DNA Confirms Bones Are King Richard III's

[bing]

Found this interesting.

LONDON—Researchers on Monday said the long-lost remains of King Richard III have been found and identified—after sitting under what is now a parking lot in the English Midlands for more than 500 years.

The findings appear to solve a centuries-old mystery involving one of England's most-storied rulers, who has remained in the public fascination through a Shakespeare play and Hollywood movies.

University of Leicester researchers said at a news conference that DNA tests on bones recently unearthed in an archaeological dig in Leicester match samples taken from two living descendants of Richard's sister. A separate skeletal analysis showed striking similarities between the unearthed bones and features Richard was said to have had, they said.

"It was the result we were all waiting to hear," the university said. "In one of the most important announcements in the University's history, our academics have today revealed that the…skeleton is indeed that of King Richard III."

Richard III, the controversial 15th century English monarch, was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The story goes that the body was taken to nearby Leicester, about 100 miles north of London, after his death. Until recently, no one had tried to dig up his remains.

In September, archeologists at the University of Leicester acted on a hunch that Richard may have been buried under a city council parking lot. Archeologists started to dig and within a week had found a skeleton and a medieval friary, raising hopes that Richard's remains had been found.

DNA tests suggest that bones found under a parking lot in Leicester, England, are those of King Richard III, who ruled from 1483 to 1485 before being killed at the Battle of Bosworth. Dow Jones's Jenny Gross looks at the debate over where he should be buried.

Tests of the remains showed the man whose remains were found was likely to have been killed by one or two injuries to the skull, which fits with the story that Richard was killed in battle by sword or ax.

"The corpse was subjected to 'humiliation injuries'—including a sword through the right buttock," the university said.

The skeleton also has a curved spine, just as Richard was reported to have. Radiocarbon dating revealed the bones had a high-protein diet, including significant amounts of seafood, a sign he was of high status, the university said.

"I'm delighted it's been proven to be Richard, but after all the humiliation he has suffered in his reputation it's a shame his remains now have to be flashed around on the Internet," said Sally Henshaw, secretary of the Richard III Society branch in East Midlands. "At least we know we'll be able to put him to rest finally and he will be buried as an anointed king should be."

The bones of Richard will be reinterred in Leicester, where his remains stayed for more than 500 years. Some Richard III enthusiasts had called for Richard to be buried in York and others in Westminster Abbey or Windsor Castle, where other monarchs are interred.

"It's fantastic—absolutely brilliant," said Richard Smith, another member of the Richard III Society. "I'll be able to visit him frequently so that'll be very fortunate for me."

Leicester officials said they hope the prospect of a proper burial site would be a boost to tourism, creating a focal point for a king who ruled England for just two years, but whose story has long captivated enthusiasts.

Richard became king in 1483, taking power from his nephew, the 12-year-old Edward V. Richard said Edward was an illegitimate heir as the product of his father's second marriage. Richard was said to have imprisoned his two nephews in the Tower of London. Within months of Richard's taking the throne, the two nephews disappeared, and some assumed Richard had them murdered.

Some historians say Richard was an evil, power-hungry ruler who murdered family members to quicken his rise to the throne. William Shakespeare's "Richard III" helped to popularize this depiction, describing Richard as a crippled villain who killed anyone in his path to the throne.

Others say this description is fictional, and one spread by Henry Tudor, Richard's successor, whose army killed Richard in battle. Shakespeare was born about 80 years after Richard died and wrote during the Tudor dynasty. Pro-Richard enthusiasts say a closer look at Richard's reign shows he was one of the most progressive rulers of his time and one who promoted foreign trade and books.

His death at the Battle of Bosworth Field, outside of Leicester, marked a pivotal moment in English history and in the struggle for power between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, known as the "The Wars of the Roses." Richard was the last of the Plantagenet kings to rule and his defeat by Henry VII began the start of the Tudor dynasty, which lasted for more than a century.

[RacePace]

I hope I never get scoliosis

[bensta]

^ i have it, no where near that bad though, that's a nasty case of it

[sdubfid]

i had always wondered if king richard had a high protein diet

[dinosaur]

Whenever I hear about King Richard, I think of this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37bbj8HbM5I

LONG LIVE KING RICHARD!

(yes, i know it is not the same King Richard)

[yray]

"The corpse was subjected to 'humiliation injuries'—including a sword through the right buttock," the university said.

[TheKingdom2000]

Originally Posted by RacePace

I hope I never get scoliosis

Unless you have it now, the only way you would get scoliosis is functionally. And you can "fix" functional scoliosis. ie. if you constantly wear a bag on one shoulder and it pulls the musculature on that side which may lead to a functional scoliosis. Easily treated by exercises and if you stop wearing a bag on that one shoulder.

The scoliosis above is congenital, which means he had it from birth or a young child and it progressed to that C-curve. If he were alive today it wouldn't have progressed that severely as a therapeutic intervention would have been in place.

edit; Funny, I just saw this on the news and it looked like he had a S shape scoliosis and not a C shape, the archeologist also said he had a S-shaped scolio. So I think whoever put that spine together put it together incorrectly (not that this really matters).

[z3german]

Originally Posted by mx703

Unless you have it now, the only way you would get scoliosis is functionally. And you can "fix" functional scoliosis. ie. if you constantly wear a bag on one shoulder and it pulls the musculature on that side which may lead to a functional scoliosis. Easily treated by exercises and if you stop wearing a bag on that one shoulder.

The scoliosis above is congenital, which means he had it from birth or a young child and it progressed to that C-curve. If he were alive today it wouldn't have progressed that severely as a therapeutic intervention would have been in place.

Was reading this in my chair leaned over to one side, immediately straightened out after reading.

fuck how do i sit now

[TheKingdom2000]

Originally Posted by z3german

Was reading this in my chair leaned over to one side, immediately straightened out after reading.

fuck how do i sit now

Yeah, posture is really important for overall back health.

Just because you lean on one side doesn't mean you'll get a functional scoliosis. You might get some back problems due to unilateral tight muscles, but I don't think it'll be anything too serious.

Though, if you maintain a static posture like leaning over on one side for many hours this can cause problems down the road (acute to chronic low back pain). If you sit in front of the computer for many hours of the day just make sure you constantly change positions and postures, try not to slouch, and take breaks often.

[twitchyzero]

archeologists at the University of Leicester acted on a hunch that Richard may have been buried under a city council parking lot.

wall hacks

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

the king shoulda used one of these!


i shit you not, these things work lol.

[blkgsr]

i've got a fucked up curved back too..

[StylinRed]

just saw on the news that they used the dna of a Canadian to confirm that the remains are that of richard 3

he can trace his lineage back to richards mother or sister... can't recall what was said

[threezero]

wow the archaeologist acted on a hunch. that is some epic hunch.

[dinosaur]

archaeologists are the coolest.

[seakrait]

Originally Posted by dinosaur

archaeologists are the coolest.

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by dinosaur

archaeologists are the coolest.

aren't you an archaeologist?

i wanted to be one, took quite a few courses but decided otherwise :/

[dinosaur]

Originally Posted by StylinRed

aren't you an archaeologist?

i wanted to be one, took quite a few courses but decided otherwise :/

I was for 8 years. Worked primarily with land development so mostly impact assessment, data recovery, etc. for bridges, subdivisions, hwy expansions, and subsurface transmission lines.

Never did anything 'exotic' per se, but found some pretty cool shit.