Skeletal remains scattered around the Roopkund Lake site. The people’s cause of death has remained elusive. Roopkund (locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeletons Lake) is a high altitude glacial lake in the Uttarakhand state of India. On the Indian side of the Himalayas over sixteen thousand feet above sea level lies “Skeleton lake” where a large group of ancient human bones are scattered about at Roopkund Lake, as it is officially called. Roopkund’s strangeness unnerves even professionals. Credit: modified from Harney et al., Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9 Despite advancements in DNA analysis, researchers can only theorize the … New research suggests the site is not the scene of a single natural disaster that killed hundreds, as once thought. Roopkund Lake is 16,499 feet above sea level in the Indian Himalayas. At the mysterious Skeleton Lake in northern India, the dead are talking, revealing surprises through centuries-old DNA. The Origins Of The Skeletons Of Roopkund Lake. But what if a local folk song memorializes how the victims died? Roopkund, a remote lake high in the Indian Himalaya, is home to one of archaeology’s spookiest mysteries: the skeletons of as many as 800 people.Now, a study published today in Nature Communications attempts to unravel what happened at “Skeleton Lake” — but the results raise more questions than answers.. Aug 22, 2019 - In 1942 hundreds of human skeletal remains were discovered at a lake deep in the Himalayas, baffling experts. Bone and tissue samples were sent to Oxford University for carbon dating. Legal Statement. Skeleton Lake is so named for the hundreds of skeletons found there, a spooky tableux high in a Himalayan pass. And unlike the earlier South Asian skeletons, the later group at Roopkund had a genetic ancestry tied to the Mediterranean—Greece and Crete, to be exact. Grisly sites in other parts of the world are also revealing their secrets. Workers preparing to lay new water pipes recently discovered a gruesome ancient burial site in the U.K. The lake itself sits at an altitude of 16,470 feet, in an uninhabited area It's locally known as 'Mystery Lake' or 'Skeleton Lake' Skeletons were first uncovered in 1942, during the Second World War An abandoned lake in the Himalayas is the final resting place of up to 800 skeletons. DNA study deepens mystery of lake full of skeletons. From singing competitions to food preferences, scientists are learning whales have cultural differences once thought to be unique to humans. As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. Additionally, radiocarbon dating found that the remains are from very different eras. Secrets of 'Skeleton Lake' revealed in new DNA analysis of human remains at mysterious Himalayan site. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. “When we actually got the DNA back, it was super clear that some of these were not individuals with typical South Asian ancestry,” says Éadaoin Harney, study co-author and a researcher at Harvard’s department of organismic and evolutionary biology. (Pramod Joglekar). Finally, it has been suggested that they were the victims of an epidemic.”. The pioneering science that unlocked the secrets of whale culture, Many animals play dead—and not just to avoid getting eaten, Groundbreaking effort launched to decode whale language, This fish stuck in a disposable glove is a warning about the risks of COVID-19 litter, ‘Tiger King’ stars’ face scrutiny in court, 'Forest gardens’ show how Native land stewardship can outdo nature, For young climate activists, the pandemic is the defining moment for action, Biden wants to cut U.S. climate pollution in half—here’s how, 51 years of environmental victories, in photos. Victoria M. Indivero. All of the remains with South Asian ancestry were dated to around 800 B.C., while the other skeletal remains analyzed were dated to around 1800 B.C. ", Snow-covered skeletal remains at the Roopkund Lake site. The Secrets of Skeleton Lake. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Himalyan 'skeleton lake' DNA testing reveals mysterious results The lake has remains of humans dating back to the 7th century. Dubbed ‘Skeleton Lake,’ the site has been shrouded in mystery for decades, sparking new DNA analysis of the bones. Contents-Roopkund Lake – The Lake Of Skeletons. Now, a study published today in Nature Communications attempts to unravel what happened at “Skeleton Lake”—but the results raise more questions than answers. Genetic analysis of human remains found in the Himalayas has raised baffling questions about who these people were and why they were there. The analysis compared the DNA of the skeletons at the lake with the DNA of modern-day populations. An intriguing new DNA study attempting to unravel the mystery of a macabre site in the Himalayas known as 'Skeleton Lake' wound up producing some rather confounding results. After 60 years, Bay of Pigs disaster still haunts veterans who fought, Archaeologists discover mysterious monument hidden in plain