An enduring mystery has been laid to rest with the DNA identification of the bodies of two children of the last Tsar of Russia.
The bones of the siblings, Tsarevich Alexei and a sister, were discovered in a grave outside Yekaterinburg in 2007. The remains of their father, Tsar Nicholas II, the Tsarina Alexandra and their three other daughters were found in 1991 about 70 meters away and were subsequently identified.
"The DNA evidence is strong, but if you if you look at the entire evidence, it's very convincing that this was, in fact, the Romanovs," said Michael Coble, lead author of a study published in the March 11 online issue of PLoS One and research section chief of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory.
Other evidence included three silver amalgam fillings on the crowns of two molars which undoubtedly belonged to an aristocrat.
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