Tag

Ancient Dna

All articles tagged with #ancient dna

archaeology4 days ago•59 min saved

Embrace in stone: ancient DNA confirms Poland's first medieval same-sex burial

DNA analysis of two 800-year-old skeletons from Opole Cathedral reveals both were female and not closely related, marking Poland's first genetically confirmed medieval same-sex double burial; their intertwined graves suggest simultaneous interment and raise questions about their relationship, with researchers noting that social bonds beyond marriage—perhaps kinship or shared life—could explain the burial while future studies may show whether such cases were rare or part of a broader pattern.

via Live Science|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #burial-practices

archaeology10 days ago•69 min saved

3,000 Ancient DNA Samples Reframe Japanese Origins

A study analyzing roughly 3,000 ancient DNA samples reshapes our understanding of how the Japanese population formed, offering new clues about ancient migrations and genetic connections.

via GreekReporter.com|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #genetics

genetics21 days ago•24 min saved

GSDMC Variant Turned Wild Horses into Rideable Partners, Reshaping Civilizations

Ancient DNA analysis shows that a specific GSDMC gene variant swept through horses around 4,200 years ago, reshaping their skeletons and limb strength to enable riding. Earlier, a ZFPM1 variant may have calmed temperament about 5,000 years ago, aiding domestication. The rapid rise of the GSDMC allele across Eurasia turned mounted riding into a dominant driver of warfare and transport, helping spark empires and drastically altering human history.

via ZME Science|

#ancient-dna #civilization #domestication

science25 days ago•6 min saved

Morocco’s Ancient Genomes Reveal a Mosaic Path to Farming

New ancient DNA from three Moroccan sites shows the Maghreb’s shift from hunting-gathering to farming was multi-directional and layered: European Neolithic farmer ancestry reached Morocco around 7,400 years ago, indigenous hunter-gatherers adopted farming while retaining local genetics, and later Fertile Crescent pastoralists added new lineages, painting a mosaic rather than a single-wave spread of farming.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ancient-dna #migration #morocco

science26 days ago•7 min saved

Ancient Genome Tracks Rapid Turn in Human Evolution

A massive ancient-DNA study analyzing data from more than 10,000 ancient individuals, plus thousands of published and modern genomes, finds that directional natural selection was more active and occurred more recently than previously believed. The analysis identifies 479 gene variants that rose or fell in West Eurasia over the last 10,000 years, with selection intensifying after farming. Although such selection explains only about 2% of genetic changes, many variants tie to traits seen today—like light skin, immune responses, and disease risks—and some gene groups influenced polygenic traits. Caution is urged in linking ancient variants to modern traits, and results are not limited to West Eurasia. The researchers have made data and methods public to extend work to other populations and time periods, with implications for health, disease understanding, and potential gene-therapy considerations.

via SciTechDaily|

#ancient-dna #genomics #human-evolution

science27 days ago•34 min saved

Ancient DNA Maps the Long Arc of Human Adaptation

Nature Genetics’ 2026 review synthesizes how ancient DNA enables direct observation of genetic changes over time, detailing how humans adapted to shifts in diet, mobility, pathogen exposure, and environment; it reviews methods for detecting selection in ancient genomes, assesses the impact of major migrations and admixture, links findings across continents and archaeological contexts, and outlines future challenges and opportunities for using ancient DNA to uncover adaptive insights that aren’t apparent from modern genomes alone.

via Nature|

#admixture #ancient-dna #human-adaptation

science27 days ago•7 min saved

Poland’s 100,000-year-old Neanderthal teeth reveal a connected family and wide maternal lineage

A team analyzed mitochondrial DNA from eight Neanderthal teeth found in Stajnia Cave, Poland, recovering data from at least seven individuals who lived about 100,000 years ago. This offers the first cohesive genetic snapshot of a small Central‑Eastern European Neanderthal group, showing a maternal lineage also found in Neanderthals across Iberia, SE France, and the northern Caucasus—suggesting a once‑widespread lineage later replaced. Some teeth (juveniles and an adult) share mtDNA, implying kinship, and links to Thorin from Mandrin Cave (France) dating ~50,000 years ago emerge, underscoring the region’s role in Neanderthal history and the need to integrate archaeology, radiocarbon dating, and genetics while noting uncertainties near calibration limits.

