first century burial shroud and disease found in jerusalem tomb

(december 16, 2009 - thunder bay, on) dr. carney matheson, scientific officer of the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 paleo-dna laboratory as well as anthropology professor at lakehead, is involved in another investigation of ancient dna that could have significant implications. dr. matheson co-authored a new research paper that has just been published in plos one, a scientific journal published by the public library of science. the paper presents scientific research conducted on "the tomb of the shroud," - a tomb found in jerusalem dating back to the time of jesus.

this rock-hewn burial cave, originally discovered by an archaeological team led by shimon gibson, boaz zissu, and james tabor, belongs to a cemetery known as akeldama or "field of blood," as described in the bible (cf. matthew 27:3-8; acts 1:19), and located in the lower hinnom valley in jerusalem. in comparison to more than 70 other tombs in the akeldama area, this particular tomb is unique as it contains remnants of a burial shroud and evidence of leprosy (hansen's disease) and tuberculosis in the shrouded male remains within it. this is the oldest known case of leprosy with confirmed dates and molecular evidence. some of the other individuals in this multi-chambered tomb showed signs of tuberculosis, and ancient human dna was detected to piece together the family relationships.

the molecular investigation of the first century shrouded man was led by professor charles greenblatt of the hebrew university, first conducted at the hebrew university's kuvin centre for tropical and infectious disease and later replicated at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's paleo-dna laboratory. additional work was conducted by helen donoghue at the london -based university college's centre for infectious diseases and international health.

remarkably, no other first century tomb from jerusalem had hitherto been examined by molecular methods. "the discovery of the presence of m. tuberculosis and m. leprae in the individuals buried within the "tomb of the shroud" is significant in understanding the geographical and temporal distribution of tuberculosis and leprosy in antiquity," explains dr. matheson. "this research is evidence that molecular pathology clearly adds a new dimension to the archaeological exploration of disease in ancient times, and it showcases the world-class forensic work on ancient human dna undertaken at lakehead's paleo-dna laboratory."

the successful genetic analysis of unique archaeological sites such as "tomb of the shroud" poses great promise for future investigations into host-pathogen relationships and evolution, geographic distribution, and epidemiology of disease and social health in antiquity.

click here to read the research paper in full.

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media: please note that this information has been released following embargo requests from international media. however, dr. matheson is not available for face-to-face media interview until december 19 when he returns to thunder bay from a research expedition. until that time, he will be returning calls and emails from havana when possible. his havana-based telephone number is 011-537-838-0294 (room 302) and he can be reached from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m., as well as 9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. daily. he'll also be checking emails sent to his cmatheso@lakeheadu.ca account at 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. daily. as of december 19, dr. matheson can be reached in thunder bay at 807-577-8393. for more information, please contact communications officer heather scott at 807-343-8177, commun@lakeheadu.ca; or director of communications eleanor abaya at 807-343-8372 or eabaya@lakeheadu.ca.

about 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 and its paleo-dna laboratory
lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. the paleo-dna laboratory is a leader in human mitochondrial dna analysis. the only canadian university laboratory accredited by iso17025 for forensic dna testing, it is known for its commitment to education, research, services, training, quality assurance and control standards, and reliable results. established in 1996, it was the first to offer a dna training course emphasizing mitochondrial dna analysis, and one of the first canadian laboratories to develop mitochondrial dna analysis techniques. every spring, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 from across the globe travel to thunder bay, ontario, to receive specialized training in mitochondrial dna methods. 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's paleo-dna laboratory is the only facility in the world that offers this training program. for more information on lakehead's paleo-dna laboratory, please visit www.ancientdna.com.

about plos one
plos one is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. plos one is published by the public library of science (plos), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource.