The first genome sequenced from ancient Egypt reveals surprising ancestry, scientists say
As a long -sought -after first, the researchers listed the entire genome of an old Egyptian person and showed an unprecedented idea about the descendants of a man living during the time of the first pyramids.
The man, whose ruins were buried in a closed clay container in Nuwayrat, a village in the south of Cairo, lived 4,500 to 4,800 years ago, which has just removed the DNA’s oldest ancient Egyptian example. The researchers concluded that 80% of the genetic material came from old people in North Africa, and 20% of them returned to people in West Asia and Mesopotamia.
Findings published in the magazine on Wednesday NatureToday’s Iraq (once known as Mesopotamia) offers new clues to argue that there are old cultural connections between ancient Egypt and societies, an area containing Iran and Jordan. Although scientists suspected these connections, the only evidence for them was archaeological rather than genetic.
Scientists also examined the man’s skeleton to learn more about his identity and found evidence of extensive running for a long life.
Research Assistant at the University of Liverpool John Moores, UK. Adeline Morez Jacobs said, bringing together all the clues from the DNA, bones and teeth of the individual, enabled us to create a comprehensive picture, ”he said. “We hope that when this movement from West Asia begins, future DNA samples can expand from ancient Egypt.”
Pottery and other works showed how hard it was to identify different ancient civilizations that the Egyptians may have traded goods and information in neighboring regions, but according to the writers, the conditions such as heat and humidity quickly disrupted DNA. However, the ruins of this man were unusual in the tomb containers, and scientists were able to remove DNA from one of the teeth of the skeleton.
While the findings capture only one person’s genetic background, experts said that additional studies can help answer a permanent question about the descendants of the first Egyptians who lived at the beginning of the longest -lived civilization.
In 1902, a pottery vessel with the remains of the man was discovered. – Liverpool University Garstang Archeology Museum
Coding a DNA puzzle
Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo, Physiology or Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2022 Made to sort the first Neanderthal genome Pioneering initiatives 40 years ago to remove and examine the DNA from ancient Egyptian ruins, but could not sort a genome. Bad DNA protection has created a constant obstacle.
Since then, the genomes of the three ancient Egyptian people only partially sorted By researchers who use “target -enriched ranking için to focus on certain markers interested in the DNA of the samples. The remains used in this business dates back to a new time from 787 BC to 23 BC in the history of Egypt.
In the last decade, the writers of the new study in technology have finally developed the technology that paved the way for the ranking of an entire ancient Egyptian genome.
“The technique we use for this work is often called ‘hunting rifle sequence’, which means that we provide all the DNA molecules isolated from teeth throughout the genome, Co said Coauthor Dr. Linus Girdland-Flink is a lecturer at Biomolecular Archeology at the University of Aberdeen at E-mail. “Our approach means that any future researcher can access all the genome we have published to find additional information. This also means that there is no need to return to this person to illustrate the bone or dental material.”
Researchers said that the man who died during the transition period between the Early Dynasty and the old kingdom periods of Egypt was not mummified before the grave because there was no standard practice and probably protected his DNA.
Girdland-Flink, “a lucky situation may be-perhaps we found the needle in the straw,” he said. “But I think we’ll see additional genomes published in ancient Egypt in the coming years, probably one of the individuals buried in ceramic pots.”
Although Girdland-Flink, Egypt’s overall climate is hot, the region has relatively stable temperatures, an important factor for long-term genetic protection. This climate, the clay pot used for the grave and the rock grave where it was placed, said the man played a role in preventing the deterioration of his DNA.
The clay pot was found in a grave cut on the rock in Nuwayrat in the south of Cairo. – Archeology Museum, Liverpool University
Watching unique lineage
For their analysis, the researchers took small examples from the root ends of one of the teeth. Girdland-Flink analyzed the cement with a tooth tissue that locks teeth into the chin, because Girdland-Flink said it was an excellent tool for the protection of DNA.
Two of the seven DNA extracts taken from the tooth were preserved enough to be arranged. Later, scientists compared the ancient Egyptian genome from more than 3,000 modern people and 805 old individuals, according to the study writers.
Chemical signals, the so -called female isotopes, the environment and teeth that grow up as a child consumed as a child said about the diet. The results were consistent with a childhood consumed in the warm, dry climate of the Nile Valley, consuming wheat, barley, animal protein and corn -related plants.
However, 20% of the man’s lineage is the best match with old genomes from Mesopotamia, which makes people think that the movement of Egypt to Egypt may be very important.
Dental Anthropologist and Working Making Joel Irish took the teeth of the best Western Asian individual and the judicial measurements of the person’s teeth and cranium. He is a professor at the University of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool John Moores, Ireland.
According to IOSIF Lazaridis, a research assistant at Harvard University Human Evolutionary Biology Department, the study offers an important time and a look at the place where there were no examples before. Lazaridis did not participate in the new study, but did research on it. Old DNA Samples from Mesopotamia And today’s Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian regions, Jordan and Türkiye, including the Eastern Mediterranean Region Levant.
The ruins are now held at the Liverpool World Museum. – Archeology Museum, Liverpool University
Lazaridis, researchers for a long time, questioned whether the Egyptians were indigenous North Africans or Levantine from the beginning of dynasty civilization.
Lazaridis, “This, for example, what he tells us, in such an early date in Egypt, mostly north African, but Mesopotamia, but the contributions of descendants,” he said. “This geographically makes a perfect meaning.”
Lazaridis said that he hoped that there was more research on corn, and that the chemical treatments used in the mummification process are not ideal for old DNA protection, although mumm will help protect the soft tissue in mummies.
“I think it is now shown that it is possible to remove DNA from the beginning of Egyptian civilization, and Egypt’s genetic history can now begin to be written,” he said.
A mysterious grave
By examining the man’s skeleton, the team was able to determine that he was a little more than 5 feet and was probably close to the end of this range between the ages of 44 and 64 – “It is incredibly old for that time, like the 80s, Ir Irish said.
Genetic analysis shows that it is with brown eyes and hair and dark skin. And his bones said another fairy tale: how difficult he became in life, which seems to be conflicting that he was buried in a ceremony. ceramic ship.
Irish indicates the indications of arthritis and osteoporosis in its bones, the features behind the skull and vertebrae showed that it looked down and leaning forward in most of its life. Muscle signs show that he holds his arms in front of his arms for a long time and carries heavy ingredients. The seating bones of the pelvi were incredibly inflated, which appears when someone sits on a hard surface for decades. There were significant signs of arthritis in his right foot.
Irish looked at the ancient Egyptian images of different occupations such as ceramics, masonry, soldering, farming and weaving to understand how the man could spend time.
“Although it is conditional, these clues point to pottery, including the use of a ceramic wheel coming to Egypt,” Irish said. “However, it is not expected to be buried for a high class for a potter that would normally be treated. Perhaps it was extraordinarily talented or successful to advance its social status.”
The ceramic wheel and writing systems, in the sixth millennium BC cultures and cultures spread to Egypt, domesticated plants and animals before sharing, societies began to live in permanent settlements. Now, the working team is wondering if human migration is part of this change. Egyptian, Africa and the efficient crescent additional old genomes can give answers about who lives and when.
“This is just a part of the puzzle with a human genetic variation: every person-and genomes that have ever lived-represents a unique part in this puzzle, Girdi Girdland-Flink said with an e-mail. “Even though we have never sorted everyone’s genome, we can collect enough examples from all over the world to accurately rebuild the key events that shape that we are today in the history of humanity.”
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