VOA慢速英语2023--DNA of Enslaved Iron Workers Gives Light to African American History

DNA¹ of Enslaved Iron Workers Gives Light to African American History

Not far from Camp David, a U.S. presidential base in Maryland, lie the remains² of an iron workshop called Catoctin Furnace. The workshop dates back to the late 18th century. It is an important place for understanding the start of the Industrial Revolution in early U.S. history.

The site is also providing researchers with a greater understanding of African American history. A new study examined DNA from the remains of 27 individuals found in a burial place at Catoctin Furnace for enslaved people.

The study revealed the ancestry³ of some of the enslaved people who were forced to work there in the years after the nation's founding. It also identified thousands of living relatives. Many of the relatives still live in Maryland.

The burial site was used from 1774 to 1850. The remains were removed from the site in the 1970s so that a road could be built. Since then, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. has kept the remains. They include 16 males and 11 females. Some are very young children, while others are older adults.

Researchers found that the 27 individuals descended⁵ from just a few African populations, mainly West Africa's Wolof and Mandinka peoples and Central Africa's Kongo people. And they have strong genetic⁶ connections to present-day populations in Senegal, Gambia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Millions of people were forcibly taken from Africa to the Americas from the 16th to 19th century in the transatlantic slave trade. A lack of documentation about these people has left descendants with little information about their own family history.

Kari Bruwelheide is a researcher with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. She helped write the study, which appeared last week in the publication Science.

Bruwelheide said, "This knowledge was severed⁸ by slavery – a truth that has implications for African Americans far beyond the community of Catoctin Furnace."

She added that the study shows the power of genetic research to rebuild some of what was destroyed by a lack of record-keeping.

Enslaved people of African descent were forced to work in agricultural, industrial, and home settings in parts of the United States. Slavery ended with the U.S. Civil War, which was fought from 1861 to 1865.

Catoctin Furnace is a few kilometers from Camp David in Cunningham Falls State Park. It grew into a village area, with industrial buildings and housing.

Workers mined iron, kept fires burning to melt the iron and made different kinds of goods. The goods they made included stoves, pots and even cannon⁹ balls. Enslaved people were the main part of the work force until paying European immigrants to work there became less costly¹⁰ by the mid-19th century.

For the study, the researchers examined historical DNA alongside genetic testing company 23andMe's personal ancestry database. Through their efforts, they identified 41,799 Americans related to the 27 individuals.

Eadaoin Harney was the lead study writer. She is also a 23andMe population geneticist. She said, "Enslaved African Americans are largely excluded from the historical record, and in documents where they are mentioned, they are often treated as property, not as people."

The study found some European ancestry in most of the 27 individuals. That finding supports records of sexual abuse of enslaved people by their enslavers and others. It found that some of the 27 had possible genes¹¹ for genetic conditions like sickle¹² cell anemia¹³ and G6PD deficiency. Genetic conditions involving red blood cell problems are still common among African Americans.

Kathryn Barca is a Smithsonian researcher and a writer of the study. She said, "The experiences of African Americans within the early industrial complex of the United States are not completely understood and their labors¹⁴ in this system have not been thoroughly¹⁵ explored or acknowledged."

Barca added, "We hope this paper gives voice to these 27 individuals..."

Words in This Story

DNA – n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals

reveal – v. to make (something) known

descend⁴ from – phr. v. to have (something or someone in the past) as an origin or source

sever⁷ – v. to end (a relationship or connection) completely

mention – v. to talk about, write about, or refer to (something or someone) especially in a brief way

deficiency – n. a lack of something that is needed

 

thorough – adj. including every possible part or detail

1 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。

2 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。

3 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

4 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

5 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

6 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。

7 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

8 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

12 sickle   

n.镰刀

参考例句：

• The gardener was swishing off the tops of weeds with a sickle.园丁正在用镰刀嗖嗖地割掉杂草的顶端。
• There is a picture of the sickle on the flag. 旗帜上有镰刀的图案。

13 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

14 labors   

v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
• Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句

15 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。