Ancient DNA analysis reveals historical disease traces and indigenous farming

Researchers using ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis have uncovered significant historical insights from biological traces preserved in parchment and lake sediments.

A team led by University College Dublin analyzed DNA from animal skins used to create historical parchment. They identified genetic traces of the sheep pox virus, providing the first genetic evidence that the disease existed long before the modern era. The study, published in Science Advances, noted that the virus has exhibited extreme genetic stability over thousands of years, unlike the human smallpox virus.

In a separate study published in Molecular Ecology, scientists analyzed sedimentary DNA from Crawford Lake to reconstruct historical ecosystems. The analysis revealed the presence of indigenous agriculture, specifically detecting DNA from corn and sunflower dating back to the ‘Three Sisters’ farming period (1000–1650 CE). The findings also identified cattle DNA from the early 19th century and noted a surge in Canadian goose DNA, which likely contributed to lake eutrophication during periods of indigenous agriculture.