Are people from Ness ‘more Norse’ than the rest of Lewis?

Viking Genes, the Edinburgh University research study into genetic links to serious health disorders, is looking for people in Ness with at least two grandparents from Ness or Lewis.

The project is zeroing in on Ness because it is the nearest landfall in the Hebrides for Vikings sailing from Scandinavia.

Some Niseachs have already signed up, but Viking Genes are keen to find more volunteers willing to help with an online questionnaire and saliva samples.

The research aims to better understand what might cause health conditions such as heart disease, eye disease, stroke, diabetes and others.

The testing is, the researchers point out, not an ancestry DNA test.

The deadline for registration closes at the end of January.

You can find out more and register on the Viking Genes website – https://www.ed.ac.uk/viking