#ancientDNA

The mixed Iberian, Mediterranean and North African ancestry of an individual buried in the Menga dolmen has been revealed Researchers from the University of Seville are participating in an international study that sheds new light on the genetic diversity of Andalusian society between the 8th and 11th centuries AD and reinforces the historical significance of the dolmen as a sacred space used throughout the ages

1 day ago

13-Mar-2026
The mixed #Iberian, #Mediterranean and #NorthAfrican #ancestry of an individual buried in the #Menga dolmen has been revealed

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119901

#science #ancientDNA #andalucia #humans

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The Birds That Crossed the Andes: Ancient DNA and the Pre-Inca Parrot Trade How feathers from a 1,000-year-old coastal tomb revealed a continent-spanning live animal trade that predated Inca roads by centuries.

4 days ago

New ancient DNA + isotope study: 1,000-year-old parrot feathers from a Peruvian elite tomb reveal live macaws were carried across the Andes centuries before the Inca. The trade network is more sophisticated than anyone expected. #Archaeology #AncientDNA #Andes

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the mysteries of syphilis Many infectious diseases have managed to establish themselves in human populations after the advent of agriculture, when dense settlements enabled them to spread and persist. Later, trade and warfare carried them around the world, typically from densely populated Eurasia to other parts of the world where the lack of immunity led to catastrophic consequences. Syphilis is the great exception to this scenario. It likely originated in the New World (if it hasn't spread with humans since the expansion out of Africa) and has now been shown to predate intensive agriculture and dense settlements. The pathogen _Treponema pallidum_ has been challenging researchers, but ancient DNA is now showing up that clarifies the origins and early evolution of this disease, which has terrified Europeans since Columbus came back from his transatlantic voyages. Read all about it in my latest feature which is out now: **An ancient disease from the New World** Current Biology Volume 36, Issue 5, 9 March 2026, Pages R171-R173 Restricted access to full text and PDF download (Unfortunately, this year's features will no longer become open access one year after publication - do contact me if you would like a PDF. Last year's features will still move to the open archives as this year advances.) Magic link for free access (first seven weeks only) See also my new Mastodon thread where I will highlight all this year's CB features. My mastodon posts are also mirrored on Bluesky. Last year's thread is here . _Treponema pallidum_ , which causes several diseases including syphilis, has proven difficult to cultivate and to study. (Image by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.)

4 days ago

this week's feature in @CurrentBiology is about the unusual origins of #syphilis now being clarified by #ancientDNA research proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-mysteries-of... #science

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the mysteries of syphilis Many infectious diseases have managed to establish themselves in human populations after the advent of agriculture, when dense settlements enabled them to spread and persist. Later, trade and warfare carried them around the world, typically from densely populated Eurasia to other parts of the world where the lack of immunity led to catastrophic consequences. Syphilis is the great exception to this scenario. It likely originated in the New World (if it hasn't spread with humans since the expansion out of Africa) and has now been shown to predate intensive agriculture and dense settlements. The pathogen _Treponema pallidum_ has been challenging researchers, but ancient DNA is now showing up that clarifies the origins and early evolution of this disease, which has terrified Europeans since Columbus came back from his transatlantic voyages. Read all about it in my latest feature which is out now: **An ancient disease from the New World** Current Biology Volume 36, Issue 5, 9 March 2026, Pages R171-R173 Restricted access to full text and PDF download (Unfortunately, this year's features will no longer become open access one year after publication - do contact me if you would like a PDF. Last year's features will still move to the open archives as this year advances.) Magic link for free access (first seven weeks only) See also my new Mastodon thread where I will highlight all this year's CB features. My mastodon posts are also mirrored on Bluesky. Last year's thread is here . _Treponema pallidum_ , which causes several diseases including syphilis, has proven difficult to cultivate and to study. (Image by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.)

5 days ago

my features published in @CurrentBiology this year, issue 5: #AncientDNA reveals the unusual origins of #syphilis

proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-mysteries-of... #science #medicine #infectiousDiseases

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ELTE RCH Institute of Archaeogenomics

@elte-rch-iag.bsky.social

5 days ago

From #Genes to #History: between February 25–27, 2026, participants of the #HistoGenes #ERC Synergy Project—including our colleagues— met in Vienna at a final conference to share their most important findings.
Read more: bit.ly/4re8DGJ
#AncientGenomics #ancientDNA #aDNA #anthropology #archaeology

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Seth Chagi (World of Paleoanthropology🏺)

@sethchagi.bsky.social

6 days ago

The One-Way Street of Paleolithic Love: Why Neanderthal Men and Sapiens Women Were the "It" Couple of Deep History By Seth Chagi

Prehistoric love was a ONE-WAY STREET.