sight, Stolen in 1792, the French Blue diamond's fate puzzled historians for centuries, 'Lost golden city of Luxor' discovered by archaeologists in Egypt, How India’s second wave became the worst COVID-19 surge in the world, CDC panel recommends resuming use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This research, titled "Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India," recently appeared in Nature Communications. “Local folklore describes a pilgrimage to the nearby shrine of the mountain goddess, Nanda Devi, undertaken by a king and queen and their many attendants, who—due to their inappropriate, celebratory behavior—were struck down by the wrath of [nearby mountain] Nanda Devi,” the scientists explain. DNA study deepens mystery of lake full of skeletons Hundreds of bodies at Roopkund Lake belonged to pilgrims who perished in a Himalayan storm more than a … High in the Himalayas of India, amid the snow-capped peaks, nestles a mystery. The mysterious circumstances surrounding events at a remote mountain lake, found full of human skeletons, are evading scientists who have looked deep into this bizarre incident. “These findings refute previous suggestions that the skeletons of Roopkund Lake were deposited in a single catastrophic event,” the scientists explain, in Nature Communications. Roopkund Lake is a shallow body of water filled with human bones - the skeletons of hundreds of individuals. 'Skeleton Lake' DNA discovery deepens mystery of human remains, MASS CHILD SACRIFICE SITE REVEALS ITS HORRI. New DNA data shows that several different groups … But on warmer days, it delivers a macabre performance, as hundreds of human skeletons, some with flesh still attached, emerge from what has become known as Skeleton Lake. DNA seldom survives well in hot climates and the high-altitude lake is one of the few places on the subcontinent cold enough to preserve it. In 1942, hundreds of human skeletal remains were discovered at Roopkund Lake, which is 16,499 feet above sea level deep in the Indian Himalayas. The lake was thought to be the site of an ancient catastrophic event that left several hundred people dead, but the first ancient whole-genome data from India shows that diverse groups of people died at the lake in multiple events approximately 1000 years apart. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. (Atish Waghwase). GRUESOME HUMAN SACRIFICE DISCOVERY: SKULLS REVEAL GRISLY SECRETS OF LOST AZTEC CITY. The team didn’t have expectations for who the people at Roopkund might have been, but signs of Mediterranean ancestry high in the Indian Himalaya came as a surprise. In response, an enraged Nanda Devi struck the group down with “iron balls” thrown from the sky. Now it’s being found everywhere on earth, including the oceans. Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Nestled deep in the Himalayan mountains at 5029 m above sea level, Roopkund Lake is a small body of water (~40 m in diameter) that is colloquially referred to as Skeleton Lake … Skeleton Lake Sindhi Worshipper 830 AD I3346 mtDNA: M30c Y-DNA: E1b1b1 5.56 cM You are #10 among 54 other users who also have a deep dive match with this sample. Human bones are scattered across the shores of Roopkund Lake in the Himalayas. In the early 2000s, preliminary DNA studies had suggested that the people who died at Roopkund were of South Asian ancestry, and radiocarbon dates from around the site cluster at 800 A.D., a sign that they all died in a single event. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The ‘Skeleton Lake’ Mystery Deepens after Surprising Results of DNA Tests. Hundreds of bodies at Roopkund Lake belonged to pilgrims who perished in a Himalayan storm more than a thousand years ago—or so researchers thought. Ancient DNA from India’s Skeleton Lake Roopkund: A Report. 'HUMAN SACRIFICE' VICTIMS DISCOVERED AT GRUESOME ANCIENT SITE, "We were extremely surprised by the genetics of the Roopkund skeletons," said lead author Éadaoin Harney of Harvard University, in a statement released by Germany's Max Planck Institute, which was also involved in the research. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 'Skeleton Lake' DNA discovery deepens mystery of human remains In 1942, hundreds of human skeletal remains were discovered at Roopkund Lake, which is … They took DNA from the bones and sequenced them in order to find out when they lived and where they came from. DNA Analysis Just Made The Creepy Mystery of Himalayan 'Skeleton Lake' Even Weirder. ... results from the DNA testing of 38 skeletons has blown either of those ideas completely out of the water. Ever since a Nanda Devi game reserve ranger Hari Kishan Madhwal, stumbled on Roopkund Lake skeletons in 1942, experts have struggled to understand how hundreds of human skeletons ended up in this small, shallow glacial lake, which sits in a valley more than 16,000 feet above sea level. The lake remains frozen for the most part of the year, expanding and shrinking depending on the season and weather. Roopkund Skeleton Lake has