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DNA exists in all living creatures, including humans. It carries our genetic data, passing on our traits to future generations. It also enables us to trace our ancestry back to our earliest forebears.
DNA works both ways. By examining the DNA of ancient humans and prehumans and comparing it with ours, we can gain a clearer understanding of our roots. Here are just a few of the numerous insights science has gathered from analyzing ancient DNA.
10. Humans Share An Ancestry From A Single Man And Woman
The Bible asserts that all humans are descendants of Adam and Eve, the first humans on Earth. Science partially supports this idea, with some intriguing distinctions. First, Adam and Eve weren't the very first humans. Second, we are not their direct offspring. Rather, every man is descended from the male lineage, and every woman from the female lineage.
Researchers refer to the man as “Y-chromosome Adam” and the woman as “mitochondrial Eve.” Y-chromosome Adam lived in Africa between 125,000 and 156,000 years ago, while mitochondrial Eve resided in East Africa between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago. Unlike the biblical Adam and Eve, it’s improbable that Y-chromosome Adam and mitochondrial Eve ever crossed paths, though they could have coexisted at the same time.
Scientists determined that Y-chromosome Adam was the ancestor of all men by sequencing the Y chromosome of 69 men from seven different ethnic backgrounds. For mitochondrial Eve, they analyzed the mitochondrial DNA of the 69 men along with 24 additional women. However, the timeline for Y-chromosome Adam remains contested, as other research suggests he may have lived between 180,000 and 200,000 years ago, or possibly as far back as 237,000 to 581,000 years ago.
9. Early Humans of Different Species Mated and Mixed
In 2012, archaeologists uncovered a bone fragment from Denisova Cave in Siberia. The fragment was part of the shin or thigh of an ancient human named Denisova 11. DNA analysis revealed that Denisova 11 was a female who lived around 50,000 years ago and was over 13 years old when she passed away. She was also a hybrid of two early human species: the Neanderthal and the Denisovan.
Denisova 11’s father was a Denisovan, and her mother was a Neanderthal. Interestingly, her father himself was also a descendant of a Neanderthal-Denisovan hybrid. However, unlike his daughter, who was a direct descendant, his hybrid ancestor lived between 300 and 600 generations before him.
Scientists know that Denisovans and Neanderthals parted ways 390,000 years ago. However, they were unaware that these species interbred until this discovery. DNA testing also revealed that Denisova 11’s Neanderthal mother was more closely related to Western European Neanderthals than to a Neanderthal from Denisova Cave who lived earlier in prehistory.
8. Tibetans Are Descended from Denisovans
Speaking of interbreeding, DNA analysis has confirmed that Tibetans are descendants of the Denisovans. This doesn’t mean that Tibetans are Denisovans themselves; they are Homo sapiens. One of their Homo sapiens ancestors simply interbred with a Denisovan.
Scientists made this discovery by comparing the genomes from Denisova 11 with those of 40 Tibetans. They found that the Tibetan EPAS1 gene closely resembled Denisova 11’s EPAS1 gene. The EPAS1 gene, found in all humans, plays a crucial role in regulating our body’s response to low-oxygen environments.
Our bodies naturally increase hemoglobin production to carry oxygen to our tissues when oxygen levels are low. While this helps ensure our survival, it also poses a risk for heart problems. However, Tibetans possess a mutated EPAS1 gene. Their bodies don’t ramp up hemoglobin production in low-oxygen environments, which is why they can thrive at high altitudes where oxygen is scarce.
Scientists believe that Tibetans inherited the gene from an ancestor who mated with a Denisovan between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago. However, it’s still unconfirmed whether the mutated EPAS1 gene also enabled the Denisovans to adapt to high-altitude living like it does for the Tibetans.
7. The First Britons Were Black
In 1903, scientists discovered the 10,000-year-old remains of a British man in a cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. A 2018 DNA analysis of the man, known as the Cheddar Man, revealed that he had dark brown or black skin, curly black hair, and blue eyes.
Since he is the oldest complete human skeleton ever discovered in Britain, this means the first Brits were black. Interestingly, in the 1990s, Professor Brian Sykes from Oxford University tested the DNA of 20 people from Cheddar village and compared it to that of the Cheddar Man. He found that two of these individuals were direct descendants of Cheddar Man.
6. King Richard III of England Had a Hunchback
In 2012, archaeologists from the University of Leicester began excavating a car park in Leicester, the location of the former Greyfriars church, where King Richard III was believed to be buried. There, they discovered the remains of the monarch, making Richard III famous as the king whose body was found beneath a parking lot.
Scientists confirmed that the skeleton indeed belonged to the king by matching its DNA with that of a living relative. They also found evidence of fatal head injuries to the skull that aligned with the wounds Richard III sustained in the Battle of Bosworth. Additionally, they discovered that his spine was curved, proving once and for all that the king had a hunchback—a point that had been debated by historians for years.