New evidence proves it was Neanderthal men and Homo sapiens women who were the "It Couple" of deep history. WOPA’s Seth Chagi explains why this specific match shaped our genetics and social history.

open.substack.com/pub/deephist...
#AncientDNA #ScienceNews

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KillBait News

@kill-bait.bsky.social

6 days ago

Bronze Age Sheep Bone Yields First Ancient Yersinia pestis Genome in Livestock, Shedding Light on Prehistoric Plague Spread Researchers have identified the bacterium Yersinia pestis in the remains of a domesticated sheep dating back about 4,000 years from the Arkaim site in the Southern Ural Mountains, Russia. This marks the first detection of the pathogen in a non-human host from the Bronze Age, belonging to the Late Neolithic-Bronze Age (LNBA) lineage that infected humans across Eurasia for nearly 2,000 years starting around 5,000 years ago. Unlike the later Black Death strain, this ancient version lacked flea-transmission capabilities, leaving scientists puzzled about its wide geographic spread. The discovery, published in Cell, suggests livestock like sheep played a key role in transmission, possibly alongside an unidentified natural reservoir such as steppe rodents or migratory birds. The sheep's infection closely matches strains found in nearby human remains, indicating shared exposure dynamics tied to pastoralist lifestyles of the Sintashta culture, known for horse riding, bronze tools, and large herds. Lead researcher Taylor Hermes from the University of Arkansas highlighted how analyzing livestock ancient DNA can uncover pathogens affecting both animals and humans. The findings underscore how human-animal interactions and steppe mobility facilitated disease spread in prehistory. Ongoing work, supported by a Max Planck grant, aims to find more evidence in the region. The study also draws modern parallels, warning that disrupting ecosystems through expanding activities can heighten zoonotic disease risks, emphasizing the need to respect natural balances.

Bronze Age Sheep Bone Yields First Ancient Yersinia pestis Genome in Livestock, Shedding Light on Prehistoric Plague Spread

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Usuarios: It's clickbait ⚠️

#ancientdna #yersiniapestis #bronzeage

View full AI summary:

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Onur Özer

@tmrca.bsky.social

1 week ago

Last week I attended the 18th East-West Immunogenetics Conference in Zagreb, where I presented on insights from ancient DNA regarding HLA evolution.
I would like to thank Renata Zunec and Zorana Grubic for the great organization and their kind invitation to speak.

#immunology #HLA #MHC #ancientDNA

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The People the Urns Left Out: Genetics, Bones, and Burial in Late Bronze Age Central Germany What rare inhumations from the Urnfield period reveal about ancestry, mobility, diet, and death in communities that refused to follow the crowd

1 week ago

Late Bronze Age Central Germany: Ancient DNA and isotopes reveal a community that stayed mostly local, ate millet then returned to wheat, and buried skulls in pits without any apparent family logic. New paper in Nature Communications. #AncientDNA #ArchaeologyOfDeath #BronzeAge

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Pure Science

@purescience.news

1 week ago

Ancient DNA Uncovers Chilling Truth Behind Europe’s Prehistoric Mass Killing A 2,800-year-old mass grave in Serbia reveals a chilling pattern: women and children deliberately targeted, most unrelated to one another, and buried in a ritualized ceremony.

Ancient DNA Uncovers Chilling Truth Behind Europe’s Prehistoric Mass Killing #Science #Biology #Genetics #AncientDNA #Prehistoric #GeneticsResearch

scitechdaily.com/ancient-dna-uncovers-chi...

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WAR CRIMES don’t hide SEX CRIMES 🇺🇦

@grrlscientist.bsky.social

1 week ago

Modern Cats Were Domesticated Only 2,000 Years Ago Ancient DNA reveals the origin and global spread of the domestic cat out of its ancestral home in Africa.

Modern Cats Were Domesticated Only 2,000 Years Ago

"Ancient DNA reveals the origin and global spread of the domestic cat out of its ancestral home in Africa."

#SciComm by @grrlscientist.bsky.social

#cats #domestication #pets #AncientDNA grrlscientist.medium.com/modern-cats-...

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SPAAM

@spaam-community.bsky.social

1 week ago

SPAAM Blog Post Competition · SPAAM Community Standards, Precautions, and Advances in Ancient Metagenomics

📢 A gentle REMINDER from the #SPAAM Steering Committee! 🚨 The deadline for the #Blog Post #Competition is approaching (16 March) 📝. We are looking forward to receiving your submissions! :)
www.spaam-community.org/news/2025/11...
#ancientDNA #metagenomics #palaeogenomics #science #communication

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thedailyperspective.org

@thedailyperspective.org

2 weeks ago

Neanderthal Genomes Reveal Ancient Mating Preferences University of Pennsylvania researchers find Neanderthal X chromosomes carry excess modern human DNA, pointing to sustained mating preferences across ancient populations.

Neanderthal Genomes Reveal Ancient Mating Preferences

#Neanderthals #HumanEvolution #AncientDNA #Genetics #Science #AusNews

thedailyperspective.org/article/2026-03-01-neand...

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International Society of Genetic Genealogy

@isogg.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

A 2,000-Year-Old Sarcophagus Was Unsealed—and the Mummy Inside Is Mind-Blowing Experts working in the Tomb of Cerberus in Naples unsealed a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus—and the mummy inside was shockingly well-preserved.