been a mystery to scientists ever since its first discovery in 1942. Hidden away in the Indian Himalayas, Roopkund Lake may appear serene, but it is hiding dark and disturbing secrets. The Origins Of The Skeletons Of Roopkund Lake. “We have tried to answer all possible sources of genetic ancestries of [the] Roopkund skeletons but failed to answer why Mediterranean people were traveling to this lake and what they were doing here,” writes study co-author Niraj Rai, an archaeogeneticist at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow, India, in an email. Researchers have plans to further unravel Roopkund’s mysteries: Rai says that next year, another expedition will visit the lake to study artifacts associated with the skeletons. But new research suggests that skeletons at Roopkund lake were killed in multiple events between the 9th and 19th centuries. The skeleton can be seen only when the snow thaws, at times flesh, are attached and they are well preserved. October 30, 2019. One individual was found to have Southeast Asian ancestry. She visited every country on Earth. DNA analysis adds a new layer of mystery to the ancient bones at “Skeleton Lake" in India. Hundreds of them. Carlos Castillo September 14, 2019 8:42 am Roopkund Lake is a small glacial lake 16,470 feet high in the cradle of the Trishul massif, three snow-capped mountain peaks in the Himalayas. The research, however, has yielded surprising results. DNA analysis showed that all the victims appeared to have a genetic makeup typical of South Asian origin. None of the tested individuals were related to each other, and additional isotopic studies confirm that the South Asian and Mediterranean groups ate different diets. August 20, 2019. How did Brazil’s lauded vaccine program fail at COVID-19? “When pilgrims get up to [Roopkund], they're scrambling because they have much farther to go, so they sort of stop and briefly show a bit of respect, if you will—but it's not and never has been terribly important for the pilgrimage itself,” he says. According to the DNA evidence, there’s no other thought than this for now, however, scientists say that this type of … "The presence of individuals with ancestries typically associated with the eastern Mediterranean suggests that Roopkund Lake was not just a site of local interest, but instead drew visitors from across the globe. “We report genome-wide ancient DNA for 38 skeletons from Roopkund Lake, … An intriguing new DNA study attempting to unravel the mystery of a macabre site in the Himalayas known as 'Skeleton Lake' wound up producing some rather confounding results. “We hope that this study represents the first of many analyses of this mysterious site. View of Skeleton Lake, where hundreds of bodies appear when the snow melts. All rights reserved. Himalayan Skeleton Lake Mystery Just Got Deeper. 'Skeleton Lake' DNA Study Produces Puzzling Results. Why hundreds of human skeletons have washed up from this lake is a mystery that has been haunting historians and scientists since the bones were first discovered by a shocked forest ranger in 1942. Reported today in Nature Communications, a new team sequenced the ancient DNA of 38 individuals from Skeleton Lake, determined their time of death using radiocarbon dating, and analyzed their bones for additional clues. New DNA tests conducted over the past decade knock both of these theories out of the water, but replace them with a bigger mystery, starting with where the people in Skeleton Lake were from. A medieval burial pit in Lebanon, for example, is shedding new light on the Crusader era in the Middle East. New DNA tests conducted over the past decade knock both of these theories out of the water, but replace them with a bigger mystery, starting with where the people in Skeleton Lake were from. The eerie location, discovered during World War II and officially dubbed 'Roopkund Lake,' contains hundreds of skeletons of unknown origin. Dubbed "Skeleton Lake," the site has been shrouded in mystery for decades, sparking new DNA analysis of the bones. Mysterious DNA from Skeleton Lake Baffles Scientists. An intriguing new DNA study attempting to unravel the mystery of a macabre site in the Himalayas known as 'Skeleton Lake' wound up producing some rather confounding results. The eerie location, discovered during World War II and officially dubbed 'Roopkund Lake,' contains hundreds of skeletons of unknown origin. Scientists analyze ancient human bones at India’s Skeleton Lake and find DNA from over 3,500 miles away. Besides the skeletons, the melting ice has also revealed personal belongings such as knives, spears, and leather shoes. In the early 2000s, preliminary DNA studies had suggested that the people who died at Roopkund were of South Asian ancestry, and radiocarbon dates from around the site cluster at 800 A.D., a sign that they all died in a single event. “Stable isotope dietary reconstruction of the skeletons also supports the presence of multiple distinct groups,” explained the Max Planck Institute. Researchers extracted DNA from dozens of the skeletal remains within the lake and successfully identified 23 males and 15 females. Ancient human remains frozen in the Himalayas (Skeleton lake), had DNA from over 3,500 miles away Imagine a frozen lake, located high in the Himalayan Mountains which has the skeletal remains of more than 300 people at the bottom of it. Then, perhaps 1,000 years or so later, sometime between the 17th and 20th centuries, two more genetic groups suddenly appeared within the lake: one individual of East Asian-related ancestry and, curiously, 14 people of eastern Mediterranean ancestry. All rights reserved. Many come in the spring. