Ancient genomes reveal Down syndrome in past societies phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
<p>An international team of researchers has analysed the DNA from a world-wide sample of nearly 10,000 ancient individuals to search for cases of Down Syndrome, an uncommon genetic condition caused by the presence of an additional copy of Chromosome 21. Scanning the genome data, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig, Germany, found six children with Down Syndrome. Five of these children were buried more than 2,000 years ago and lived to, at most, one year of age. Although their lives were short, all of these children received a burial, often with grave goods, showing that they were appreciated as members of their ancient societies.</p>
A new study scoured ~10,000 ancient genomes in search of trisomies, such as Down Syndrome. Combined with archeological analyses, the data reveal how these infants were perceived in ancient societies.
Researchers discovered the oldest case of Down syndrome that challenges previous conceptions of the disorder. The identified individuals either died at birth, shortly after, or within 16 months.