Latest news with #CarolineWilkinson
National Geographic
02-07-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
This ancient Egyptian left behind 4,500-year-old DNA. It was used to recreate his face.
Scientists have for the first time sequenced the most complete and oldest ancient Egyptian genome ever found—unlocking new secrets from the Old Kingdom. This facial reconstruction of an ancient Egyptian whose genome was sequenced was based off a 3D-scan of the skull. Illustration by Caroline Wilkinson, Liverpool John Moores University/Morez, A. (2025), Nature Sealed in a ceramic funerary pot, knees curled to his chin, the Egyptian skeleton lay undisturbed for thousands of years. In 1902, British archaeologists excavated him from his tomb carved into a limestone hillside in the Nuwayrat necropolis, more than 150 miles south of Cairo. While the pharaohs of his time built colossal monuments like the Great Pyramid of Giza, this man, likely a potter who lived 4,500 to 4,800 years ago, left behind a different kind of legacy: his exceptionally well-preserved DNA. Somehow, his remains endured centuries of scorching Egyptian heat and even Nazi bombings while housed in Liverpool, England, during World War II. Now scientists have sequenced the first whole genome of an ancient Egyptian from intact DNA extracted from in his teeth. The study, published Wednesday in Nature, describes the oldest Egyptian DNA ever recovered, radiocarbon dated to between 2855 and 2570 B.C. This was during the end of the Early Dynastic and the beginning of the Old Kingdom periods, when Egypt's rulers consolidated power and ushered in the 'Age of the Pyramids.' 'There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ancient genomes from across the world,' says Linus Girdland-Flink, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and a co-corresponding author of the paper. To date, scientists have collected ancient DNA from Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens from 45,000 years ago. 'Yet, Egypt has remained a kind of white spot on the map of this big puzzle of human genetic ancestry.' Previously, the oldest DNA recovered from ancient Egypt came from three mummies buried at the Abusir el-Meleq necropolis and dated between 787 and 23 B.C. But those sequences only represented partial genomes. The new genome is complete and comes from an individual who lived some 1,500 years earlier. Pottery coffin and archaeological remains of the Nuwayrat individual, as discovered in 1902. Photograph Courtesy Garstang Museum, University of Liverpool 'This genome allows us–for the first time–to get insights into the genetic ancestry of an ancient Egyptian individual from the Old Kingdom period,' Adeline Morez Jacobs, a biological anthropologist who conducted the research while pursuing her doctoral degree at the Liverpool John Moores University, said during a press briefing. It also allowed for scientists to partially reconstruct what the person's face might have looked like. Daniel Antoine, head of the department of Egypt and Sudan at The British Museum in London, who peer-reviewed the paper, praised the work. 'Although this is based on one individual, the finding is highly significant as ancient DNA rarely survives in the Nile valley,' he says. With it, scientists can start to unravel genetic clues to how different populations of people interacted in ancient Egypt. Ancient genetic ancestry revealed With the DNA sequenced, scientists can start to ask questions about this ancient individual, starting with a basic one: who were his ancestors? While this is the lineage of just one person, it could help historians understand how people migrated and mixed in ancient Egypt. About 80 percent of the man's ancestry traces back to Neolithic populations in North Africa. The remaining 20 percent is linked to ancient peoples from West Asia, including Mesopotamia and the eastern Fertile Crescent, which encompass present day Iraq, western Iran, parts of Syria and the extreme southeast of Turkey, Morez Jacobs says. They did not find evidence of East African or sub-Saharan African ancestry in the Nuwayrat individual. The researchers don't know when in the Nuwayrat man's lineage these two populations mixed, but say it likely occurred over hundreds or even thousands of years in the man's ancestry, and maybe multiple times. This genetic data aligns with archaeological evidence, suggesting that in addition to trading goods like crops, animals and culture like writing systems and the pottery wheel, people themselves were moving and intermingling between regions. 