New discovery of Bashkir scientists can give impetus to agriculture, genetics and medicine development

UFA, 7 February 2018. /Bashinform News Agency, Elmira Sabirova/. Scientists of M. Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University made an archaeological discovery, which can become a new impetus in the development of the agro-industrial complex, genetics and medicine.

"As a result of paleoanthropological and paleogenetic studies of the ancient population of the Kazburunov archaeological microdistrict, an important discovery was made, which is the first for the Volga region", said Nikolai Shcherbakov, a researcher at Methodology and Methods of Humanitarian Research Laboratory, Bashkir State Pedagogical University.

As the scientist emphasized, the uniqueness of these natural-scientific discoveries is in the study of funerary and settlement complexes of the 16-19th centuries BC. Excavations took place in the territory of central Bashkiria. Sensational conclusions, including genetics and paleogenetics, generic connections, ancient diseases, climate and landscape changes were made.

"As a result of the research, we came to the conclusion that systemic diseases are determined by the area where people live. Based on this, it is possible to predict what diseases will occur in the region in the next 50 years. In the course of paleoanthropological studies, systemic diseases of the musculoskeletal system of the ancient population, such as osteochondrosis and coxarthrosis of the hip joints, associated with living conditions, primarily with anthropogenic salinization of soils, were identified", Nikolai Shcherbakov explained.

During the study of the ancient genome, it was possible to isolate the human mitochondrial DNA, which had been existed in the earth for about four thousand years. These analyses made it possible to establish a racial type of the ancient population, significantly refining the data of anthropologists. In addition, it was managed to establish blood haplogroups of the ancient population and, accordingly, migration routes of ancient people and history of development of the microdistrict territory. Also, DNA analysis allowed revealing tolerance of the ancient population to lactose, which enabled to extrapolate these data to the modern consumption of milk and dairy products by the population of this microdistrict.

"These studies will help predict climate and ancient landscapes changes - soil studies over a period of four thousand years were conducted, " Nikolai Shcherbakov shared. The conclusions obtained in the course of the studies allows establishing climate warming and cooling cycles in the territory of the archaeological microdistrict. This can help in forecasting the crops cultivation and rotation in the microdistrict.

The studies conducted by the scientists of Bashkir State Pedagogical University became of interest for English, American and Sweden researchers. It is known that large funds are invested abroad in archaeological development.