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, MASS CHILD SACRIFICE SITE REVEALS ITS HORRIFIC SECRETS. Legal Statement. DNA Detectives Take Another Look. “We report genome-wide ancient DNA for 38 skeletons from Roopkund Lake, … Can ‘community choice’ help them get it? The surreal sight of human remains deposited on the margins of the lake is visible only when the snow and the ice melt. Some skeletons were more ancient than others, suggesting that many were interred at the lake lifetimes apart. Pramod Joglekar The research findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. A Lake Full of Dead Bodies. Now, full genomic analyses from 38 sets of skeletal remains upend that story. or redistributed. The ‘Skeleton Lake’ Mystery Deepens after Surprising Results of DNA Tests. Why a whale's world is a world of sound, Video Story, Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright © 2015-2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Credit: modified from Harney et al., Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India, Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9 ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Market data provided by Factset. Imagine a frozen lake which, upon melting each year, reveals the unnerving sight of the remains of more than 300 people. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Attempting to answer what exactly happened at the so called ‘Skeleton Lake’ over a thousand years ago. View comments. Roopkund, a remote lake high in the Indian Himalaya, is home to one of archaeology’s spookiest mysteries: the skeletons of as many as 800 people. Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India Éadaoin Harney1,2,3, Ayushi Nayak4,17, ... in diameter) that is colloquially referred to as Skeleton Lake due to the remains of several hundred ancient humans scattered around its … Roopkund Lake: Skeleton Lake. In Mexico, a vast array of skulls buried beneath the streets of modern Mexico City are shedding light on the grisly details of Aztec human sacrifice. Pramod Joglekar Aug 31, 2019 Ian Harvey. Situated at over 5,000 meters above sea level in the Himalayan Mountains, Roopkund Lake is home to the scattered skeletal remains of several hundred individuals of unknown origin. Here’s what she learned. Mysterious skeletons of Skeleton lake belong to genetically highly distinct groups. Located in the Himalayas , the area around the lake is uninhabited and is roughly at an altitude of 16,470 feet (5,020 m), [1] surrounded by rock-strewn glaciers and snow-clad mountains. 21 AUGUST 2019. Market data provided by Factset. William Sax, head of Heidelberg University’s anthropology department and author of a book on the pilgrimage, says that this type of scenario “wouldn’t make any sense.”. 240 men started Magellan's voyage around the world. Experts in Peru recently revealed the gruesome details of a 15th-century ritual sacrifice site that contained the remains of more than 140 children. Till now, the fossil remains of over 800 people have been discovered here. According to the DNA evidence, there’s no other thought than this for now, however, scientists say that this type of scenario wouldn’t make any sense. Tweet 0 The first reports regarding the skeletal remains date to the 19th century, but the remains were re-discovered by Nanda Devi game reserve ranger H K Madhwal in 1942. Dietary analysis also confirmed the skeletons’ diverse origins. Offshore wind is poised to take off in the U.S.—but it won’t be easy, 80 years ago, a player made baseball history … an organ player, that is. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Over centuries, the shores of a small Himalayan lake became the final resting place for hundreds of individuals, so much so that today the lake is locally known as Skeleton Lake. The origin of the bones at Skeleton Lake are as good a mystery as any. They took DNA from the bones and sequenced them in order to find out when they lived and where they came from. Now, a study published today in Nature Communications attempts to unravel what happened at “Skeleton Lake”—but the results raise more questions than answers. In the early 2000s, preliminary DNA studies had suggested that the people … This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Get a daily look at what’s developing in science and technology throughout the world. DNA from remains found high in the