Roma Record: Paths of the Gypsy population’s diasporas
The Gypsies’ meandering past has left the group with little history. A new study shows that genetics can trace their centuries-old paths. The findings could be a boon not only for historians but also for researchers studying human genetics and disease.
The Gypsies, or Roma, are what scientists call a founder population, a group started by a small number of isolated individuals who maintained genetic idiosyncrasies over multiple generations (SN: 7/22/00, p. 63: Available to subscribers at Gene mutation for color blindness found). In time, different Roma social groups broke away from the parent population and founded new, isolated communities around the world.