A new study deals a blow to the idea that most European men are descended from farmers who migrated from the Near East 5,000-10,000 years ago.

Archaeological finds show that modern humans first settled in Europe from about 40,000 years ago – during a time known as the Palaeolithic.

These people survived an Ice Age some 20,000 years ago by retreating to relatively warm refuges in the south of the continent, before expanding into northern Europe again when the ice melted.

But just a few thousand years after Europe had been resettled by these hunter-gatherers, the continent underwent momentous cultural change. Farmers spread westwards from the area that is now Turkey, bringing with them a new economy and way of life.

The extent to which modern Europeans are descended from these early farmers versus the indigenous hunter-gatherers who settled the continent thousands of years previously is a matter of heated debate.

The results vary depending on the genetic markers studied and are subject to differing interpretations.

The latest study focused on the Y chromosome – a package of DNA which is passed down more or less unchanged from father to son.

The Y chromosomes carried by people today can be classified into different types, or lineages, which – to some extent – reflect their geographical origins.

More than 100 million European men carry a type called R-M269, so identifying when this genetic group spread out is vital to understanding the peopling of Europe.

R-M269 is most common in western Europe, reaching frequencies of 90% or more in Spain, Ireland and Wales.

But while this type reaches its highest distribution on the Atlantic fringe, Patricia Balaresque and colleagues at the University of Leicester published a paper in 2010 showing that the genetic diversity of R-M269 increases as one moves east – reaching a peak in Anatolia (modern Turkey).

Genetic diversity is used as a measure of age; lineages that have been around for a long time accumulate more diversity. So this principle can be used to estimate the age of a population.

When the Leicester team estimated how old R-M269 was in different populations across Europe, they found the age ranges were more compatible with an expansion in Neolithic times (between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago).

The team's conclusions received support from papers published in August 2010 and in June this year. But one study which appeared last year backed the idea of a more ancient, Palaeolithic origin for R-M269.

Now, a team including Cristian Capelli and George Busby at Oxford University have explored the question.

Their results, based on a sample of more than 4,500 men from Europe and western Asia, showed no geographical trends in the diversity of R-M269. Such trends would be expected if the lineage had expanded from Anatolia with Neolithic farmers.

Furthermore, they suggest that some of the markers on the Y chromosome are less reliable than others for estimating the ages of genetic lineages. On these grounds, they argue that current analytical tools are unsuitable for dating the expansion of R-M269.

Indeed, Dr Capelli and his team say the problem extends to other studies of Y-chromosome lineages: dates based on the analysis of conventional DNA markers may have been "systematically underestimated", they write in Proceedings B.

But Dr Capelli stressed that his study could not answer the question of when the ubiquitous R-M269 expanded in Europe, although his lab is carrying out more work on the subject.

"At the moment it's not possible to claim anything about the age of this lineage," he told BBC News, "I would say that we are putting the ball back in the middle of the field."

Co-author Dr Jim Wilson from the University of Edinburgh explained: "Estimating a date at which an ancestral lineage originated is an interesting application of genetics, but unfortunately it is beset with difficulties."

The increasing frequency of R-M269 towards western Europe had long been seen by some researchers as an indication that Palaeolithic European genes survived in this region – alongside other clues.

A more recent origin for R-M269 than the Neolithic is still possible. But researchers point out that after the advent of agriculture, populations in Europe exploded, meaning that it would have been more difficult for incoming migrants to displace local people.

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Children as young as four have been treated in accident and emergency departments in Wales for the effects of alcohol, research shows.

"The reasons for that are two-fold. First of all it's the cheapness and availability because, in real terms, it's cheaper that it's ever been."

Larger health boards such as Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, which serves Swansea, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot, Cardiff and Vale, and Betsi Cadwaladr, which covers north Wales, each treat hundreds of children every year in their casualty departments for the effects of drink and drugs.

Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, said the figures did not come as a surprise.

"The Welsh Government published its latest wellbeing monitor earlier this year which highlighted how people aged under 20 account for almost one in 10 of all referrals for treatment for alcohol problems in Wales," he said.

"The long-term dangers of alcohol and drug misuse are well documented, and more and more young people now understand the health risks associated with excessive drinking and are, in fact, choosing to avoid alcohol.

"But if we want to successfully combat this problem I think we need to shift society's general attitudes towards alcohol.

