Najnovije istrazivanje:
Genetic Ancestry, University of California
Departament of Evolution, Ecology and Biology of Population, July 2012
In a University of California, Davis study in July 2012 regarding the geography of recent genetic ancestry across Europe the genomic data of 2,257 Europeans (including 9 samples from Albania and 15 from Kosovo),were analysed. The results of the study suggest that a "reasonable proportion of the ancestors of modern-day Albanian speakers are drawn from a relatively small, cohesive population that has persisted for at least the last 1,500 years", as the samples of the Albanian speakers exhibited the highest levels of IBD sharing. The levels of common ancestry with neighbouring groups suggest the existence of a small group rather than an isolated one. Also the "Greek samples (and to a lesser degree, the Macedonian ones) share much higher numbers of common ancestors with Albanian speakers than with other neighbors, possibly due to smaller effects of the Slavic expansion in these populations" and that the "Italians share more common ancestors with Albanian speakers than with other populations". However, the common ancestry between Albanian- and Italian speakers may reflect more recent migrations as common ancestors of the groups are found in the last 1500 years. As for the origin of the Albanian population the results of the study are consistent with the view that the Albanians "descend in large part from the Illyrians (Wilkes, 1996) who populated the eastern side of the Adriatic sea and part of modern-day Salento (Italy) during Roman times".