“As DNA analysis of the remains is ongoing, the team also continues to analyze the organic substances, including pollen, found within the sarcophagus.” #DNA #ISOGG #Cerberus #ancientDNA

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

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The Goat That Remembered: Ancient DNA and Ireland's 3,000-Year Livestock Line A single bone from a Bronze Age hillfort connects Ireland's oldest confirmed goat remains to a breed that still roams the country's margins today

2 weeks ago

Ancient DNA from a 3,000-year-old Irish hillfort connects Bronze Age goats to a breed still alive today. The Old Irish Goat carries genetic memory stretching back to the Late Bronze Age. #AncientDNA #Archaeozoology #OldIrishGoat www.anthropology.net/p/the-goat-t...

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The Gomolava Massacre: What a 2,800-Year-Old Mass Grave Reveals About Targeted Violence in Prehistoric Europe A new bioarchaeological study of an Early Iron Age burial pit in Serbia finds that the victims were overwhelmingly women and children — and that this was almost certainly not an accident.

2 weeks ago

A 2,800-year-old mass grave in Serbia holds 77 people, most of them women and children. New aDNA, isotope, and trauma analysis suggests this wasn't random — it was targeted. A thread on what prehistoric violence really looked like. #Bioarchaeology #AncientDNA #IronAge

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erichbell.bsky.social

@erichbell.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

Humans were not left isolated to invent everything. They were left capable of inventing, with an inherited advantage too structured to be accidental. That advantage lives in us still.

#Ancientastronauts #AncientDNA #AlienDNA #DNAediting #aidedevolution

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The Golden Horde's DNA and the Myth of Genghis Khan's Genetic Legacy What ancient tombs in Kazakhstan are actually telling us about the most famous paternity claim in history

3 weeks ago

Ancient DNA from Golden Horde elite tombs in Kazakhstan confirms C3* ties to Mongol rulers, but challenges the claim that 1 in 200 men descends from Genghis Khan. The real lineage may be rarer than the legend. #AncientDNA #MongolEmpire #HumanEvolution @johnhawks.net

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Family relationships identified in Stone Age graves on Gotland DNA from graves at Ajvide on Gotland, Sweden shows that individuals buried together were often more distant relatives, such as cousins or aunts, rather than immediate family. This suggests that Stone Age hunter-gatherers had strong awareness of family lineages and valued extended kin relationships. The study provides new insights into the social organisation and burial practices of hunter-gatherers 5,500 years ago.

3 weeks ago

17-Feb-2026
Family relationships identified in #StoneAge graves on #Gotland

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116791 #science #paleoanthropology #ancientDNA

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Who Gets Buried Together on a Stone Age Island Ancient DNA from a 5,500-year-old cemetery on Gotland reveals that hunter-gatherers tracked kinship well beyond the nuclear family.

3 weeks ago

Ancient DNA from a 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer cemetery on Gotland shows people buried together were kin, but often second- or third-degree relatives, not parents and children. The Stone Age family was wider than we assumed. #AncientDNA #Archaeogenetics #HunterGatherers

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One People, Two Bloodlines: What Ancient DNA Tells Us About the Jomon's Origins New mitogenome sequences from Jomon skeletons are rewriting the story of who first settled Japan — and how a single founding population fractured into two genetically distinct halves.

3 weeks ago

New ancient DNA from Jomon shell mounds in Chiba Prefecture challenges the long-standing two-migration theory. One founding population, genetic drift, and 10,000 years — enough to look like two. #Jomon #AncientDNA #HumanEvolution www.anthropology.net/p/one-people...

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@forth-ite.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

🔬🧬 An interdisciplinary team of scientists from @imbb-forth.bsky.social (aDNA Lab IMBB-FORTH) in collaboration with experts from multiple scientific fields, has shed new light 🔍on one of antiquity’s most captivating chapters: Ancient Greek colonization.
#AncientDNA

👉 www.forth.gr/en/news/show...

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@roblake1959.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

And the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish come from where exactly? #ancientDNA

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Ars Technica News

@arstechni.ca

3 weeks ago

Scientists hunting mammoth fossils found whales 400 km inland https://arstechni.ca #megafaunalextinction #de-extinction #paleontology #ancientDNA #Megafauna #colossal #Science #mammoth #science #Alaska #whales

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The Foragers Who Shaped Bell Beaker Europe How a genetic refuge in the Low Countries became the source of Britain’s Bronze Age transformation

3 weeks ago

New ancient DNA reveals 3,000 years of genetic stability in Europe’s Low Countries—then this forager refuge became the source of Britain’s Bronze Age transformation. #AncientDNA #Archaeology #BellBeaker www.anthropology.net/p/the-forage...

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SPAAM

@spaam-community.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

Revisiting the dispersal history of walnut by analyzing the ancient DNA of walnut remains in Xinjiang, China Persian walnut is an important crop with a disputed history of domestication origins and dispersal. Xinjiang, a key hub in East-West exchanges, was se…

Ancient walnuts 🌰 tell a Silk Road story! Genome-wide data 🧬 from Tang Dynasty Xinjiang walnuts reveal a transitional genetic stage linking Central Asia and China in a new study published in Cell Reports.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #ancientDNA #silkroad #paleobotany

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