DNA from African mummies tie these folk to Middle Easterners
Helen Thompson
Jun 27, 2017 — 7:10 am EST
New and extremely careful techniques now show Egyptian mummies can be a reliable source of ancient DNA. An analysis of 90 of these African mummies revealed family ties to the Middle East, not to other sites in Africa.
Ancient mummies are yielding a new treasure — DNA. The genetic material unwrapped from 90 of these preserved bodies in Egypt, a part of North Africa, show their family roots extend seemingly to the Middle East. They appear to have far less in common with ancient peoples throughout most of the rest of Africa.
What this means, researchers now say, is that the ancient Egyptians had relatives in what is now the Middle East, and possibly Europe.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/dna-african-mummies-tie-these-folk-middle-easterners
