they came from in China and be under the immediate control of their respective chiefs for the maintenance of law and order.
Raffles also suggested that the streets in Chinatown should run as far as practicable at right angles and the artisans - blacksmiths, carpenters and others should be concentrated in certain areas. Fro the sake of uniformity Raffles specified that the shophouses and houses be built in brick and tiled and each house should have a verandah or covered passage five feet wide to provide an open space where the dwellers in the crowded houses could have fresh air and also where food hawkers could operate. The houses and shophouses were built in neat rows and in the centre was an air-well open to the Sky. This served for the collection and storage of water for ventilation and light.
Chinatown became a crowded place particularly after the 1830s when the large scale emigration from South China took place. The occupants of these shop-houses or terraced houses lived in cubicles-sordid, dark, grimy and self-contained living areas. The corridors that divided the cubicles were narrow. The entire belongings of the dwellers were in the corner of the cubicle-the storage boxes and a board which double up at night as a bed.
Until 1935 the night soil (collected in buckets) was carried through the front door. Later back lanes were created and the buckets were removed from there. How fortunate Singaporeans are today living in Housing and Development Boar flats with modern sanitation, water supply and electricity!
Despite the hard living conditions, the Chinese to sustain their cultural heritage, their traditions and identity, built several Chinese Temples in the area, had their own singing halls and 'wayang' (opera) theatres.
Unfortunately there were also government licensed opium dens (opium was one of the main sources of revenue), illegal gambling houses and brothels. There were also rickshaw depots and most of the coffee shops were patronized by the rickshaw pullers.
Secret Societies originated in South China operated in Chinatown and it was a major problem in early Singapore.
Sago Street was named by the Cantonese, 'Street of the Dead' where the funeral clothes, paper models of cars and houses were sold. There was Sago Lane where the death houses were; 'these are where the sick go ostensibly for treatment but where chances of recovery are almost nil'. Inmates of these death houses simply wasted away slowly and then after death were moved to the funeral parlours. Many died of epidemics like cholera and malaria.
In Chinatown lived the Sam Sui Women who were extremely industrious workers who carried earth which was a back-breaking occupation.
These women came from three districts of Kwantung: Sam Sui. Shun Tak and Tong Koon. The Sam Sui women were found predominantly in Upper Chin Chew Street, Upper Nanking Street and Eu Tong Sen Street. Upper Chin Chew Street was nicknamed 'Black Cloth' street because of the colour of the clothes of these women. The Sam Sui women wore scarlet head-dress, loose black 'samfoos' (jacket and trousers) and lived in cubicles. These Cantonese women rarely married and led a life of frugality but they were colourful and conservative; they kept largely to themselves. They were generally kind and had a sense of humour; they ate plain food - rice and vegetables - but sent regular remittance to their families in China.
It was estimated that by 1941 there were several thousands of these Sam Sui women working and contributing to the economic growth of Singapore.
Most of those who lived in Chinatown worked in the tongkangs, twakows and lighters and ferried goods from sea going vessels to the several warehouses along the Singapore River; many worked in the early years in the spice plantations and later in the Singapore Harbours and the Dockyard.
Other races also dwelt in Chinatown. There were a large umber of Indians; proof of this is the number of old Tamil Mosques and the oldest Hindu Temple in Chinatown. Upper Cross Street was also known as 'Kampong of the Indiana' where a number of Indian spices traders and boatman lived. Indonesians lived in 'pondoks' (lodging houses); one such example is the one still at 32 Club Street off Upper Cross Street. Near Havelock Road is Kampong Malacca and one of the oldest Mosques. Near North Canal was the early quarter of the Jews as well as their oldest Synagogue.
During the Battle for Singapore Chinatown was bombed daily by the Japanese. The heart of Chinatown was roughly an area of 30 acres with almost 20,000 crammed into it. There were no air raid shelters in Chinatown because the British authorities had bungled their air-raid policy. Many had to cower in their crowded homes or lie panic stricken in filthy monsoon ditches. The Japanese bombers made indiscriminate raids on Chinatown and the casualties mounted day by day.
The Civil Defence unit comprised mainly Chinese who were brave and worked around the clock, clearing roads, and debris; rescue workers had to extricate the victims in bombed buildings and death lorries had to be manned to collect the unclaimed bodies for mass burials in deep pits. To show respect to the different races the bodies were grouped according to the races and kept apart in the pits.
Many in Chinatown and whose homes were bombed and had become homeless sought refuge in the several Chinese Temples and in the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church.
Despite urban renewal projects several parts of Chinatown are still intact and Singaporeans should visit these areas (some renovates) to realize how our ancestors had lived and toiled to make Singapore what it is today.
Click for an overview of all Facts of Old Singapore
S'pore Map
Jobs
Images
S'pore Guide
SD Editorials
Food Advisor
Business Finder
Classifieds
more »
Search Travel Guide
& SD Editorials
Cheap Hotel Reservations
S'pore
Expat Guide
Districts & Street Names
Tourist Guide
Local Guide
Hotel
Nightlife
Travel Guide » Tourist Guide » Facts of Old Singapore
History of Old Singapore Chinatown
by: Mr Dhoraisingam S. Samuel
Early settlement of Chinese
Immigrants - locality assigned
By Stamford Raffles in 1822; living and working under
Extreme conditions they contributed to the
Development of Singapore.
