Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have discovered rare bone tumors in medieval Irish. Research published European Journal of Human Genetics.
In 2003, workers building a highway through a small town in Ireland stumbled upon a lost medieval cemetery. Rare, benign tumors called multiple osteochondromas, which cause pain and cause limb deformities, posture problems or nerve damage, were found in two of the approximately 1,300 bodies buried here.
This genetic disease is seen in about one in 50,000 people. It is an incredible coincidence that two bodies with this disease are found in such a small cemetery.
Interestingly, the two men with osteochondroma were not closely related, but lived with a difference of several centuries – approximately 7th-10th centuries. and 11.-13. in the centuries. One man died at the age of 30-40, the other at the age of 18-25. In addition, the tumor in one of the men was caused by a mutation not seen in modern osteochondroma patients.
The study shows that ancient DNA analysis could make an important contribution to the understanding of diseases that still affect humans today.