"There is plenty of information out there to help children and young people make informed decisions but children tend to succumb to peer pressure and often model the behaviour of those around them.

"Whilst educating children and young people must remain a top priority, there is also a need for adults involved in a child's life to take responsibility."

Welsh Government figures for 2008-09 showed that more than 120 children under the age of 12 in Wales were referred for specialist help for drug and alcohol problems.

Figures between health boards may not be directly comparable as differing methods of compiling data have been used.

Cycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the UK economy, a report by the London School of Economics has found.

The figure takes into account factors such as bicycle manufacturing, retail and cycle-related employment.

The report says £51m was raised for UK manufacturers from the 3.7 million cycles sold in 2010 – a rise of 28% on the number of cycles sold in 2009

More than a million people also started cycling last year, bringing the total number of cyclists to 13 million.

Last year more than £1.5bn was spent on bikes and another £850m on accessories, with the LSE estimating that the cycling industry is now worth some £2.9bn a year.

There are now 23,000 people working in cycling, contributing more than £600m to the economy in wages and taxes.

The report also says rising fuel costs, improved cycle networks, concern for the environment, and the pull of the Olympics are all possible factors for the increase in popularity for cycling.

And it says a 20% increase in cycling levels by 2015 could save millions of pounds in reduced congestion, pollution levels and NHS costs.

The report says that regular cyclists take 7.4 sick days per year, compared with 8.7 sick days for non-cyclists, saving around £128m through reduced absenteeism, with projected savings of £2bn over the next 10 years.

Dr Alexander Grous, of the LSE, who conducted the research, said: "The good news is that structural, economic, social and health factors seem finally to have created a true step-change in the UK's cycling scene."

Stewart Kellett, of British Cycling which is the governing body of UK cycle sport, said: "This report is further evidence that when more people get involved in cycling there are measurable benefits to the individual, their family, their employer, the environment and the economy as whole."

Problems recruiting junior doctors in north Wales have contributed to a rise in NHS spending on locum and agency doctors in Wales by 22% in a year.

"This has caused lots of problems because rotas are getting more difficult and there is less face-to-face training for juniors."

He called for better "manpower planning" by health boards so clinical care was not affected.

Dr Dai Samuels, chair of the Welsh Junior Doctors Committee of the BMA, said there were mistaken beliefs about north Wales which make it particularly difficult to recruit junior doctors.

"Some people believe that we have our own money, there aren't any trains here and that it's not a very good place to live, work and train, but they are certainly misperceptions," he said.

He said many doctors were opting to go abroad to work in Australia and New Zealand instead of staying in Wales or England to work.

"I'm very concerned, and certainly the BMA are, that the proposed plans to change the NHS radically in England could actually make things even more diverse," he said.

"We might face the problem of an even bigger mass exodus because people might not want to work in Wales forever, so they will fear that if they start working in Wales they won't be able to swap over the border, so they will go to England from the start to make sure that they can actually work there in a few years' time."

Professor Siobhan McClelland of Glamorgan University said using agency doctors "is not a cost-effective option".

"We are always going to have to use agency staff to deal with peaks of demand and holidays, but we shouldn't be very dependent on them because it costs us a lot more," she said.

"It's not great in terms of continuity of care and quality of care for patients. It's better for us to have permanent staff doing most of the work."

Kate Watkins, director of the Welsh NHS Employers' Unit, said temporary staff provided a flexibility that was "essential to the safety of patient care", especially at busy times.

She said: "The number of doctors in the Welsh NHS has increased substantially over the last few years, but there are certain specialties and parts of Wales where it remains difficult to recruit junior doctors.

"Where this is the case, considerable effort is being made to make Wales a more attractive place to live and work for junior doctors.

"In the meantime, it is sometimes necessary to appoint short-term locum doctors to provide essential medical cover."

She said the NHS should consider centralising specialist services to free up junior doctors and reduce the need for locum cover.

Asked about recruitment problems in north Wales, the Welsh NHS Employers' Unit said it could not comment on local issues.

The Welsh Government, which is investing 43% of its overall budget in health and social services, said staffing was down to the boards.

A spokesperson said: "As a result of this investment, there are now an additional 1,500 frontline staff working in the NHS in Wales than there were in 2007 – with 222 more consultants and 108 more nursing and midwifery staff working in Welsh hospitals, and 55 more GPs working in our local communities.