via SciTechDaily|

#ancient-dna #central-europe #mitochondrial-dna

science28 days ago•6 min saved

Paris-Area Megalithic Tomb Reveals 5,000-Year Population Turnover

Ancient DNA from 132 individuals buried in a Paris-area megalith shows a near-total population replacement around 3000 BC, with earlier Stone Age farming ancestry replaced by newcomers linked to southern France and Iberia. Pathogen signals (including plague and relapsing fever) suggest disease pressures contributed, but were not the sole cause; environmental stress and other disruptions likely played a role. The finding fits a broader European pattern of decline and corresponds to shifts in social organization and migrations across prehistoric Europe.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ancient-dna #megalithic-tomb #paris-region

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Human Origins Reframed as a Continental Genetic Network

A Nature study shows modern humans likely arose from a network of intermingling African populations rather than a single ancestral group. By analyzing genomes from southern, eastern, and western Africa (including 44 Nama genomes), researchers found the earliest detectable split occurred about 120,000–135,000 years ago, with long, ongoing gene flow among weakly differentiated groups—forming a 'weakly structured stem' rather than a clean family tree. This view alters how fossils are interpreted and is supported by subsequent research highlighting deep African diversity.

via Science Daily|

#africa #ancient-dna #gene-flow

science1 month ago•96 min saved

Ancient DNA maps three waves of Indigenous American arrival and a ghost lineage

An international analysis of 128 Indigenous American genomes from across the Americas reveals three migration waves into South America: the earliest over 9,000 years ago, a second lineage around that period, and a previously unrecognized dispersal at least 1,300 years ago linked to Mesoamerica. Researchers also identify a faint Asian “ghost lineage” called Ypykuéra that contributed genes to Indigenous Americans and early Australasians, indicating a more complex peopling of the continents. Indigenous genomes are less diverse than those of other continents but harbor adaptive genes related to immune function, metabolism, and fertility, underscoring environmental pressures and the importance of including Indigenous communities in genomic studies.

via Live Science|

#ancient-dna #genomics #ghost-lineage

science1 month ago•4 min saved

DNA Reframes Beachy Head Woman as Local to Roman Britain

A new genetic study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science finds the Beachy Head Woman was likely a local resident of Roman Britain rather than a distant outsider, challenging earlier ideas of African origins. Using advanced sequencing and broader reference data, researchers show her ancestry aligns with the local population, suggesting continuity rather than displacement and illustrating how modern DNA analysis is reshaping our understanding of ancient identities.

via Indian Defence Review|

#ancient-dna #archaeology #beachy-head-woman

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Ancient DNA shows Paris-area population wiped out, replaced by southern migrants

Ancient DNA from a tomb near Paris reveals a major population replacement around 3000 BCE: the earlier Stone Age farming group was not related to the later settlers who migrated from the south. While plague and other stresses were evident, they were not the sole cause of the decline, which also coincided with social shifts away from extended family burials and the end of Europe’s megalith-building tradition, supporting a broader Neolithic decline across northern and western Europe.

via Science Daily|

#ancient-dna #megaliths #neolithic-decline

neuroscience1 month ago•29 min saved

A genome-first view of how the human brain evolved

This Nature Neuroscience review outlines a 'genome-up' approach to decoding human brain evolution by leveraging thousands of genomes from mammals, non-human primates, ancient humans and modern humans to identify genomic regions under selection. It emphasizes integrating comparative experiments and functional dissection of human-evolved loci, and calls for expanding cohorts and applying diverse contexts to link genetic changes to cognitive and social traits across evolutionary timescales.

via Nature|

#ancient-dna #brain-evolution #genomics

science1 month ago•18 min saved

Ancient hunter-gatherer DNA linked to centenarian longevity

An Italian study links extreme longevity to inherited DNA from Ice Age Western Hunter-Gatherers, finding centenarians more likely to carry this ancestry and reporting a 38% higher odds of centenarians with that ancestry; paleogenomics shows this pattern, but researchers caution that ancestry alone isn’t a predictor of aging and call for further biological follow-up.

via Earth.com|

#ancient-dna #centenarians #hunter-gatherers

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Poland uncovers a 100,000-year Neanderthal family portrait

A new study reconstructs a small Neanderthal group from Stajnia Cave, Poland, using eight teeth to reveal at least seven individuals around 100,000 years old, with mitochondrial lineages linking them to Neanderthals across western Eurasia and pointing to Central-Eastern Europe as a key hub, while also illustrating dating challenges and the value of integrating archaeology with genetics.

via ScienceDaily|

#ancient-dna #central-eastern-europe #human-evolution