Archaeological mystery solved with modern genetics
Researchers at the University of Tokyo conducted a census of the Japanese population around 2,500 years ago using the Y chromosomes of men living on
Category : Biology
HeritageDaily – Biology news and biological press releases from across the globe
Details of first historically recorded plague pandemic revealed by ancient genomes
An international team of researchers has analyzed human remains from 21 archaeological sites to learn more about the impact and evolution of the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia
Ancient feces reveal parasites in 8,000-year-old village of Çatalhöyük
New research published today in the journal Antiquity reveals that ancient faeces from the prehistoric village of Çatalhöyük have provided the earliest archaeological evidence for
Palaeolithic diet had no social divisions in food consumption
Biochemical analysis of human remains has become a key feature in our understanding of past peoples. Ancient DNA and Stable Isotope Analysis are now considered
Chewing gums reveal the oldest Scandinavian human DNA
The first humans who settled in Scandinavia more than 10,000 years ago left their DNA behind in ancient chewing gums, which are masticated lumps made
Uncovering a 5000-year-old family tragedy
Eight years ago, a mass grave was unearthed in the southern Polish village of Koszyce. The circumstances surrounding the 5000-year-old gravesite have been a mystery
Details of the history of inner Eurasia revealed by new study
An international team of researchers has combined archaeological, historical and linguistic data with genetic information from over 700 newly analyzed individuals to construct a more
Crusaders made love and war, genetic study finds
The first genetic study of ancient human remains believed to be Crusaders confirms that warriors travelled from western Europe to the near East, where they
Ancient DNA shows migrants introduced farming to Britain from Europe
Farming was brought to Britain by migrants from continental Europe, and not adopted by pre-existing hunter-gatherers, indicates a new ancient DNA study led by UCL
Necrophagy: A means of survival in the Dead Sea
Studying organic matter in sediments helps shed light on the distant past. What was the climate like? What organisms populated the Earth?
Multiple Denisovan-related ancestries in Papuans
DNA sequences from Indonesia and New Guinea reveal new branches of the Denisovan family tree
Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits
A new Tel Aviv University study suggests that the genetic profiles of two extinct mammals with African ancestry -- woolly mammoths, elephant-like animals that evolved
Researchers shed new light on the origins of modern humans
Reasearches have been using a genetic approach to tackle one of the most intractable questions of all – how and when we became truly human.
First Anatolian farmers were local hunter-gatherers that adopted agriculture
An international team, led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and in collaboration with scientists from the United
Hepatitis B virus sheds light on ancient human population movements into Australia
Australian researchers have used current hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome sequences to deduce ancient human population movements into Australia, adding weight to the theory that
‘Ibiza is different’, genetically
Ibiza is different." That is what the hundreds of standard-bearers of the "hippie" movement who visited the Pitiusan Island during the 60s thought, fascinated by
Poop helps show climate change contributed to fall of Cahokia
A new study shows climate change may have contributed to the decline of Cahokia, a famed prehistoric city near present-day St. Louis. And it involves
The Caucasus: Complex interplay of genes and cultures
An international research team, coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) and the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological
Baboons provide new insights into the evolution of the genome
Recent studies suggest that closely related species can develop significant genetic and phenotypic differences throughout their evolution despite ongoing gene flow.
Artificial intelligence applied to the genome identifies an unknown human ancestor
By combining deep learning algorithms and statistical methods, investigators have identified, in the genome of Asiatic individuals, the footprint of a new hominid who cross bred
First ancient DNA from mainland Finland reveals origins of Siberian ancestry in region
Researchers from the Max-Planck-Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Helsinki have analyzed the first ancient DNA from mainland Finland.
Ancient human population histories revealed in Central and South America
The first high quality ancient DNA data from Central and South America--49 individuals some as old as 11,000 years--has revealed a major and previously unknown