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Authentic Viking DNA From 1,000-Year-Old Skeletons
Posted by
timothy
on Wed May 28, 2008 04:32 PM
from the unless-that-was-really-ullyses-s.-grant dept.
from the unless-that-was-really-ullyses-s.-grant dept.
FiReaNGeL writes "Scientists were able to extract authentic DNA from ancient Viking skeletons, avoiding many of the problems of contamination faced by past researchers. Analysis of DNA from the remains of ancient humans provides valuable insights into such important questions as the origin of genetic diseases, migration patterns of our forefathers and tribal and family patterns. Using freshly sampled material from ten Viking skeletons from around AD 1,000, from a non-Christian burial site on the Danish island of Funen, Dissing and colleagues showed that it is indeed possible to retrieve authentic DNA from ancient humans."
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next step (Score:5, Funny)
Re:next step (Score:5, Funny)
Just make sure to keep those electric fences on; last time the berserkers got out they took out an entire tour group from Milaukee.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Just keep 'em away from the authentic longboat re-creations.
Otherwise, we know from good sources [wikipedia.org] that their only goal will be the western shore. And that means either the British Isles or, if they're lucky (and bad navigators), North America.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I hear Geico might be hiring. Apparently, the caveman just isn't working out.
:-D
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Imagine (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Imagine (Score:5, Funny)
I think you mean
We can finally have a cluster of Beowulf's!
Parent
Re:next step (Score:4, Interesting)
A lot of people in remote northern parts of the UK have been shown to have Viking DNA.
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Any missing DNA could be taken from frogs.
And then, with some luck, Trekkies will finally be able to have their green-skinned Orion slave girl fantasies based on actual, real life girls.
Associating with them, James T. Kirk style, would naturally remain a fantasy for nearly all of the Trekkies.
There are some things even unscrupulous genetic crimes against nature can't help with.
Re:next step (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Vikings come to Jurrasic Park (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Vikings come to Jurrasic Park (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Vikings come to Jurrasic Park (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, this seems a strong hypothesis.
Quote [wikipedia.org]
"Helga
Hägar's demanding wife. Dressed always in her horned helmet, she is a true Valkyrie, besting the beleaguered Hägar in battles on the home front. She always wants Hägar to take a bath, but he won't. While Hägar may instill terror in the outside world, it's Helga who "wears the skins" in the family. Although she is more than a match for her sword-bearing ruffian husband, she also has a tender side. Helga is a devoted wife and
Re:Vikings come to Jurrasic Park (Score:5, Interesting)
For instance Leif Eriksen's sister Freydis Eriksdatter who attacked the Skraeling (Indians) while pregnant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyd [wikipedia.org]ís_Eiríksdóttir
Parent
Re:Vikings come to Jurrasic Park (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Hot Blonde Viking Chicks (Score:2)
"But I swear, I'm making this hot blonde Scandinavian chick for the advancement of science!"
Meme alert (Score:5, Funny)
I am a genetically correct viking, you insensitive clod!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Was that the sound of your head getting cut off?
So (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:So (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Neat. (Score:3, Interesting)
In any case, the really interesting thing is that this will really show us how each race of humans developed and spread, and who came from who.
Of course, we'll find that it all started 6,000 years ago, in a garden in the Middle East...
Re:Neat. (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Go look up the definition of Ancient... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Go look up the definition of Ancient... (Score:5, Interesting)
The English language didn't exist.
There were no ocean-going trade routes between Europe and East Asia.
Iceland had just had their first allthing, but other than that there were no democracies or republics in existence.
Spain was a Muslim province. Oh, and the Spanish language didn't exist, either.
The wild notion that the earth orbited the sun, and not the other way around, would not have scientific and mathematical constructs to support it for another 531 years.
The Roman Empire still existed (at least its Eastern Half).
The only religion in most of Europe was Roman Catholicism (the Vikings converted in the previous century).
The average person never traveled more than seven miles from the place of his or her birth, and could not conceive of communicating with people more than shouting distance away. They couldn't even write, only priests could (Charlemagne was notable as one of the only medieval rulers who could sign his own name).
About 33 generations have passed since 1008. If you don't think that's a long time, when was the last time you spoke with your great-great-grandfather in person? He was only four generations removed, and he was probably dead before you were born. 1000 years is a freakishly long time in terms of human life, culture, and advancement.
Parent
Re:Go look up the definition of Ancient... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm guessing you come from the New World somewhere. Yes, 1000 years is fairly recent. But you're partially right, it wasn't quite "modern" either, which is why I said "not far from" modern.
