For the first time, Danish researchers have succeeded in sequencing the genome of one of the victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, in Pompeii.
Gabriele Scorrano and his colleagues at the University of Copenhagen examined two skeletons discovered a hundred years ago, the skeleton of a man aged 35 or 40 and of a woman aged fifty.
They found DNA samples in their inner ear, but only the man’s DNA could be fully traced afterwards.
By comparing its genome with several hundred individuals, ancient and modern, from Eurasia, the researchers discovered that it was most closely related to the current inhabitants of central Italy, which is not surprising.
However, they also found in him the genetic elements that link him to the island of Sardinia. This is the first time such genetic heritage has been discovered in the genome of the ancient Italians, and the authors of the study believe this attests to the high level of genetic diversity on the Italian peninsula during Imperial Rome.
The researchers also found in him genetic traces of the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis, suggesting that the man likely suffered from this respiratory disease before he died.
This may explain why he and the woman (who apparently had arthritis) did not seem to attempt to flee during the disaster. Instead they were found bent over a piece of furniture.
Pompeii had approximately 11,000 inhabitants when Vesuvius exploded in AD 79.
Source: Radio-Canada
