Medieval Mummy Perfectly Preserved in Siberia

Researchers working in the Russian High Arctic in Siberia excavated the naturally mummified remains of a woman who lived approximately 800 years ago.

This is the first woman found in the site called Zeleny Yar.

Her hair and eyelashes were perfectly preserved thanks in part to a copper plate that covered her face. The plate helped slow decomposition.

New DNA Information About Native American Ancestry

The 11,500-year-old remains of a 6 week old child found in Alaska have revealed new information on the ancestors of all Native Americans. It is believed that she is from a previously unknown genetic group who crossed the Bering Sea from Russia via a land bridge that later disappeared.

Scientists believe that evidence in her DNA shows that a single wave of migrants moved into the continent from Siberia just over 20,000 years ago. Since I have Mohawk ancestry this story is extremely fascinating to me.

Read more at Alaskan infant's DNA tells story of 'first Americans'

The Origins of Red-Haired Mummies in China

 Archaeologists and scientists  have found the oldest and best-preserved mummies in the Tarim Basin area of China. Within a Bronze Age cemetery first discovered by Swedish archaeologists in 1934, some of the oldest mummies every found have had their DNA tested. The findings were a surprise. 

Previously the origins of the earliest settlers in this area were thought to be either  nomadic herders from the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan, or from modern Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. But DNA results indicate the most common mtDNA haplogroup was C, suggesting origins in southern Siberia.

“Considering the presence of haplogroups H and K in the Xiaohe people and the geographical distribution of shared sequences, we conclude that the west Eurasian component observed in the Xiaohe people originated from western Europe, and maternal ancestry of the Xiaohe people might have close relationships with western Europeans,”

Continue reading at DNA Reveals These Red-Haired Chinese Mummies Come From Europe And Asia

Credits: Image is a screenshot from Forbes.com