'The paper constitutes a significant milestone in the field of ancient Egyptian genomics,' says Yehia Gad, scientific supervisor of the ancient DNA lab at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, who was not involved in the study. He says the new finding 'reinforces the status of ancient Egypt as a hub and melting pot of the old world.' The next steps for the team, says Girdland-Flink, is to collaborate with Egyptian scientists to further decipher Egypt's past. Gad, who helps lead Egypt's national genome project, which aims to sequence the genomes of 100,000 Egyptian adults and 200 ancient Egyptian mummies, says he welcomes the idea. 'We can all serve and work together to draw a better picture of this fascinating ancient civilization, which constitutes an important stage in the journey of humanity,' he says. Facial Reconstruction and Potential Controversy In addition to sequencing the Nuwayrat man's genome, the researchers also unveiled a facial reconstruction made by forensic anthropologist Caroline Wilkinson. Wilkinson, who leads the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University, previously recreated the faces of figures like Ramesses II and Cleopatra's sister Arsinoë IV. Starting with a 3D scan of his skull, she constructed his facial features like the jawline, nose, and eyes—body parts that are relatively easy to predict from bone structure alone, she says. The ears and mouth, by contrast, are more difficult. Genetic analysis suggested the man likely had brown eyes, brown hair and skin pigmentation 'ranging from dark to black skin,' based on predictions from a tool called the HirisPlexS system. But the authors caution that these predictions come with some uncertainty given the limited genetic data from comparable ancient populations. Pottery vessel in which the Nuwayrat individual was discovered. Photograph Courtesy Garstang Museum, University of Liverpool Rock-cut tombs at Nuwayrat enclosing the pottery vessel containing the pottery coffin burial. Photograph Courtesy Garstang Museum, University of Liverpool To avoid speculation about features they could not definitively determine, Wilkinson says, she and her team rendered the reconstruction in grayscale, without hair or skin tone. She added that she expects the image to spark some controversy, as past depictions of other ancient Egyptians have. They are often criticized for appearing 'too European' or 'too African,' she says. But Wilkinson emphasizes that the face is just what one person in antiquity looked like. 'This individual is not representative of everybody from this period of time from this part of the world, any more than I am representative of everybody in Europe today.' For more insights into who this person was, and the life he led, scientists needed to look beyond his face. His worn teeth suggested he was between 44 and 64, though likely at the older end. His skeleton showed signs of age-related arthritis, worn joints and vertebrae, and muscle strain from frequent squatting and leaning, patterns consistent with physically demanding pottery work, says Joel Irish, a bioarchaeologist at Liverpool John Moores University and a co-author of the study. 'He was looking down a lot during his lifetime, like teenagers look at their cell phones today,' says Irish. The team concluded from these clues and by studying hieroglyphics of pottery workshops that the man was likely a potter as opposed to a baker, farmer, mason or soldier. Though they could not rule out weaver. The team speculated that if he were a potter, then perhaps there may be some link between his profession and why he was buried in the ceramic pot. But they also added that the practice wasn't unique to potters, this time period, or Nuwayrat. But what about pyramid builder? Was the Nuwayrat man hauling huge stones in Giza (more than a hundred miles away from where he was buried)? That's 'pure speculation' says Girdland-Flink. He also cautions against drawing conclusions about the people who constructed the pyramids based on this one ancient Egyptian genome." In terms of who built the pyramids,' Girdland-Flink says, 'you must have the actual workers' genomes.'
