Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains
Published on: November 30, 2021
Genetic analysis of 7 medieval skeletons from the Aragonese Pyrenees
Carolina Núnéz1, Cecilia Sosa, Miriam Baeta
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. carolina@unizar.es
Aim:
To perform a genetic characterization of 7 skeletons from medieval age found in a burial site in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
Methods:
Allele frequencies of autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) loci were determined by 3 different STR systems. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplogroups were determined by sequencing of the hypervariable segment 1 of mtDNA and typing of phylogenetic Y chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNP) markers, respectively. Possible familial relationships were also investigated.
Results:
Complete or partial STR profiles were obtained in 3 of the 7 samples. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup was determined in 6 samples, with 5 of them corresponding to the haplogroup H and 1 to the haplogroup U5a. Y-chromosome haplogroup was determined in 2 samples, corresponding to the haplogroup R. In one of them, the sub-branch R1b1b2 was determined. mtDNA sequences indicated that some of the individuals could be maternally related, while STR profiles indicated no direct family relationships.
Conclusions:
Despite the antiquity of the samples and great difficulty that genetic analyses entail, the combined use of autosomal STR markers, Y-chromosome informative SNPs, and mtDNA sequences allowed us to genotype a group of skeletons from the medieval age.
Related Concept Videos
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Carbon Skeletons
Classification of Bones
Long and Short Bones
The appendicular skeleton, particularly the upper and lower limbs, is primarily made of long and short bones. The long...
Genetic Variation
Genes exist in different versions called alleles, which...

