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From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] DNA of Birger Jarl
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 09:30:39 EDT


In a message dated 9/1/2007 3:58:41 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
writes:

Article in Swedish http://www.uu.se/aktuellt/nyhet.php?id=168&typ=artikel

About Biger Jarl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birger_jarl
I have emailed Helena Malmström asking about the mitogroups of the three.



For those of you who don't read Swedish:

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY: News

DNA-Analysis gives support to hypothesis about Birger Jarl's grave

Published 2007-08-31

In cooperation with Västergotland's museum and Rättsmedicinalverket, the
researcher from Uppsala University that DNA-analysis supports the hypothesis
that Birger Jarl is buried with his second wife and his son. The results made
public today, Wenesday, with a press conference in Varnhem's monastery church.

In May 2002 the grave which was believed to hold the remains of Birger Jarl,
in Varnhem's monastery in Västergötland, was opened. The purpose was to
make a careful examination of the skeletal remains from the 13th century and
with modern osteological analytical methods test whether the connection to
Birger Jarl, his wife Mechtild and his son were trustworthy. Well-known
historical data, together with the results from the bone analyses lays the ground
for interpretation. Now the hypotheses receive the support of the examination
of all the latest DNA technology performed, among others, by Anders
Götherström and Dr. Helena Malmström with Uppsala University's Evolutionary Biology
department.

Erik was Birger's son, but Mechtild wasn't Erik's mother. DNA from the
medieval bone clearly shows that the three people in the graven did not have the
same mother, nor belong to the same maternal line. The work however found a
fathership relationship between the older and younger men in the grave. The
identity of the remains are still not established, because there are no known
relatives for DNA comparison.

The group of researchers has worked with many different typesof DNA; one
variant which is passed maternally (mitochondrial DNA), one which is passed
paternally, (Y-chromosome DNA) and one which is passed from one's mother and
father (autosomal DNA). By using all these types of DNA the study has become
more complete.

It is difficult to work with DNA this old. It is easy to get the
archaeologist, or their own DNA by mistake, says Helena Malmström, PhD with the
Evolution Biology department in Uppsala.

She has nevertheless been provided with the latest DNA sequencing
technology, which among other things was used to study the Neanderthals gene pool, and
she has herself used that technique in a whole new manner. The result give a
solid and completely reliable estimate.

The DNA analysis now carried out the last piece of the puzzle in the
research project which began with the 2002 exhumation thus falls into place.
Historical data, osteological results and DNA analysis collaborate toward a very tr
ustworthy coupling between the grave in Varnhem och Birger Jarl (died 1266),
his second wife Mechtild (died 1288) and his next to youngest son Erik (died
1275).




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