Scientists have been able to decode (sequence) the first complete human genome, who had died in Pompeii, Italy after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Previously, only small portions of mitochondrial DNA had been “read” by humans and animals of ruined Pompeii.
Investigators from Italy, Denmark, the USA and Brazil, led by Gabriele Scorano and Serena Viva of the Universities of Copenhagen and Salento (Lecce), respectively, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Scientific Reports”, analyzed the skeletons of two people (a man 35-40 years old and a woman over 50 years old) that were discovered at the House of Craftsmen in Pompeii and from which samples were taken DNA. Eventually it became possible to read the complete genome of only the man.
Comparison with DNA from 1,030 other ancient skeletons and 471 modern Western Europeans shows that the DNA of the unfortunate Pompeian man bore a striking resemblance to that of the modern inhabitants of central Italy. and those who lived in Italy during the Roman imperial period. Also, its genetic material has genes that are usually found in Sardinia. There were also indications that the man had contracted a bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
Scientists hope that in the future they will be able to “read” the complete genome of other Pompeii skeletons, thus shedding more light on the genetic history and lives of its population.
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