Himalayas (pictured) suggest that Greeks were among hundreds of people who died at a mysterious location known as Skeleton Lake The research, however, has yielded surprising results. In the 1950s, one explorer described the site to an Indian radio station as a “ghastly scene that made us catch our breath.” And for decades, many scholars have tried to figure out who the men and women at Roopkund were and when they died. Citing rotten food, separating young cubs from their mothers, missing animals, and fraud, court cases aim to end the most exploitive practices. The common belief was that the skeletons were the remains of people who over the years were killed by severe weather and sudden storms on the hills and slipped into the lake with snow, which prevented the natural process of decomposition. While 23 had ancestry typical of South Asia, 14 were from the eastern Mediterranean. Please be respectful of copyright. Roopkund Lake is a small glacial lake 16,470 feet high in the cradle of the Trishul massif, three snow-capped mountain peaks in the Himalayas. Aug 21, 2018 Stefan Andrews. “Definitely not something we were expecting at all.”, Did the Mediterranean group come for the Raj Jat pilgrimage and then stay at the lake long enough to meet their ends there? During the progress of DNA testing, the bones and some of the preserved human tissue could now be examined. “Little is known about the origin of these skeletons, as they have never been subjected to systematic anthropological or archaeological scrutiny, in part due to the disturbed nature of the site, which is frequently affected by rockslides, and which is often visited by local pilgrims and hikers who have manipulated the skeletons and removed many of the artifacts,” the international team of researchers explain in their study. A report in National Geographic says that in the early 2000s scientists studied DNA from the bodies and the broad results determined that the people were of South Asian ancestry , and that they had all died in a single event around 800 AD. Roopkund (locally known as Mystery Lake or Skeletons Lake) is a high altitude glacial lake in the Uttarakhand state of India.It lies in the lap of Trishul massif. The Human Remains of Skeleton Lake – Visible Only when the Ice Melts. . A small lake known as Roopkund Lake sits high in the Indian Himalayas, more than 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) above sea level. But such an ideal burial ground wouldn’t have the eerie appeal of Skeleton Lake in Uttarakhand, India, where researchers suspect the bones of as many as 500 people lie. Why was a Mediterranean group at Roopkund, and how did they meet their end? Himalayas lake Skeletons India Anthropology DNA. New DNA profiling has revealed that the mystery of the creepy 'Skeleton Lake' is … We report genome-wide ancient DNA for 38 skeletons from Roopkund Lake, and find that they cluster into three distinct groups. A closer look at one of the skeletons. All rights reserved. Only 18 finished it. How to stop discarded face masks from polluting the planet. The song describes a royal procession during the Raj Jat—a pilgrimage held in the region every 12 years to worship the goddess Nanda Devi—that defiled the holy landscape with dancing girls. DNA seldom survives well in hot climates and the high-altitude lake is one of the few places on the subcontinent cold enough to preserve it. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. “It's kind of a dark and dirty place where you sort of nod your head and move on.”. Researchers don’t know and aren’t speculating. After sequencing genomes from skeletons at the lake, scientists revealed surprising ancestral results of the remains, linking 23 skeletons to South Asia, 14 to the eastern Mediterranean and one to Southeast Asia. An intriguing new DNA study attempting to unravel the mystery of a macabre site in the Himalayas known as 'Skeleton Lake' wound up producing some rather confounding results. Mysterious DNA from Skeleton Lake Baffles Scientists. Join our new commenting forum. The Mystery of ‘Skeleton Lake’ Gets Deeper Hundreds of skeletons are scattered around a site high in the Himalayas, and a new study overturns a leading theory about how they got there. The eerie location, discovered during World War II and officially dubbed 'Roopkund Lake,' contains hundreds of skeletons of … Americans want more renewable energy. It's these that give the lake its other name, Skeleton Lake, and no one knows how the remains came to be there. The Bones at India’s Mysterious ‘Skeleton Lake’ Came From All Over New research reveals that the hundreds of anonymous dead spanned both continents and … The margins of the preserved human tissue could now be examined is the resting! That these are the remains of humans dating back to the 7th century groups … 21 2019. From other retail websites look at what ’ s contents stir a striking with. Mystery of human remains were discovered at a Lake deep in the Middle East site been! 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