Human remains resting in a remote Arctic cairn, visible emblems of one of the North含羞草研究社檚 most enduring mysteries, finally have a name.

Scientists have managed to identify bones belonging to a member of the Franklin expedition, a 19th-century voyage of exploration and discovery that ended in disaster, starvation and death. James Fitzjames 含羞草研究社� only the second member of the expedition含羞草研究社檚 crew to be identified by DNA 含羞草研究社� captained one of the expedition含羞草研究社檚 two ships and served as second-in-command after Sir John Franklin含羞草研究社檚 death.

含羞草研究社淚t helps us ask new questions about what really transpired,含羞草研究社� said Doug Stenton, an archeologist at the University of Waterloo whose paper on the identification was released Tuesday.

Franklin含羞草研究社檚 ships, HMS Erebus and Terror, set out from England in 1845 in search of the Northwest Passage. The commander and his 128 men never returned.

More than 30 expeditions tried to find them.

Three graves were found on Beechey Island, their occupants identified. In 2014, the wreck of the Erebus was discovered through a blend of Inuit oral history and systematic, high-tech surveys just off the northwest coast of King William Island in Nunavut. The Terror was found two years later.

Fitzjames含羞草研究社� final resting place on King William Island was probably first found in the 1860s by Inuit and studied by archeologists in the early 1990s. With 451 bones from at least 13 Franklin sailors, it was not like the careful interments of Beechey Island.

含羞草研究社淭he human skeletal remains at this site, the bones, were scattered over several hundred square metres,含羞草研究社� Stenton said.

Fitzjames含羞草研究社� DNA was isolated and profiled from a single molar. It had been extracted from a jawbone that bore the distinctive marks of man-made cuts, making Fitzjames the first identified victim of the cannibalism for which the expedition has become notorious.

含羞草研究社淪urely the most compassionate response to the information presented here is to use it to recognize the level of desperation that the Franklin sailors must have felt to do something they would have considered abhorrent, and acknowledge the sadness of the fact that in this case, doing so only prolonged their suffering,含羞草研究社� Stenton writes.

Stenton and his colleagues have advertised for years at venues, such as museum displays on the Franklin expedition, for DNA samples from people who believe they are descendants of those doomed sailors. Those ads paid off in 2021, when the great-great-great-grandson of Warrant Officer John Gregory was located in South Africa.

Fitzjames含羞草研究社� descendants, the family of a paternal second cousin of Fitzjames five times removed, have been contacted but have not yet spoken out.

含羞草研究社淭hey were excited and really intrigued,含羞草研究社� Stenton said.

Much is known about Fitzjames含羞草研究社� life. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of 12 and sailed in Central and North America, Malta, Syria, Egypt and China before the Arctic. He was known for his bravery and was awarded a silver cup by the City of Liverpool after he dove fully clothed into a river to rescue a drowning man.

It was Fitzjames who, as captain of the Erebus, wrote the main text of the last known message from the expedition, discovered at Victory Point on King William Island.

The note, co-signed by Fitzjames, reads in part:

含羞草研究社淪ir John Franklin died on the 11th of June 1847 and the total loss by deaths in the Expedition has been to this date nine officers and 15 men 含羞草研究社� (We) start on tomorrow 26th for Backs Fish River.含羞草研究社�

At the time of his death, Fitzjames had a wife and two children.

Meanwhile, Stenton and his colleagues continue to look for DNA matches to identify more remains. Fitzjames has been returned to his final home, where bones share a cairn with those of his shipmates on the windy, cobbled coast where he died.

Stenton said the identification of his remains, not far from those of Gregory含羞草研究社檚, could reveal more about what happened to the expedition. Both Fitzjames and Gregory, he notes, sailed on the Erebus.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 going to invite a lot of speculation,含羞草研究社� Stenton said. 含羞草研究社淲hat events really transpired 含羞草研究社� especially after the retreat, when the ships were deserted?含羞草研究社�

Franklin researchers have long wondered about leadership during the expedition as more officers died, Stenton said.

含羞草研究社淲hat exactly was going on?含羞草研究社� Stenton asked.

That question has been asked over and over as the Franklin expedition entered Arctic folklore, persisting through songs, novels, TV shows and undying curiosity. It remains with us.