World History
The famous iceman of Italy has some new news. He may have no relatives in the modern world. It appears his particular DNA is now extinct. An article at Yahoo! titled Ancient iceman probably has no modern relatives has the details.
It notes:
"Otzi," Italy's prehistoric iceman, probably does not have any modern day descendants, according to a study published Thursday.
A team of Italian and British scientists who sequenced his mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through the mother's line -- found that Otzi belonged to a genetic lineage that is either extremely rare or has died out.
Otzi's 5,300-year-old corpse was found frozen in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991.
"Our research suggests that Otzi's lineage may indeed have become extinct," Martin Richards of Leeds University in Britain, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
The Wikpedia article on Ötzi the Iceman writes, "Ötzi the Iceman (pronounced [??tsi], Frozen Fritz, and Similaun Man are modern nicknames of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC (53 centuries ago),[1] found in 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from Ötztal, the region in which he was discovered. He is Europe's oldest natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans."
Evidence shows that the iceman died from an arrow wound. It is possible that he died as a result of warfare. Perhaps this same war resulted eventually in the genocide of his relatives? It is impossible to tell but I find it interesting that none of his relatives are appearing in DNA today.
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World History
Ancient Iceman Probably Has No Descendants or Relatives
The famous iceman of Italy has some new news. He may have no relatives in the modern world. It appears his particular DNA is now extinct. An article at Yahoo! titled Ancient iceman probably has no modern relatives has the details.It notes:
"Otzi," Italy's prehistoric iceman, probably does not have any modern day descendants, according to a study published Thursday.
A team of Italian and British scientists who sequenced his mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through the mother's line -- found that Otzi belonged to a genetic lineage that is either extremely rare or has died out.
Otzi's 5,300-year-old corpse was found frozen in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991.
"Our research suggests that Otzi's lineage may indeed have become extinct," Martin Richards of Leeds University in Britain, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
The Wikpedia article on Ötzi the Iceman writes, "Ötzi the Iceman (pronounced [??tsi], Frozen Fritz, and Similaun Man are modern nicknames of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC (53 centuries ago),[1] found in 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from Ötztal, the region in which he was discovered. He is Europe's oldest natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans."
Evidence shows that the iceman died from an arrow wound. It is possible that he died as a result of warfare. Perhaps this same war resulted eventually in the genocide of his relatives? It is impossible to tell but I find it interesting that none of his relatives are appearing in DNA today.
- Looking At 4,000 Year Old Dna From Greenland
There is an interesting find at of Greenland. The DNA of a 4,000 year old man was sequenced and some surprises were discovered. An article titled After 4,000 years, DNA suggests ancient Greenland man had risk of baldness and even dry earwax was written...
- Children Of Llullaillaco Sacrificed With Alcohol
CNN has an article up titled Mummy of girl sacrificed by Incans prompts gasps. It details a display of a mummy of a 15 year old girl in Salta, Argentina who was killed 500 years ago in a sacrifice. The mummy is well preserved and the features on the girl...
- Mystery Mummy Is Lost Female Pharoah
Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. She is considered by many historians to have been the most powerful (and successful) woman in ancient Egypt. Unfortunately for Hatshepsut, Thutmose III attempted to subject Hatshepsut...
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From Art and Tools Came Human Origins. Larry Barham reports in British Archaeology that evidence of modern human behaviour 200,000 years old may have been found in Africa. From the site: Until fairly recently, modern humans were thought to have emerged...
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