Skeletal analysis of an infant buried in a ceramic vessel at the Jauranga site confirmed a rare condition known as cyclopia, which occurs in about one in 100,000 births. Genetic testing of the remains designated JA13A identified an extra chromosome 13 as the driver behind the severe facial and cranial developmental defects. The burial, dating between AD 325 and 440, uniquely held a second female infant placed directly beneath the first in a single mortuary event. Further maternal lineage testing proved that the two individuals were not biological sisters on their mother's side.
Key points
Ancient genomic sequencing can successfully isolate the precise chromosomal disorders beh…: Ancient genomic sequencing can successfully isolate the precise chromosomal disorders behind severe physical birth defects.
The congenital defect known as cyclopia is typically fatal either prior to birth or short…: The congenital defect known as cyclopia is typically fatal either prior to birth or shortly afterward.
Mortuary customs of the Middle Nasca included vessel burials, but interring two unrelated…: Mortuary customs of the Middle Nasca included vessel burials, but interring two unrelated infants together remains an unexplained practice.
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We often look back in time through the eyes of the victors, the rulers and the elite. Even in their funerals, they are commemorated as such so we learn a lot about them. Sometimes, we learn about the past through ordinary men and women, discovering their stories and lives.
Rarely do we find stories from babies. Their lives are often too brief to leave behind much of a historical record, and their remains can tell us only so much. In southern Peru, archaeologists discovered the remains of two infants buried together in a ceramic vessel. One of them had a single eye socket in the centre of her face, a rare congenital condition known as cyclopia. Now, researchers have used ancient DNA to identify the genetic condition behind it, revealing an extraordinary piece of the history of human development.
The
discovery, published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), offers a rare opportunity to understand a congenital condition that has left little evidence in the archaeological record. It also raises questions about the lives of two…
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