Archaeogenetics in Popular Media: Contemporary Implications of Ancient DNA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2019.04Keywords:
Genetics, aDNA, communication of science, mediatization, Viking, female warrior, migration, Birka, SigtunaAbstract
If most academic debates surrounding the recent boom of ancient DNA (aDNA) so far have concerned conflicting research epistemologies, this article is a call for taking aspects of media and communication more seriously. Analyzing the fates of two recent research papers on Viking Age Scandinavia, we show how aDNA research is communicated, narrated and infused with meaning in the public sphere, particularly in relation to popular narratives and political debates. We observe significant interlacing of scientific, political and media discourses in and around the papers, and conclude that archaeogenetics is a highly mediatized scientific field.
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