Ballynahatty woman
The Ballynahatty Woman is the name given to a prehistoric female human found in the townland of Ballynahatty near Belfast in 1855.[1] She is estimated to have lived about 5,000 years ago.[2] In 2015, her genome, along with that of a trio of men who lived 4,000 years ago, was sequenced by geneticists at Trinity College Dublin and archaeologists at Queen's University Belfast.[1]
Both Ballynahatty Woman and one of the men were found to have mutations that can cause hemochromatosis, a disease where the body retains too much iron and has a high prevalence in the British Isles.[2] She was found to have Neolithic Anatolian ancestry, and out of modern peoples most genetically resembles the Basques and Sardinians.[1]
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References[edit]
- ^ a b c Rincon, Paul (28 December 2015). "Ancient DNA sheds light on Irish Origins". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ a b Bichell, Rae Ellen (29 December 2015). "A 'Celtic Curse' Has Roots Stretching Back To The Bronze Age". NPR. NPR. Retrieved 25 March 2018.