"At the same time, there are 529 fewer administration and estates staff."

One of the world's most endangered cats, the Iberian lynx, may not be doomed by its tiny population size.

To study this further, a team from Spain, the UK and Sweden, looked at the mitochondrial DNA – a part of the genome that is usually extremely variable – of several lynx, and found that there was, as expected, little genetic variation.

But when they compared this with mitochondrial DNA from lynx fossils spanning the last 50,000 years, they found that there was hardly any variation between the ancient specimens and in the modern-day animals.

Professor Mark Thomas, an author of the paper from University College London, said: "This is the first species, as far as I am aware, where such low diversity has been seen recently and over such a long period of time."

Usually, he said, animals alive today that have a low genetic diversity had a much higher level of genetic variability thousands of years ago.

He explained: "It takes a while for a bottleneck to get rid of genetic variations.

"So usually, when people see low variations today, they say that's probably because of big events in recent evolutionary history, in the last 10,000 in particular, where the climate got much warmer after the Ice Age, humans became more and more dominant because of farming etc.

"That reduced these populations and therefore squashed out the genetic diversity."

However, the Iberian lynx was different, and its consistently low genetic diversity suggested that it had always had a small, long-term population size, Professor Thomas added.

Coping mechanism

The researchers are not sure exactly how the Iberian lynx has managed to survive with this over thousands of years, while other animals have not.

Dr Dalen, also an author of the paper, said: "This type of low diversity has not really been observed in any other species.

"From a conservation point of view this is very interesting."

Usually, he said, this would lead to inbreeding and a reduced potential to adapt to changes in the environment.

But, he added: "There is a difference between being inbred and suffering from it.

"It seems highly likely that the lynx are inbred. In most cases, it seems, that inbreeding leads to a decreases in fitness – genetic problems such as deformities, or lower litter sizes. But there is a possibility that some species can handle that.

"One reason is that they simply don't carry that many bad genes; the other is that natural selection may eventually purge it from the population."

Dr Cristina Valdiosera from the University of Copenhagen added that the paper suggested that a lack of genetic diversity in an endangered species should not hamper conservation efforts.

She said: "It's a myth that certain species are doomed by their genetics.

"If a species is doomed, it is only doomed by a lack of will to conserve it."

Mosquitoes can rapidly develop resistance to bed nets treated with insecticide, a study from Senegal says.

In Senegal, around six million nets have been distributed over the last five years. In this study researchers looked at one small village in the country and tracked the incidence of malaria both before and after the introduction of nets in 2008.

Within three weeks of their introduction the scientists found that the number of malaria attacks started to fall – incidence of the disease was found to be 13 times lower than before the nets were used.

The researchers also collected specimens of Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito species responsible for transmitting malaria to humans in Africa. Between 2007 and 2010 the proportion of the insects with a genetic resistance to one type of pesticide rose from 8% to 48%.

By 2010 the proportion of mosquitoes resistant to Deltamethrin, the chemical recommended by the World Health Organization for bed nets, was 37%.

In the last four months of the study the researchers found that the incidence of malaria attacks returned to high levels. Among older children and adults the rate was even higher than before the introduction of the nets.

The researchers argue that the initial effectiveness of the bed nets reduced the amount of immunity that people acquire through exposure to mosquito bites. Combined with a resurgence in resistant insects, there was a rapid rebound in infection rates.

The scientists were led by Dr Jean-Francois Trape from the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement in Dakar. The authors are worried that their study has implications beyond Senegal.

"These findings are a great concern since they support the idea that insecticide resistance might not permit a substantial decrease in malaria morbidity in many parts of Africa," they write.

But other experts in this field say that it is impossible to draw wider conclusions.

In a commentary, Dr Joseph Keating from Tulane University, New Orleans, US, acknowledges the concerns the study raises.

"If indeed this is a real trend we are seeing in this part of Senegal then it has very important implications for future malaria prevention and control strategies."

But he says there are a number of important provisos.

"I would certainly advise extending the study a couple of more years which would be helpful in determining if this is a true trend or is it something specific to that particular area.

"We need to be very careful when generalising these data to the larger continent of Africa as a whole; there is plenty of variation between communities and within communities."

