Ancient DNA reveals cause of rare facial condition in Peru infant
Researchers identified trisomy 13 in a 1,600-year-old infant found with a single eye socket.
Archaeologists in southern Peru have identified the genetic cause of a rare congenital condition in an infant buried approximately 1,600 years ago, according to a Times of India report. The remains were found at Jauranga, an archaeological site in the Palpa Valley, which is linked to the ancient Nasca civilisation.
The discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), involved two female infants placed one above the other inside a single ceramic vessel. The burial dates to the Middle Nasca period, between AD 325 and 440.
One infant, identified as JA13A, possessed a single eye socket in the centre of her face. Genetic analysis of her ancient DNA revealed an extra copy of chromosome 13, a condition known as trisomy 13, or Patau syndrome, which researchers identified as the likely cause of the cyclopia.
While the two infants were both female, they did not share the same maternal lineage. Researchers noted that while placing children in ceramic vessels was a common funerary practice in the region, burying two infants together in one vessel was unusual.
The infant with the condition was buried in a regular cemetery without unique offerings. This suggests she was not excluded from customary burial practices, though researchers cannot determine how she was treated during her life.