5. King Tut’s Parents Were Siblings
King Tutankhamun remains one of the most renowned pharaohs of ancient Egypt. He ascended to the throne at just ten years old and ruled until his death around 1324 BC at the age of 19. His tomb was discovered by archaeologists in 1922, and to their amazement, it was untouched—containing valuable treasures, including gold and precious stones.
Physical analysis of King Tut’s remains revealed that his life, though brief, was far from easy. His left leg was malformed, requiring him to rely on a cane to walk. In fact, 130 canes were found in his tomb. DNA tests later confirmed that his deformity was a result of inbreeding. Additionally, he suffered from malaria, which would have hindered the healing of his leg.
DNA analysis determined that King Tut’s father was Akhenaten, the son of Amenhotep III (King Tut’s grandfather). Further testing revealed that King Tut’s mother was also a daughter of Amenhotep III, making his parents siblings. Some historians suggest that his mother was Queen Nefertiti, though this has been disputed because she was not related to Akhenaten.
4. The Clovis People Were Not The First To Settle In America
The Clovis people were once believed to be the first inhabitants of the Americas. They arrived in North America around 13,000 years ago, moved into South America 11,000 years ago, and vanished 9,000 years ago. However, DNA testing on ancient human remains in 2018 revealed that the Clovis culture were not the first people to settle in the Americas.
DNA evidence from ancient remains found in North America confirms that the Clovis people were present 12,800 years ago. However, the story is different for South America. DNA tests on the remains of 49 ancient South Americans show that the Clovis culture did not appear in South America until 11,000 years ago.
Interestingly, archaeologists have discovered evidence of an unidentified culture that existed in Monte Verde, Chile, 14,500 years ago. Human remains, estimated to be 12,800 years old, were found in South America and are believed to belong to this mysterious tribe, as their DNA does not match that of the Clovis people.
The oldest DNA evidence suggesting that the Clovis people ever lived in South America comes from an 11,000-year-old human. Scientists are still uncertain about the connection between the Clovis culture and this unknown tribe, but there is clear evidence that the tribe existed. Modern South Americans do not share DNA with the Clovis people, confirming this.
3. Malaria Contributed To The Fall Of Ancient Rome
For years, researchers speculated that malaria played a role in the fall of ancient Rome. In 2011, their suspicions were confirmed when scientists analyzed the remains of 47 babies and toddlers found in an ancient Roman villa in Lugnano, Italy. This analysis revealed that malaria indeed plagued Rome and contributed to its downfall.
The children discovered in Lugnano, as they are known, ranged in age, with the oldest being only three years old. They all died and were buried around the same time. More than half died before birth, all victims of one of the many malaria outbreaks that struck ancient Rome. These outbreaks crippled the workforce, preventing farmers from tending to their fields. The most significant impact was on the Roman army, which was unable to muster enough soldiers to defend against foreign invaders.
2. Descendants Of The Vikings Are At Risk Of Emphysema
A 2016 study led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine uncovered that descendants of the Vikings have a heightened risk of developing emphysema, a severe lung condition. While smokers are typically the most likely to suffer from emphysema, Viking descendants face an unusually high risk.
Analysis of a Viking-era latrine in Denmark revealed that Vikings suffered from a significant worm infestation. As a result, their alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) inhibitor gene mutated to counter the effects of the worms' enzymes. A1AT is naturally produced in humans to prevent the digestive enzymes in our bodies from harming our organs.
For the Vikings and their descendants, the enhanced A1AT inhibitor's ability to handle the enzymes released by the worms came at a cost. It reduced the inhibitor's ability to stop the enzymes in their own bodies from damaging their organs.
In today's world, the mutated A1AT inhibitor has little use, as we now have medications to treat worm infestations. However, DNA tests show that Viking descendants still carry the mutated inhibitor. As a result, they are left with an ongoing struggle against their bodies' inability to cope with their own enzymes, which leads to lung diseases.
1. Columbus Did Not Introduce Tuberculosis To The Americas
It is widely believed that Christopher Columbus’s journey to the Americas in the late 15th century brought with it several deadly diseases, including tuberculosis, which decimated 90 percent of the Native American population. However, DNA evidence contradicts this theory. In fact, seals had already introduced tuberculosis to the Americas long before Columbus’s arrival.
This revelation came from the analysis of three sets of human remains discovered in Peru. The individuals are believed to have died around 1,000 years ago, well before Columbus’s arrival. DNA tests revealed that the strain of tuberculosis they carried is most closely related to the strain found in infected seals and sea lions.
At the time the Peruvians lived, Europe, Asia, and Africa were facing severe tuberculosis epidemics. Scientists believe seals and sea lions may have contracted the disease during an outbreak in Africa and carried it with them when they migrated to the Americas. The Peruvian natives likely became infected with this mutated tuberculosis strain when they hunted these marine animals for food.
However, this does not exonerate Columbus and his crew. It’s possible they introduced the far more deadly European strain of tuberculosis to the Americas. Today, the tuberculosis found in the Americas is of European origin.
