The remains of what DNA analysis showed to be a boy found in the Dutch Medieval village Eindhoven, could prove to be revolutionary for both archaeology and modern research on HIV/AIDS:

This chance discovery of ancient DNA has led to one of the most ambitious archaeological projects ever to come out of the Netherlands–a massive excavation in the St. Catherine’s Church cemetery and the establishment of a major ancient human DNA databank. With $3.4 million in funding, Arts and a team of archaeologists and physical anthropologists have now unearthed the skeletons of more than 750 Eindhoven citizens. And over the next two years, University of Leiden geneticist Peter de Knijff will attempt to recover DNA from these remains. “We expect that at least 75 percent of all individuals will have ancient DNA and proteins,” says [Eindhoven Municipal Archaeologist, Nico] Arts.

For researchers, the Eindhoven DNA bank could prove a major windfall, paving the way for a host of new studies. To unravel the mysteries of human disease, researchers are increasingly studying genetic variations in human populations that increase the risk of illnesses, such as diabetes, or boost resistance to infections such as malaria. By studying the variants over time, researchers hope to advance knowledge of these diseases and gather clues to produce vaccines or new drug treatments. And such medical research is where the Eindhoven DNA bank, which spans 600 years of history, could really shine.

The Dutch team hopes, for example, that their project will reveal the origin and prevalence of a genetic variant that increases resistance to one of the world’s most lethal viruses–HIV. Today, nearly 10 percent of people of northern European descent possess this variant, known as the CCR5D32 allele, and the discovery is sparking the development of a new class of AIDS-fighting drugs. Evidence suggests that this mutation first arose 3,100 to 7,800 years ago, but how did it become so prevalent across Europe in an age before the AIDS epidemic? Could this mutation also have boosted resistance to an earlier epidemic, such as smallpox or the Black Death? In search of new data, Knijff and his team will search for this variant in the DNA of Eindhoven’s citizens. “There is no doubt that these studies are valuable,” says Susan Scott, a University of Liverpool historian who has written extensively on the Black Death and its possible connection to the HIV-resistance variant. “Whilst I don’t think [ancient DNA] studies will yield a vaccine for AIDS, they may assist molecular geneticists to develop some gene therapy.” (Archaeology magazine)

Investigations into “why so many residents of Eyam, England, survived the black death when it hit the remote village in 1665″, produced similar evidence for this genetic resistance. All in all, a fascinating blending of archaeology and modern medicine which has the potential of not only providing us more understanding of our ancestors, but possibly could assist in research for diseases like HIV/AIDS today.

For more on the excavation at Eindhoven, click here.

h/t Per Omnia Saecula

– John (Average Gay Joe)

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” - Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring

This is Andree Dumon, a Belgian grandmother. She doesn’t look very strong, does she? Yet this woman at the tender age of 17 showed just how strong a spirit she has when in the face of brutal Nazi occupation of her homeland and the terror of war, she joined others in the heroic efforts of the Comet Line. This resistance group didn’t kill anyone, wasn’t responsible for sabotaging anything, nor was it a source of great intel for the Allies. Yet the bravery of Dumon and others like her provided an invaluable service to the war effort as they are credited with rescuing and sheperding to safety 800 Allied soldiers and airmen. Many lost their lives, like Dumon’s father, while others were betrayed and endured the horrors of concentration camps, like Dumon did herself. A remarkable story of compassion, heroism and stiff resistance in the face of evil. Take a few moments and read about the Comet Line and people like Dumon, along with other experiences in occupied Belgium during the terrible days of World War II.

– John (Average Gay Joe)

This incredible story did indeed give me chills and I couldn’t let this one go by unnoticed. Spc. Channing Moss was about to be written off for dead after being impaled by a live RPG, when his buddies and medical personnel “broke protocol” by risking their lives to save his. I cannot help but see a touch of the miraculous here and thank God for it, along with once again being stunned by the caliber of men and women we have serving in uniform.

Spc. Channing Moss should be dead by all accounts. And those who saved his life did so knowing they might have died with him…

…Protocol, as far as Oh [the surgeon] knew, dictated that someone in Moss’s condition be placed in a sandbagged bunker and listed as “expectant,” which means he would be expected to die because nothing could be done for him.

But Oh believed something could be done for the wounded soldier before him.

He “was still talking to me,” Oh recalled. He choked back tears as he explained: “When he comes in like that, there’s no way you can give up at that point.”

After the EOD team arrived, Oh warned the volunteers one last time that the surgery could cost everyone their lives.

The operating room crew prepped Moss for surgery…

I’m speechless. You can watch the video interview here.

(h/t Ace of Spades & Infidels Are Cool)

– John (Average Gay Joe)