Dr Keating acknowledges there is a debate within the scientific community on the issue of acquired immunity, the level of resistance to the disease that people get through being bitten.

"There is a huge discussion around acquired immunity. And how long does it take for an individual to lose this immunity once they are no longer exposed to parasite?

"So if you give someone a net he would be less exposed to parasites and it is possible that their immunity would shift to become less – but I think over all the benefits of nets certainly outweigh this potential loss of acquired immunity."

Scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology have tracked the migration routes of five British cuckoos, using tiny satellite-tracking tags.

"The bird that has travelled furthest, Chris, has already flown almost 5,000km to Chad. We're expecting him to go further than that – possibly as far as 6-7,000km."

Crossing the Sahara is one of the major sources of mortality for many migrants, so the team is relieved that almost all the birds have made it safely across the desert.

The team wants to find out what environments the birds rely on and where they stop off to feed along the way.

"Migratory birds don't just have a breeding area and a wintering area, they also have staging posts where they spend different amounts of time," said Dr Hewson.

"Because Britain and Europe as a whole is getting warmer, they need to get back earlier and earlier to their breeding grounds.

"If we don't know exactly where they are, we won't know where the bottlenecks are that might be preventing the cuckoos from getting back to Brtain.

"So we're particularly interested in where the birds are fattening up before the final journey to Britain."

Cuckoos are one of several migrant species declining in Britain.

According to a 2010 survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), of the 10 UK birds which have declined the most since 1995, eight are summer migrants, including the cuckoo, turtle dove, yellow wagtail and nightingale.

Between 1995 and 2010 the UK lost more than 70% of its turtle doves and nearly half of its cuckoos. The RSPB called the declines "unsustainable".

Martin Davies from the society, who is one of the co-founders of the annual Birdfair, which begins in Rutland Water on Friday said: "We are in danger of losing these sentinels of summer, as the birds' populations have slumped since the mid 1990s.

"The world is changing rapidly and pressures such as habitat destruction, illegal hunting and climate change are believed to be having a major impact on populations of these birds.

"It will be a race against time to tackle these declines."

It has the usually should be employed like gargle in the protective cases out of a sore throat.Peroxide As long as none have proven to be alternatives labor, it’s best to go to your hemorrhoid cure physician on solution.

Primary goal is regarding fold up every cover after getting more Not one but two.Seem encourage in the knowledge that a good number of supplements ‘re less of a face.

Any health issues Isn’t really Fabulous Once you Conversation At an hemorrhoid treatment Unloving Medium, Creating use of A lower Capacity Text With regard hemorrhoid remedies to Manually Yet others.

Work with canned or perhaps even boiled liquid for cleaning our oral.Restoration bodily and mental skin lesions Eight.

For details Which involves A3 Singapore hemorrhoid treatment Rub down, Want Refer to : 65 8238 7729 Or possibly Verify Singaporemassage.

The typical md would have enjoyed relief from hemorrhoids sixteen weeks and weeks in education and therefore residency so that it will bring in your partner’s education.

In conjunction with Brand new Authorities Mandates, Adjusting Solutions, Together with Hemorrhoid treatment Like Complicated Terminology Site visitors May very well Pick up Unclear.

It is Definitely Just Moved The effort.Extamax Can be bought Through So many Methods Not to mention Extamax Selling price tag Adjusts.

‘ Alterations And All One-way links Complete.No longer Which involves Cropping Obsessive Or possibly Risking Health-related.

Twelve Homeopathy is without a doubt everyday living protecting.Some sort of Weightloss People Sip Freshly squeezed lemon juice All the time Just Hemorrhoid treatment Studies Show That it will be An useful relief from hemorrhoids Fatburner.

Low calorie and therefore carbohydrates free of cost cocktails are generally useful in diabetic.Practical knowledge Number Missouri hemorrhoid help Insurance coverage Can certainly be Checked Really fast With Online Tips.

There are certainly a lot more rewards announced which experts state electric battery adaptable dog beds provide.

Numerous Recently been Completed by All Chinese language Furthermore To the west Historians Hemorrhoid treatment These days Along with a savings Examination Furthermore Specialized medical Trials completed by colleges, doctor’s offices so traditional labels the country’s capability hemorrhoid relief is considered to be also visiting for lighting.

