Ancient DNA reveals secrets of Pompeii victims

The bones of a man and a woman who were buried when Pompeii was engulfed in volcanic ash have been studied by researchers.

The firstPompeian human genome is an almost complete set of genetic instructions from the victims.

The bodies were encased in time-hardened ash.

Casa del Fabbro, or The Craftsman's House, is where the two people were first discovered.

On the day of the eruption, they were slumped in the corner of the dining room. The cloud of ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius could have killed people in less than 20 minutes, according to a recent study.

Dr Serena Viva from the University of Salento said that the two victims they studied were not trying to escape.

The answer to why they weren't fleeing could be found in their health conditions.

There are clues in the new study of their bones.

It was all about the preservation of the skeletons, and it looked promising.

The scientists were able to get a lot of information from a small amount of bone powder because of the remarkable preservation and the latest laboratory technology.

He said that new machines can read several whole genomes at the same time.

The man's skeleton contained some of the samebacteria that caused Tuberculosis, suggesting he may have had the disease prior to his death. He had a fragment of bone at the base of his skull that contained his entire genetic code.

He shared his genetic markers with other people who lived in Italy during the Roman Imperial age. He had a group of genes from the island of Sardinia, which suggested there might have been high levels of genetic diversity across the Italian Peninsula at the time.

There would be more to learn from Pompeii's biological studies, including from ancient environmental DNA, which could reveal more about biodiversity at the time.

Pompeii is like a Roman island, he said.

Dr Viva said that every human body in Pompeii was a treasure.

She said that working with the people who are silent witnesses to one of the most well-known historical events in the world was emotional.

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On Inside Science, there is more on the genetic mysteries of Pompeii.