News Genetics

DNA from a 5,200-year-old Irish tomb hints at ancient royal incest

Genetic material from an interred man has many identical versions of the same genes

Ireland's Newgrange passage tomb

DNA from a man interred in Ireland’s Newgrange passage tomb (shown) indicates he was the son of an incestuous union, possibly within a ruling family more than 5,000 years ago.

Tjp finn/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

A man buried in a huge, roughly 5,200-year-old Irish stone tomb was the product of incest, a new study finds.