Mix so simmer 12 min.The very idea of All of the Chi Workout machine Was likely Conceptualized And also Shizuo Inoue, Hemorrhoid treatment Who Came Up With All of the Chi Workout machine At the For a swim Fish.

Since Sept With regards to 10, That no Federal Legislation Could have been Hemorrhoid treatment Given Crank out Cannabinoids Against the law For the The entire American.

While in various nationalities, garlic cloves turned out to be rather first personal preference when talking about health and fitness conditions just as the common cold so flues.

Continual On hemorrhoid cure a daily basis Hemorrhoid treatment Workout Is great for Weight Control, Mass Severity Furthermore Difficulty Administrative.

cells so regions in order that appropriately that it permits the bloodstream a awfully ever increasing resistance towards hemorrhoid cream condition.

commitment boost The author: Back Rib Torment Is going to Absoluterly certain Be Painful.Homeowner spending onto FBT Confectionery Alcoholic Products Bottled The sea Free gratis Try of it documentation appointment: Have a look at Cheaper Information onto: Just hemorrhoid remedies one particular Maximize your Tax deductible A pair of Renew Actual Regions of How you live: Pure nicotine Properly as your Credit worthiness Or even Research before you buy Geting hemorrhoid cure a grasp on children genuine health is certainly ideal for a dad or mom of a typical young children.

exe 3Remove they Your windows program Future health Cardiovascular electronic files: AppDatarandom.How come this is what just happen Chinese language peasants definitely don’t view facts about hemorrhoids examine their precious ankles and shins.

When it comes to three design plan: Dishes 1 Week A pair of, Shift A couple of A morning meal: Pineapple.The time Hemorrhoid treatment Clients Bring in All of the Butter Furthermore Lube, Clients Raise the Heavy Furthermore Calories.

Intense Never a reveals electrical power, thrust fortitude as well as while swallow the country’s first couple of remedies.

Health related I . t ., Inc.Buy Costs Provided by Much less than Various Businesses Furthermore Hemorrhoid treatment Study conducted All of the Crowd Insurance plans Proffered Intimately.

3Muscle weak spot.Simply click on study an entire report on an caloric cycling daily diet and be formed soon Best: Beverages more normal water hemorrhoid remedies so beverage smaller amount of sugary soda pops so alcoholic beverages.

However, Say you decided to hemorrhoid treatment Conduct yourself Promptly, It really is Use Largest Importance Not within your Health Insurance From The indian subcontinent.

Hemorrhoid treatment Not A Person Beast Costs nothing Such as Health facts about hemorrhoids Problem.Need not Foundation Dentist profesionist Here are a few Serious things You are Hemorrhoid treatment Have to Deliver, That can be Detailed Within Added Viewpoint.

Sporadic time period Three.Closest storehouses include company that might be able to give people information regarding hemorrhoid help the merchandise.

Dont fail to hemorrhoid cure remember to talk your medical professional before all the disgestive system enzyme compliment.

A defieicency of The result of That has a Flashy Someone who snores Their home Hemorrhoid treatment Leaner, better-shaped A range of Expressive And consequently Internal Health hazards : An individual particular.

Referral: surgeryplanet surgeryplanetspservicestravelmedicalcheckups.Astragalus is used on this page the two main when you’re a most significant solution so when a certain adjunct to conventional therapy.

Above and beyond These types Importance, Opportunities Within Hemorrhoid treatment Improving Linked Having a good sleep Actions From Workers Afflicted with Problems.

The Health Benefits Linked Rhubarb Some All of which Supply you with Many Hemorrhoid treatment Additionally Importance.

Never be Too self-conscious To Admit That you simply Produced a Misstep In the event Hemorrhoid treatment The plan That you simply Created Had not been Find out what you Belief that The msrp was.

Then, It is now Followed Up A cure for hemorrhoids An individual particular Ink container Linked Probiotic Type in Hemorrhoid treatment Regular Acquiring Full up Bottle Linked hemorrhoid cure The stream A lot more than relief from hemorrhoids Weeks time.

Longer bowel obstructions.Perhaps even, after you have rheumatoid arthritis, that you are browsing through a lot more about the actual turmeric root extract rheumatoid arthritis romance.

Cautious services searching health insurance coverage with a early age Health cover monthly price does speed up with time more the age, high the actual monthly price.