Mysterious Skeleton Lake skeletons belong to very distinct genetic groups

Located at over 5,000 meters elevation in the Himalayan Mountains, Lake Roopkund is home to the skeletal remains dispelled by several hundred people of unknown origin. The lake has long astonished scientists who were wondering who these individuals were, which brought them to Roopkund Lake and how they died.

There have been many proposals to explain the origins of these skeletons. It was also suggested that it was the remains of an army or a group of merchants caught in a storm. Finally, it was suggested that they were the victims of an epidemic.

Now, a study by an international team of scientists has revealed that mysterious skeletons belonged to genetically distinct groups that died over several periods at least twice every thousand years.

The researchers analyzed the remains with the help of a series of bioarchaeological analyzes, including ancient DNA, dietary reconstitution of stable isotopes, radiocarbon dating. and osteological examination. They discovered that Roopkund skeletons belong to three genetically distinct groups that were deposited during multiple events, isolated in time from about 1000 years ago. These findings refute past claims that the skeletons of Lake Roopkund were deposited during a single catastrophic event.

CCMB lead co-author Kumarasamy Thangaraj, who started the project more than a decade ago, said: "We first became aware of the presence of several distinct groups in Roopkund after the sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA of 72 skeletons. While many individuals had mitochondrial haplogroups typical of current Indian populations, we also identified a large number of individuals with haplogroups that would be more typical of Western Eurasian populations. "

The leading group is made up of 23 people who are related to people in present-day India, who do not seem to belong to a single population, but rather belong to a wide range of groups. Surprisingly, the second largest group includes 14 people of very close ancestry to people living in the eastern Mediterranean, mainly in Crete and Greece. A third individual has ancestry more typical of that of Southeast Asia.

Haradaard's first author Eadaoin Harney said: "We were extremely surprised by the genetics of Roopkund's skeletons. The presence of individuals with ancestors typically associated with the eastern Mediterranean suggests that Roopkund Lake was not only a site of local interest, but rather attracted visitors from around the world . "

Ayushi Nayak, co-lead author of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, said, "Food reconstruction of skeletons from stable isotopes also promotes the presence of multiple distinct groups. "Individuals belonging to the Indian-related group had highly variable diets, showing a reliance on C3 and C4-derived food sources. These results are consistent with the genetic evidence of their belonging to various socioeconomic groups in South Asia. "

"In contrast, individuals of Eastern Mediterranean descent seem to have consumed a diet with very little millet."

Radiocarbon dating indicates that the skeletons were not deposited at the same time, as previously assumed. Instead, the study shows that the two major genetic groups were deposited about 1000 years apart.

First, during the 7th-10th centuries AD, individuals of Indian origin died in Roopkund, probably during several separate events. It was not until sometime between the 17th and 20th centuries that the other two groups, probably made up of travelers from the eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, arrived at Roopkund Lake. .

Lead co-author Douglas J. Kennett of the University of California at Santa Barbara said: "This discovery shows the power of radiocarbon dating because it was assumed that the skeletons of Lake Roopkund were the result of a single catastrophic event."

Lead author Niraj Rai, from the Sahni Birbal Institute of Paleoscience in Lucknow, India, said: "We still do not know what brought these people to Roopkund Lake or how they died. We hope this study represents the first of many analyzes of this mysterious site. "

The coauthor of the author, David Reich of Harvard Medical School, said: "Through biomolecular analyzes, such as ancient DNA, food reconstruction using stable isotopes and radiocarbon dating, we discovered that the history of Lake Roopkund was More complex than we had anticipated and raised the striking question of, who have an extremely atypical descent profile in the region today, died there only a few hundred years ago. This study highlights the power of biomolecular tools to provide unexpected information about our past. "

The study, published this week in Nature Communications.