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Researchers bring 2,500-year-old skulls from Tamil Nadu into shape, reconstruct faces
Archeologists and carbon dat9ing had confirmed one of the old civilizations at Keeladi, 12km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, in 6th century BCE. Now, the paces of at least two men who walked on the planet 2,500 years ago have been reconstructed, TOI reported. The researchers at Madurai Kamraj University describe the facial features as South Indian with traces of ancestral West Eurasian (Iranian) hunter-gatherers and ancestral Austro-Asiatic people. The research was conducted with the help of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. The skulls were found at Kondagai, a burial site around 800m from the main excavation site. Further DNA studies are needed to pinpoint the ancestry based on genetics, the researchers added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now 'We used a computer-assisted 3D facial reconstruction system to rebuild the facial musculature and estimate facial features following anatomical and anthropometrical standards,' said Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, UK. The lower halves of the faces were more guesstimate; reconstruction of the upper halves was more accurate. 'As the lower jaws of the skulls were missing, we used orthodontic standards to estimate the shapes of the mandibles from cranial measurements and planes,' Prof Wilkinson told TOI. The facial reconstruction was done using forensic guidelines created from the study of clinical images of living people. Following the CT scan images of the skulls, the researchers estimated the tissue depth at various points of the skulls following published data of modern south Indians. Live Events They then used digital sculpting to recreate muscle, fat and skin while the placement and size of facial features (eyes, nose and mouth) were estimated based on the skulls' characteristics and anatomical relationships. The colours and texture to the skin, hair and eyes were assigned using a photographic database. 'It is 80% science and 20% art,' said professor G Kumaresan, department of genetics, Madurai Kamaraj University , which scanned and sent images of the skulls to Liverpool. He said the reconstructed faces, along with DNA data, will help trace the ancestry of Tamils who lived in the Sangam age. In May, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) asked its archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed the Sangam age brick structure at Keeladi in 2015-16 and dated the site to 8th century BCE, to revise his report quoting unnamed experts who said it could be no older than the 3rd century BCE. The site has been at a tussle between the Centre and the state. The Tamil Nadu state archaeology department took over the excavation from ASI in 2018 following a court order. IT has since retrieved 29 radiocarbon dates between 6th century BCE and 2nd century CE at Keeladi. Researchers from Madurai Kamaraj University are analysing DNA from the Kondagai urns in collaboration with the department of genetics at Harvard University in the US. 'Work is in progress to obtain a large number of DNA markers and compare them with global reference populations to understand the routes of migration and admixture of the ancient inhabitants of Kondagai and Keeladi,' Kumaresan said. Most of the skeletons found at the burial ground were of people aged around 50 years, researchers said. 'There are many criteria such as dental wear patterns, expression of sutural lines, presence of arthritic lesions and general size of the bone that can tell us about age,' said anthropologist Veena Mushrif Tripathy from Deccan College in Pune. She studied the bone remains at Kondagai and Kodumanal. 'The stature estimation is feasible for only 11 skeleton remains at Kondagai. Though it is insufficient to measure the height of the entire Kondagai population, the average height of males was 170.82cm (5ft 7') while females was 157.74 cm (5ft 2'), which is comparable to Kodumanal where stature estimation was conducted on five skeletal remains,' she added. Researchers identify the sex of the skeleton remains based on pelvic bone and skull morphology. 'Though reconstructing faces is common throughout the world, in South India, we have attempted it for the first time at Keeladi,' said archaeologist K Rajan, advisor to the Tamil Nadu department of archaeology.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Revealed: Faces of Keeladi men; 3D recon by UK lab and researchers brings 2,500-year-old skulls from Tamil Nadu into shape
FIRST LOOK: These faces are predominantly south Indian with a touch of West Eurasian and Austro-Asiatic characteristics A rchaeological excavations and carbon dating point to one of the oldest civilizations thriving at Keeladi, 12km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, in 6th century BCE. Now, they've put faces to at least two men who walked this earth some 2,500 years ago. South Indian with traces of ancestral West Eurasian (Iranian) hunter-gatherers and ancestral Austro-Asiatic people — that's how researchers at Madurai Kamaraj University describe the facial features reconstructed on two skulls with help from Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. The skulls were found at Kondagai, a burial site around 800m from the main excavation site. Further DNA studies are needed to pinpoint the ancestry based on genetics, they say. