Viking DNA extracted from 1,000-year-old skeletons

By Mark O’Neill

Researchers on the Danish island of Funen have successfully managed to extract authentic DNA from the 1000 year old skeletons of Vikings.

According to Science News, they will be able to use this DNA to answer questions such as “the origin of genetic diseases, migration patterns of our forefathers and tribal and family patterns.”

But this has led to the inevitable jokes on many forums and blogs, especially Slashdot, about cloned Viking warriors and theme parks (Richard Attenborough saying “Welcome to Nordic Park!”).

While it is unlikely that we are going to see Hagar walking around the streets anytime soon, it’ll nevertheless be very interesting to see what results come out of these DNA sequences and what we learn from them. I for one will be keeping a close eye on it.