DNA Analysis Identifies Remains of 19th Century Arctic Expedition Members

Genetic testing has identified the remains of crew members from a 19th-century British naval expedition that disappeared in the Canadian Arctic. The analysis compared DNA from the remains to samples from living descendants. Officials said the matches confirm the identities of several expedition members nearly two centuries after the voyage.

Background on the Expedition The expedition sailed from Britain in the 1840s to search for a sea route through the Arctic. The ships became trapped in ice, and all crew members perished. Search parties later found abandoned vessels and scattered remains on islands in the region. The new DNA results provide the first confirmed identities for some of those remains.

Researchers collected bone and tooth samples from sites previously documented by earlier expeditions. They extracted mitochondrial DNA and compared it against reference samples from documented family lines. The study was published in a peer-reviewed journal on May 24, 2026. Officials stated that additional testing is planned for other remains recovered from the same area.