Viking DNA and the solar storm episode artwork

EPISODE · May 12, 2026 · 44 MIN

Viking DNA and the solar storm

from Unlocking the Unknown · host Atlas Gray

The Viking maritime expansion (c. 750–1050 CE) created a widespread genomic diaspora with distinct Scandinavian lineages influencing regions from the British Isles to North America, often involving raiding parties comprised of both close kin and individuals of diverse ancestry.Recent analysis of tree rings containing radiocarbon spikes from a 993 CE solar storm precisely dates the Norse presence in Newfoundland to 1021 CE, establishing the earliest confirmed European settlement in the Americas and a definitive reference point for global human migration.The Norse colonies in Greenland eventually disappeared in the 15th century due to the combined pressures of the Little Ice Age, a destabilised economy resulting from plummeting walrus ivory prices, and the breakdown of vital trade links with mainland Europe.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 12, 2026

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Viking DNA and the solar storm

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