How Do We Know Stories Passed Down Through Generations Are True? Genomic Data Confirms Aboriginal Histories

In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State University have proven through genomic data that what aboriginal communities oral histories have always told them are indeed true. Their research included studying the genomes of 25 members of several Canadian aboriginal communities today and 25 members that lived 1,000 to 6,000 years ago. Their oral histories passed down from generation to generation indicated a massive decrease in population due to European-brought diseases around 175 years ago. Genomic research confirmed that ancestors had an advantageous variant in their genes that helped them survive before Europeans arrived, but that same variant actually made them more susceptible to the European diseases, leading to massive die-offs and becoming a disadvantageous variant. This helped researchers explain why descendants today are much less likely to have that genomic variant and were able to survive.