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai 'We used a computer-assisted 3D facial reconstruction system to rebuild the facial musculature and estimate facial features following anatomical and anthropometrical standards,' said Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University, UK. The lower halves of the faces were more guesstimate; reconstruction of the upper halves was more accurate. 'As the lower jaws of the skulls were missing, we used orthodontic standards to estimate the shapes of the mandibles from cranial measurements and planes,' said Prof Wilkinson. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 境界のないゲームを発見する BuzzDaily Winners Undo Researchers used forensic guidelines for facial reconstruction created from the study of clinical images of living people. After obtaining CT scanned images of the skulls from Kondagai, they estimated the tissue depth at various points of the skulls following published data of modern south Indians. 'It is 80% science and 20% art' They used digital sculpting to recreate muscle, fat and skin while the placement and size of facial features (eyes, nose and mouth) were estimated based on the skulls' characteristics and anatomical relationships. Using a photographic database, researchers assigned colours and textures for the skin, hair and eyes. 'It is 80% science and 20% art,' said professor G Kumaresan, department of genetics, Madurai Kamaraj University, which scanned and sent images of the skulls to Liverpool. He said the reconstructed faces, along with DNA data, will help trace the ancestry of Tamils who lived in the Sangam age. Keeladi has been at the centre of a tussle between the Union and state govts over its antiquity. Last month, the Archaeological Survey of India asked its archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who unearthed the Sangam age brick structure at Keeladi in 2015-16 and dated the site to 8th century BCE, to revise his report quoting unnamed experts who said it could be no older than the 3rd century BCE. The Tamil Nadu state archaeology department, which took over the excavation from ASI in 2018 after the courts intervened, has since obtained 29 radiocarbon dates between 6th century BCE and 2nd century CE at Keeladi. Researchers from Madurai Kamaraj University are analysing DNA from the Kondagai urns in collaboration with the department of genetics at Harvard University in the US. 'Work is in progress to obtain a large number of DNA markers and compare them with global reference populations to understand the routes of migration and admixture of the ancient inhabitants of Kondagai and Keeladi,' Kumaresan said. After studying the contents of the burial urns excavated from Kondagai, researchers estimated that most of the skeletal remains were of people aged around 50 years. 'There are many criteria such as dental wear patterns, expression of sutural lines, presence of arthritic lesions and general size of the bone that can tell us about age,' said anthropologist Veena Mushrif Tripathy from Deccan College in Pune. She studied the bone remains at Kondagai and Kodumanal. 'The stature estimation is feasible for only 11 skeleton remains at Kondagai. Though it is insufficient to measure the height of the entire Kondagai population, the average height of males was 170.82cm (5ft 7') while females was 157.74 cm (5ft 2'), which is comparable to Kodumanal where stature estimation was conducted on five skeletal remains,' she added. Researchers identify the sex of the skeleton remains based on pelvic bone and skull morphology. 'Though reconstructing faces is common throughout the world, in South India, we have attempted it for the first time at Keeladi,' said archaeologist K Rajan, advisor to the Tamil Nadu department of archaeology.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Liverpool: Team reconstructs faces to put names to the dead
A project that uses advanced forensic techniques to identify people who have died on perilous journeys across Europe will help families find answers, the experts involved have John Moores University's (LJMU) Face Lab research group is using new identification technologies as part of the Migrant Disaster Victim Identification chair Professor Caroline Wilkinson said only a quarter of the 25,000 people who had died crossing the Mediterranean in the last ten years had been identified. The network of experts involved in the project are trying to reverse this trend and "find answers" about who these people were, she said. "People may have been trafficked, they may have used illegal routes to get across different countries, their families may not know where they are," Ms Wilkinson process of identifying the deceased was "really challenging", she added. She said: "Many of the primary identifiers such as DNA, dental, and fingerprints are not possible either because of the circumstances of the body retrieval or because there's nothing to compare to."Knowing where in the world the person is from is a really challenging part of an identification process." The Face Lab project team is looking into new ways of being able to formally identify people using what they refer to as 'secondary identifiers'.These include a person's facial features, birthmarks, tattoos or team has developed systems to cross reference images with social media photographs and is also developing handheld 3D scanners which can be used by first responders to record a deceased migrants' features, before further decomposition sets Frederic Bezombes at LJMU's Forensic Research Institute, is developing the said: "Once an image is captured, you can change the angles, the lighting and introduce various artefacts that might make the face more recognisable to someone who knows the person, whereas a 2D photograph [of the deceased] might be more of a struggle." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
