Physical Anthropology is alive!

Hello my reader!

Today I talk about an interesting discovery published on 10 Feb 2010 in the journal Nature and titled “Graphic: Inuk, ancient man resurrected from DNA in hair” because I’m interested in Physical Anthropology and I think that this article is interesting if you like this area of Anthropology in general.

Basically the article is about the discovery of scientists, who have reconstructed the physical characteristics and lifestyle of a young man they have called “Inuk” (in the local language means man or human). These scientists work at Centre of Excellence in GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum (Copenhagen) and how I’ve talked to you before, they reconstructed lifestyle and physical characteristics of a young man in the Arctic permafrost some 4.000 years ago.

The man was part of the Saqqab culture. This culture is the first known to inhabitant Greenland. What has been found is the Inuk’s hair in the Qeqertasussuk region (Greenland) Analysis of his hair allowed to compare his genome with nearby populations. Scientists discovered that Inuk was most closely related to the people of eastern Siberia, rather than closer tribes in North America. Then, this is important because it’s related with migration points across the Bering Strait from Siberia to North America.

And, what did scientists discover exactly?

Genetic analysis of the Inuk’s hair concluded that this man was a young man with dark skin, brown eyes, and shovel-shaped teeth well adapted to life in a cold climate. Other characteristics are his blood group as A+; this man has a high probability of going bald and the dry consistence of his earwax. Moreover, other test suggest the man survived on a marine diet (hunting seals and seabirds)

So, if you think that Physical Anthropology has not utility, I’ve given you an example yet. I hope that you have read very interested and you’ve liked  this article. The link is below.

PS: the first photo is Qeqertasussuk, Greenland and the second is a possible appearance of Inuk.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/interactive/2010/feb/10/inuk-ancient-human-dna-hair?INTCMP=SRCH