It’s a first! Scientists have successfully sequenced the human genome of a man who died when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
The Scientific Reports journal published a study on Thursday. Researchers investigated the remains of two persons found in a house known as the House of the Craftsman. It is a home in Pompeii’s densely populous core. They distilled their DNA.
The eruption was visible from more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. Pompeii was home to up to 20,000 people. As a result, over 2,000 people perished as a direct consequence. After the volcanic explosion, the city was under a 23-foot layer of ash and debris. It protected the remains from the harmful effects of weather and climate. Since then, it has grown in popularity as a tourist destination as well as a valuable research site for archaeologists.
The structure, form, and length of both skeletons indicate that one belonged to a 35 – 40 years old man. The other belonged to a 50-year-old woman.
A unique and remarkable archaeological site
The discovery of the two skeletons dates back to excavations between December 1932 and February 1933 by the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri.
Scientists were able to extract ancient DNA from both individuals. But they were only able to sequence the whole genome from the man’s bones. The sequences extracted from the woman’s remains had gaps.
“Pompeii is one of the most unique and remarkable archaeological sites on the planet, and it is one of the reasons that we know so much about the classical world. To be able to work and contribute in adding more knowledge about this unique place is unbelievable,” Gabriele Scorrano said in an email to CNN. Gabriele is an assistant professor in the department of health and medical sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Gabriele is also the lead author of the study.
Although Pompeii is one of the world’s most researched archaeological sites, scientists have long struggled to extract comprehensive genetic information from the skeleton remains preserved there.
Only tiny segments of mitochondrial DNA from human and animal remains from Pompeii had previously been sequenced, according to a news release announcing the discovery.
Human genome
Scorrano believes that extracting ancient DNA from their samples may be possible because pyroclastic materials were released during the eruption. It may have shielded the DNA from environmental factors such as oxygen in the atmosphere. It would have caused it to decompose.
Pyroclastic materials are a burning hot mix of gas, lava, and debris.
“Individuals in Pompeii were not directly in contact with volcanic lava, but rather were enveloped in volcanic ash,” Scorrano said.
He claims that this resulted in an oxygen-free environment, which allowed the DNA in the skeletal bones to preserve.
“One of the main drivers of DNA degradation is oxygen (the other being water). Temperature works more as a catalyst, speeding up the process. Therefore, if low oxygen is present, there is a limit of how much DNA degradation can take place,” Scorrano added.
The genetic variety of the human population that lived on the Italian Peninsula when Pompeii was destroyed approximately 2,000 years ago has been revealed thanks to genome analysis.
The researchers compared DNA from the man’s remains to that of 1,030 ancient people and 471 western Eurasian people.
They discovered that he had DNA in common with present central Italians and other people. They resided in Italy throughout the Roman imperial period, which lasted from 27 BC to 476 AD.
Great privilege
Further examination of the male’s mitochondrial DNA, which indicates his matrilineal origin, and his Y chromosome, which reflects his male line, revealed clusters of genes that are common in Sardinians but not in other individuals who lived in Italy during the Roman imperial period.
“It is significant because it shows that there is a lot we still don’t know about the genetic diversity at the time of the Roman Empire, and how this impacts modern Italians and other Mediterranean populations,” Scorrano said.
Researchers also related lesions discovered during a skeletal and DNA study of the male to mycobacterium. It is a type of bacteria that links to tuberculosis. Thereby, implying that he had the condition before his death.
“To take part in a study like this was a great privilege, Pompeii is a unique context in all points of view, the anthropological one allows one to study a human community involved in a natural disaster,” Scorrano said.