I'm not quite sure why you're bringing up Spain and East Asia; I'm perfectly happy to agree that Western Europe was a barbaric wasteland at the time, but for some reason I thought we were talking about Scandinavia. The eastern Roman empire continued to exist into the Modern period, by the way; when Constantinople fell the Renaissance had been well under way for some time in various European countries. But the Byzantine Empire was neither ancient, mediaeval, nor modern, but somewhere in between and all three at once.
Unlike the rest of your points, that one is actually kind of (tangentially) related to the basic rationale for my earlier statement, as cultural and political links between Constantinople and Scandinavia were unusually strong, as European states of the time went. Scandinavians had already discovered and were attempting to colonise three separate New Worlds (Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador), something that Italians like Columbus didn't even think of for nearly another half millennium; and it was only going to be a couple more centuries before a sort of Renaissance started in Scandinavia, long before it got going anywhere else in Europe. So, I stand by my statement: "not far from modern". In the same way that the Italy of Boccaccio's time could be considered "not far from modern".
Parent
Oh no! (Score:5, Funny)
Answers to Age Old Questions (Score:5, Funny)
perhaps this research will confirm my suspicion that the Viking lineage is where I acquired my most powerful gene [theonion.com]
Most obvious question: (Score:5, Interesting)
But seriously, though; has the modern gene pool been dramatically changed due to southern neighbors migrating north?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I think finding the answer to that question might be one reason to do this study. How else to know but to actually compare the present and older populations?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Death by Axe! RRRAAAAAAARRGGGGGGGggg.. umm, btw. What's your address?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't remind me... (Score:3, Funny)
Let the Mice Wars begin! (Score:2)
The winner can take on mice bred with the dinosour DNA taken from fossilized mosquitos!
myke
Samples' mtDNA haplogroups (Score:5, Interesting)
For the lazy, the samples found were:
All of those are found in Europe to varying degrees; the only item of note is that the K and one of the H samples had no exact matches when compared to a database containing over 15,000 mtDNA sequences.
Re:Samples' mtDNA haplogroups (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Oversold? (Score:5, Informative)
The problem is that you're trying to take very small traces of human DNA and greatly amplify it. Even a very small amount of contamination from the researchers or lab environment can introduce as much or more modern DNA than the ancient DNA being studied - so you end up sequencing the lab's janitor instead of the viking.
For example, here [wikipedia.org] is a list of ancient humans who have had mitochondrial DNA sequences taken. (There are also Neandertal sequences not listed here.)
So I'd say this is a good job, and good science, but not at all a first.
No need (Score:5, Funny)
This is the only creature Chuck Norris is afraid of.
Digging places (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Digging places (Score:5, Informative)
A christian themed burial site would indicate a greater likelihood of intermingling with non-viking cultures from Southern Europe. This could be an indicator of genetic intermingling as well.
A non-christian burial site would not preclude intermingling, but probably be an indicator of lower likelihood.
Besides, TFA said they already did a christian site from around the same time, so this would give them a separate set of data points.
I know its hard to believe the concept of people who profess different religious affiliations being less likely to associate and intermarry. That kind of thing is so middle ages, all the major religions live in such peace and harmony in the enlightened 21st Century!
Parent
From TFA (Score:4, Informative)
If they get the first sentence completely wrong, I'm not going to bother with the rest of the article.
(Viking literally means a person who comes from a bay or similar.)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
(Viking literally means a person who comes from a bay or similar.)
No, that's an anachronism. Vík meant bay or inlet. Víking never meant anything other than "pirate".
In any case it's at least as likely that the Icelandic word comes from Anglo-Saxon, rather than the other way round, as the word is attested in OE from the 8th century, but in Old Norse only two centuries later. (The origin in that case would be OE wic "camp, temporary settlement".)
TFA is right, you are wrong. Burn!
Cant help this (Score:3, Funny)
Do you NEED velociraptors? (Score:5, Interesting)
One guy. Vs the whole freaking Saxon army. What was _left_ of that Saxon army after the battle, was still enough to put up a battle at Hastings, so the original size must have been even more impressive.
I dunno, I'd vote that this is one of those cases where one should resist trying to improve what's perfectly good as it is. I'm not sure if the velociraptor genes wouldn't actually make it worse. And not in a good way.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Allegedly one guy - but most importantly a bridge. The right terrain can be a huge force multiplier e.g. the Battle of Thermopylae [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge [wikipedia.org]
Too bad for them they couldn't repeat their success against the Normans 10 days later. But good for me, since one of my ancestors came over with William and fought at Hastings (he's
Re:Just send me some kleenex (Score:5, Funny)
How will you get the Vikings to accept your offer?
Parent