DNA Analysis From the Twelfth Century Reveals the Hidden Origins of Modern Genetic Diseases

Your ancestors from centuries back may have had genetic diseases that could affect you today– particularly if you have Ashkenazi Jewish roots.

A new study carried out by international scientists suggested that a team of Ashkenazi Jews– victims of antisemitic violence during the 12th century– had a diseased genome that might affect modern day Ashkenazi Jewish populations.

The research was posted in Current Biology on Tuesday.

According to the research, the DNA contained variations linked to genetic disorders that are more prevalent among Ashkenazi Jewish populations today, 1 of the 2 main ancestral groups of Jews.

Researchers also suggested that their study challenges the previous view that disease-related variants associated with Ashkenazi Jewish populations only became more typicall in the past 600 years.

As reported in The Independent, scientists from the Natural History Museum, University College London, Mainz andCambridge Universities, and also the Francis Crick Institute conducted an analysis of the remains of 6 of the people discovered at Norwich.

The findings indicate that 4 of the probable victims were relatives, including 3 young sisters (aged five-ten years, 10-15 years, and one young adult). They also may point to widespread fatalities from famine, disease, or murder.

Dr. Selina Brace, a principal scientist at the Natural History Museum and lead author of the paper, said: “I am delighted and relieved that 12 years after we first started analyzing the remains of these people, technology has caught up and helped us to understand this historical cold case of who these people were and why we believe they were murdered.”

Co-author Professor Mark Thomas of University College London stated: “It was quite surprising that the initially unidentified remains filled the historical void about when certain Jewish communities first formed, and the beginnings of some genetic disorders.”

It is hard to state what exactly happened – yet.

Jewish communities have suffered genocides throughout history.

According to the study research, the findings are consistent with these individuals being victims of a historically recorded antisemitic massacre in Norwich on February 6th, 1190 AD by local crusaders and their supporters.

Dr. Tom Booth, the senior scientist at the Francis Crick Institute, said: “Ralph de Diceto’s account of the 1190 AD attacks is evocative. However, a deep well containing the bodies of Jewish men, women, and especially children pressures us to confront the real damage of what happened.”

Read the original article on Interesting Engineering.