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December 5, 2024

No, Genetics Don’t Prove Christopher Columbus Had Sephardi Ancestry

Only that he might have.

Speaking of the pitfalls of popular reporting on historical research, a Spanish documentary received much attention in October because of its claim that new genetic evidence implied that Christoper Columbus was of Jewish ancestry. Mosaic noted reasons for skepticism on historical grounds. Razib Khan, a geneticist, points out the flimsy biological reasoning behind the claim:

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December 5, 2024

  1. Inside Israel’s Unprecedented Battle to Drive Hamas Out of Its Tunnels

    The IDF turned tunnels from obstacles controlled by the defending enemy into maneuver corridors for the attacker.

  2. Britain’s Shameful Royal Welcome for the Qatari Emir

    Shortly after announcing that it would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu should he come to the UK.

  3. A Personal Encounter with Rashid Khalidi, Whose Book the President Recently Displayed

    Dean of the pseudo-scholars.

  4. The Discovery of One of the Diaspora’s Oldest Synagogues, and the Perils of Reporting on History

    Built in 51 CE on the coast of the Black Sea.

  5. No, Genetics Don’t Prove Christopher Columbus Had Sephardi Ancestry

    Only that he might have.