L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano W e usual- l y s a y t h a t America is a mel- t i n g p o t o f c u l t u r e s a n d races, but did you know that, according to genetic resear- c h , I t a l y m a y b e j u s t a s varied? The study was carried out b y a t e a m o f r e s e a r c h e r s from Rome's Università La Sapienza, in collabora- tion with the universities of Bologna, Cagliari and Pisa, and led by anthropologist Giovanni Destro Bisol in 2 0 1 4 . A f e w y e a r s b a c k , that's true, but importance of this work remains very much modern. Its main findings show that Italian DNA has from 7 to 30 times more differences t h a n t h o s e r e g i s t e r e d between the Portuguese and the Hungarians. This variety is present everywhere, from North to South and includes also Italy's islands, Sardinia and Sicily. In other words, Bisol et al.'s research shows that Italians have a higher l e v e l o f d i v e r s i t y a m o n g themselves than populations living at opposite corners of the continent. Research was conducted over the span of 7 years and took into consideration a number of people living on Italian soil, all characterized by cultural and local specifi- c i t y : i t i n c l u d e d , a m o n g o t h e r s , t h e G r e c a n i c i o f S a l e n t o , a s w e l l a s t h e German-speaking commu- nity of Sappada, in Northern V e n e t o . O n e o f t h e f i r s t things noted was how gene- tic heterogeneity went hand in hand with Italy's own bio- diversity: in other words, the country's own variety when it comes to its flora, fauna and landscape has been a m a j o r c o n t r i b u t o r t o t h e creation of what researchers called an Italian genetic melting pot. This is largely caused by two main reasons, the first being the aforemen- tioned biodiversity, result of the vast longitudinal exten- sion of the country, which allows to find, within its bor- ders, alpine, mediterranean a n d c o n t i n e n t a l c l i m a t e , along with their respective habitats. It is known that b i o d i v e r s i t y a n d c l i m a t e diversity can result in gene- tic variation, as our genes tend to adapt themselves — and us — to the conditions in which we live. B u t t h e r e i s m o r e t h a t adds to Italy's great genetic variety: for centuries, our country was a florid hub for commerce, a centre of cultu- ral and intellectual research and, unfortunately, also a land conquered by many. T h i s , a l o n g w i t h i t s g e o - g r a p h i c a l p o s i t i o n w h i c h made — and makes — it a common migratory destina- tion for people coming from the Mediterranean basin, made it even more suscepti- ble to genetic variation and mixing. Destro Bisol's team stres- sed how their results are not solely applicable to urban populations, where perhaps genetic variety can be more o p e n l y s e e n , b u t a l s o i n areas largely considered iso- lated and with little contact with other genetic realities. In fact, it was the oldest, most isolated populations to show the greatest variety: l i n g u i s t i c m i n o r i t i e s l i k e Ladins, Cimbrians and the G r e c a n i c i , a s w e l l a s t h e paleo-germaphone commu- nities of our eastern Alps a n d s o m e g r o u p s i n Sardinia, are among those w h o s h o w e d t h e h i g h e s t levels of genetic differences from the rest and who are also responsible for part of the lively and multifaceted cultural reality of our coun- t r y . J u s t t o g i v e y o u a n example, the study showed that there are more genetic d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n t h e German speaking people of Sappada and their neighbors in Cadore than we can find b e t w e e n S p a n i a r d s a n d Rumanians. Destro Bisol said to La R e p u b b l i c a t h a t " D N A sampling was preceded by a series of meetings with all the groups who participated t o t h e s t u d y , w h e n w e e x p l a i n e d t h e a i m s a n d objectives of our work and tried to clarify doubts and satisfy curiosity. More than anything, though, we explai- n e d t o t h e m o u r p o i n t o f view and we asked for advi- ce. We had meetings like this throughout the research p r o c e s s , t o e x p o s e o u r results to participants and g a i n f e e d b a c k a b o u t o u r hypotheses and views, espe- c i a l l y i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e i r knowledge and to traditional beliefs. Then, our work was published locally so that the c o m m u n i t i e s c o u l d b e aware, at large, of what we had found out. Basically, we worked in compliance with Open Science principles and tried to make participants active and aware part of our research." Destro Bisol also stated t h i s r e s e a r c h s h o u l d b e viewed in a modern context, especially in connection with matters of race. In Italy, as e v e r y w h e r e i n t h e w o r l d , unfortunately, episodes of r a c i s m , x e n o p h o b i a a n d homophobia are on the rise and knowing how "different" we are genetically, but how ultimately similar we are as a people, should teach us all s o m e t h i n g i m p o r t a n t : "Italians reached great goals in history also in name of t h e i r b e i n g s o m i x e d , s o varied, but not many in Italy know there are 12 linguistic minorities, all recognized by law, all Italian through and through, who got here cen- turies ago from areas like Croatia and Albania," areas f r o m w h e r e — A l b a n i a i n particular — people keep on migrating to Italy. This is, perhaps, the les- s o n w e c a n l e a r n f r o m Destro Bisol and his team's w o r k : : t h a t o u r g e n e t i c wealth, which in many a way makes us the creative and r e s i l i e n t p e o p l e w e a r e , comes from a history of con- tact with "others" who, in time, became part of "us" so deeply to be within our own genes. And when ties are that deep, differences are only important when they enrich us. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Did you know that Italians have the most diverse DNA in Europe? Italian elderly men enjoying a chat outdoors: their DNA, just like that of the rest of the country, is the most varied in Europe (Photo: Shutterstock_1070411096) Selling Homes Throughout The Bay Area Adele Della Santina "The Right Realtor makes all the di昀erence." 650.400.4747 Adele.DellaSantina@compass.com www.AdeleDS.com DRE# 00911740 Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation! LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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