In November 1822 Stamford Raffles wrote to the Town Committee in Singapore about his plans for the layout of the Town and the setting of the various major ethnic groups in the island. These major ethnic areas were for the poor but the rich could settle anywhere they chose to.
'The Chinese,' Raffles wrote, 'will form by far the largest portion of the community' and he assigned the south-west of the Singapore River to them. They should also be settled according to the provinces they came from in China and be under the immediate control of their respective chiefs for the maintenance of law and order.
Raffles also suggested that the streets in Chinatown should run as far as practicable at right angles and the artisans - blacksmiths, carpenters and others should be concentrated in certain areas. Fro the sake of uniformity Raffles specified that the shophouses and houses be built in brick and tiled and each house should have a verandah or covered passage five feet wide to provide an open space where the dwellers in the crowded houses could have fresh air and also where food hawkers could operate. The houses and shophouses were built in neat rows and in the centre was an air-well open to the Sky. This served for the collection and storage of water for ventilation and light.
Chinatown became a crowded place particularly after the 1830s when the large scale emigration from South China took place. The occupants of these shop-houses or terraced houses lived in cubicles-sordid, dark, grimy and self-contained living areas. The corridors that divided the cubicles were narrow. The entire belongings of the dwellers were in the corner of the cubicle-the storage boxes and a board which double up at night as a bed.
Until 1935 the night soil (collected in buckets) was carried through the front door. Later back lanes were created and the buckets were removed from there. How fortunate Singaporeans are today living in Housing and Development Boar flats with modern sanitation, water supply and electricity!
Despite the hard living conditions, the Chinese to sustain their cultural heritage, their traditions and identity, built several Chinese Temples in the area, had their own singing halls and 'wayang' (opera) theatres.
Unfortunately there were also government licensed opium dens (opium was one of the main sources of revenue), illegal gambling houses and brothels. There were also rickshaw depots and most of the coffee shops were patronized by the rickshaw pullers.
Secret Societies originated in South China operated in Chinatown and it was a major problem in early Singapore.
Sago Street was named by the Cantonese, 'Street of the Dead' where the funeral clothes, paper models of cars and houses were sold. There was Sago Lane where the death houses were; 'these are where the sick go ostensibly for treatment but where chances of recovery are almost nil'. Inmates of these death houses simply wasted away slowly and then after death were moved to the funeral parlours. Many died of epidemics like cholera and malaria.
In Chinatown lived the Sam Sui Women who were extremely industrious workers who carried earth which was a back-breaking occupation.
These women came from three districts of Kwantung: Sam Sui. Shun Tak and Tong Koon. The Sam Sui women were found predominantly in Upper Chin Chew Street, Upper Nanking Street and Eu Tong Sen Street. Upper Chin Chew Street was nicknamed 'Black Cloth' street because of the colour of the clothes of these women. The Sam Sui women wore scarlet head-dress, loose black 'samfoos' (jacket and trousers) and lived in cubicles. These Cantonese women rarely married and led a life of frugality but they were colourful and conservative; they kept largely to themselves. They were generally kind and had a sense of humour; they ate plain food - rice and vegetables - but sent regular remittance to their families in China.
It was estimated that by 1941 there were several thousands of these Sam Sui women working and contributing to the economic growth of Singapore.
Most of those who lived in Chinatown worked in the tongkangs, twakows and lighters and ferried goods from sea going vessels to the several warehouses along the Singapore River; many worked in the early years in the spice plantations and later in the Singapore Harbours and the Dockyard.
Other races also dwelt in Chinatown. There were a large umber of Indians; proof of this is the number of old Tamil Mosques and the oldest Hindu Temple in Chinatown. Upper Cross Street was also known as 'Kampong of the Indiana' where a number of Indian spices traders and boatman lived. Indonesians lived in 'pondoks' (lodging houses); one such example is the one still at 32 Club Street off Upper Cross Street. Near Havelock Road is Kampong Malacca and one of the oldest Mosques. Near North Canal was the early quarter of the Jews as well as their oldest Synagogue.
During the Battle for Singapore Chinatown was bombed daily by the Japanese. The heart of Chinatown was roughly an area of 30 acres with almost 20,000 crammed into it. There were no air raid shelters in Chinatown because the British authorities had bungled their air-raid policy. Many had to cower in their crowded homes or lie panic stricken in filthy monsoon ditches. The Japanese bombers made indiscriminate raids on Chinatown and the casualties mounted day by day.
The Civil Defence unit comprised mainly Chinese who were brave and worked around the clock, clearing roads, and debris; rescue workers had to extricate the victims in bombed buildings and death lorries had to be manned to collect the unclaimed bodies for mass burials in deep pits. To show respect to the different races the bodies were grouped according to the races and kept apart in the pits.
Many in Chinatown and whose homes were bombed and had become homeless sought refuge in the several Chinese Temples and in the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church.
Despite urban renewal projects several parts of Chinatown are still intact and Singaporeans should visit these areas (some renovates) to realize how our ancestors had lived and toiled to make Singapore what it is today.
Click for an overview of all Facts of Old Singapore
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)