Ancient Bones, Teeth Found in Shipwreck Burial Ground Help Explain Genetic Ancestry of Scandinavians

Researchers say that the Viking Age left an imprint on the genetics of present-day Scandinavians.

In an international study published Thursday in the journal Cell, scientists found that DNA from archeological remains shows exceptional immigration to Scandinavia during that era.

The Viking ship Havhingsten af Glendalough (the Sea Stallion of Glendalough), a replica of a Viking warship, sets out from the Viking Museum in Roskilde July 1, 2007.  (REUTERS/Scanpix/Bjarke Orsted/File Photo)

The authors analyzed 297 ancient Scandinavian genomes dating back two millennia with the genomic data of 16,638 present-day Scandinavians.

“As the geographical origin and the datings were known for all these individuals, it was possible to resolve the development of the gene pool to a level never realized previously,” the University of Stockholm, where many authors were listed, said in a press release.

The university noted that the analysis found a surprising increase of variation during the Viking period that indicates gene flow into Scandinavia was especially intense during this period.

Women from the east Baltic region and, to a lesser extent, the British and Irish isles contributed more to the gene pool of Scandinavia than the men from those regions during that time.

You can read a lot more in an article by Julia Musto  published in the Fox News web site at: https://tinyurl.com/y8atk5aw