Ancient burial reveals women had rare genetic disorder
Technology
Scientists studying a burial site in southern Italy reported the earliest confirmed genetic diagnosis of a human disease from ancient DNA.
What's wild is these 12,000-year-old remains, once thought to be a man and woman, actually belonged to two women.
One of them, nicknamed Romito 2, had a rare bone growth disorder called acromesomelic dysplasia caused by an NPR2 gene mutation.
Evidence of early human compassion
Romito 2 managed to reach her teenage years despite her condition, which suggests her hunter-gatherer group looked out for her.
This find flips old assumptions about ancient people and shows that even back then, communities cared for those with disabilities—a reminder that compassion has deep roots in human history.