Decode the mystery of a mass grave in Germany

The mass grave of about 60 people discovered during the construction of a German university still contains many mysteries when there is little evidence of their identity or cause of death.

Now, after nearly four years, a genetic analysis from bone fragments reveals the clue to that mysterious killer. These skeletons were discovered in January 2008 on the grounds of Kassel University.

Members of the Nazi Party (led by Hitler) are suspected of being the 'author' of this mass grave. During World War II, they forced thousands of slave workers to work at a factory for locomotives and tanks, the Associated Press reported.

However, recent bone analysis has shown the opposite result. Accordingly, a new infectious fever is the culprit causing this mass death.

What remains of a man is found in the mass grave in Kassel, Germany. (Photo: Anna Zipp / Livescience)

It is no wonder that the Nazi Party is suspected of being on the final days of the war, the SS (the "guard" ) of the Nazi Party fired and buried the number of victims. not small in many areas of Kassel.

The project leader, Dr. Philipp von Grumbkow from Göttingen University, analyzed bone samples and found signs of infectious bacteria.

The C 14 method (carbon 14) based on the decay of a form of carbon radioactivity into organic impurities shows that these skeletons are about 200 years old. A military hospital located nearby in the 19th century made scientists believe that the skeleton was found to belong to soldiers from the Napoleonic war, ending in 1815.

In addition, these bone fragments are from men, most of them between the ages of 16 and 30, Philipp von Grumbkow added.

Historical records indicate that the soldiers fled at the Battle of Leipzig when Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated, carrying the typhoid fever to all the towns they passed in winter 1813-1814. Historically, "typhoid fever" includes a number of bacterial infections, causing high fever and red spots on the skin.

Recently, with the study of bones of about 18 men, von Grumbkow and colleagues found the presence of four different types of bacteria, which are responsible for similar infections .

These include typhoid fever bacteria found in food or drinking water. This is a dangerous disease that threatens human life. At the same time, the team also examined the pathogen that triggered a typhus outbreak - a potentially fatal disease if not treated with antibiotics.The last 'suspect' is a bacterium that causes 'trench' fever - the first infection discovered during the First World War, spread by live lice.

To determine the type of bacteria present in bone samples, the team looked at five separate DNA sequences - the genetic code found in living organisms.

Of the 18 samples studied, they found three samples containing DNA from Bartonella Quintana , a 'trench' fever agent - a disease that is believed to have killed those men.

This result is published in the September issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.