DNA Project Seeks to Learn Histories of Forgotten US Slaves

An organization is using human genetic¹ material to learn about the African roots of 36 American slaves who lived in the late 1700s.

The 36 bodies were discovered in 2013 during a construction project in Charleston, South Carolina. The DNA² material was collected from the remains³. DNA is a group of molecules⁴ that hold the genetic information necessary for life.

Leaders of the project say no written records have been found for any of the individuals. Their names are unknown and any information about their lives was lost.

But now, their stories are being pieced together through things that were left behind, such as bones, teeth and DNA.

DNA research has developed over the years to permit scientists to use ancient remains and to learn about long dead people. In Charleston, that meant searching for African roots that were cut off by slavery.

"We're bringing their memory back to life," said Raquel Fleskes. She is an anthropologist⁵ at the University of Connecticut who studied the remains. Fleskes added that she considers the project a way to bring back dignity "to individuals that should've always had this dignity."

The Charleston project started 10 years ago. It began after workers discovered the remains during a large building project.

Experts believe the remains belonged to enslaved people of African background who lived nearby. The remains are estimated⁶ to date back more than 200 years.

The city reburied the remains near where they were found, and a memorial is planned to honor⁷ the individuals. But with little information known about the people, community members decided⁸ to use science to learn more about them. The effort turned into the Anson Street African Burial Ground Project.

Things found at the building site suggested the bodies were buried with care, said Theodore Schurr. He is an anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania who has worked on the project. Schurr said minerals in the teeth showed that only a few had been born in Africa. Most had likely been born into slavery in Charleston or nearby.

The researchers also collected DNA from the bones. They were able to get some genetic material from most of the 36 and full genomes for half of them. The material was compared with the genetic material of people in Africa today.

Results showed the group had ties to many places along the West African coast, from Gambia to Gabon. The individuals were mostly male, and most died as adults. The youngest was a child under three years of age and the oldest was a man over 50. Their DNA showed they were not related⁹, except for a possible mother and child.

Researchers also offered DNA tests to 78 African Americans currently¹⁰ living in the Charleston area, said La'Sheia Oubré. She led community education for the project. Oubré said no direct relatives of those buried at Anson Street have been found.

But she and other community members consider the early ancestors' family. "They have such a story to tell," Oubré said. "And because they're not related to us by blood, it doesn't mean that it's not our moral¹¹ responsibility to take care of them."

Words in This Story

anthropologist – n. a person who studies human development and society

dignity – n. the state or quality of being worthy¹² of honor or respect

genome – n. the complete set of genetic material belonging to a human, animal, plant or other living thing

1 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

6 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

7 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

10 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

11 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

12 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。