A Nasca-period perinatal burial reveals cyclopia associated with trisomy 13 in southern Peru.

Ancient DNA from a Middle Nasca-period infant burial in Jauranga, southern Peru, identified cyclopia in JA13A as linked to trisomy 13.

• Why it matters: Cyclopia is extremely rare and typically lethal, but its occurrence and associated mortuary practices in past societies are poorly documented.
• What they did: The team analyzed two infants interred together, combining skeletal diagnosis with ancient DNA sequencing to test for chromosomal abnormalities in JA13A versus JA13B.
• The result: JA13A carried an extra copy of chromosome 13, while JA13B showed no comparable congenital variations, supporting a genomic explanation and enabling reconstruction of how such cases were buried.

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