Hartmut Benthien - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Hartmut Benthien
Nature, 2023
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years 1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic ... more Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years 1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period 3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe 4 , but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants. Modern humans left sub-Saharan Africa at least 60 thousand years ago (ka), and during their initial expansion into Eurasia, they genetically mixed with Neanderthals, resulting in 2-3% Neanderthal ancestry in the majority of present-day non-African populations 5. Genomic data have shown that modern humans were present in western Eurasia 1,2 at least 45 ka. Some of those early groups from more than 40 ka further admixed with Neanderthals, as shown by signals of recent introgression in individuals from Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria-associated with an Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) archaeological culture-and from Peştera cu Oase in Romania 2,6. Other individuals from that period, such as Zlatý kůň from Czechia and Ust'Ishim from Russia, do not carry significantly more Neanderthal ancestry than other non-African groups 1,7 , indicating differential interactions between Neanderthals and early modern humans during their initial expansions across Eurasia. Surprisingly, however, none of those pre-40 ka individuals left substantial traces in the genetic makeup of present-day Eurasian populations 1,2,6,7. The oldest genomes carrying ancestries that derive primarily from the lineage leading to present-day Europeans are Kostenki 14 (from 37 ka, with uncertain archaeological association from western Russia), Goyet Q116-1 (35 ka, Aurignacian-associated from Belgium) and Bacho Kiro 1653 (35 ka, probably Aurignacian-associated from Bulgaria) 2,4,8. These data suggest that the genetic ancestries identified in the pre-40 ka individuals analysed so far went largely extinct or were assimilated by subsequent expansions 1,9. The Kostenki genetic signature (related to the Kostenki 14 genome, and hereafter referred to as the Kostenki cluster or ancestry) contributed to the later Věstonice genetic cluster (hereafter, Věstonice cluster or ancestry), named after the Dolní Věstonice site in Czechia 4. This genetic signature is shared among individuals associated with the archaeologically defined Gravettian culture (33-26 ka) in central and southern Europe and seemingly disappeared after the Last Glacial Maximum 4 (LGM). However, the genetic profile of contemporaneous Gravettian-associated individuals from western Europe remains unknown, as is their contribution to populations after the LGM. Known to have been the coldest phase of the last Ice Age, the LGM is considered to have caused a demographic decline in large parts of Europe 10 , with populations retracting to southern latitudes as attested-for example-by the contemporaneity of the Solutrean culture (24-19 ka) in the Iberian peninsula and southern France. Other proposed climatic refugia for human survival during this period are the Italian peninsula, the Balkans and the southeastern European Plain, but the actual genetic contribution of populations from these regions to post-LGM Europeans is highly debated 11-13. After the LGM, a genetic component distantly linked to the Goyet Q116-1 individual from Belgium dated to 35 ka-named GoyetQ2 ancestry (hereafter, GoyetQ2 cluster or ancestry)-reappeared in individuals from southwestern and central Europe associated with the Magdalenian culture (19-14 ka from Iberia to eastern Europe across central Europe) and in an admixed form in subsequent Final Palaeolithic and Mesolithic
Nature
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic r... more Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdal...
Nature, 2023
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years 1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic ... more Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years 1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period 3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe 4 , but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants. Modern humans left sub-Saharan Africa at least 60 thousand years ago (ka), and during their initial expansion into Eurasia, they genetically mixed with Neanderthals, resulting in 2-3% Neanderthal ancestry in the majority of present-day non-African populations 5. Genomic data have shown that modern humans were present in western Eurasia 1,2 at least 45 ka. Some of those early groups from more than 40 ka further admixed with Neanderthals, as shown by signals of recent introgression in individuals from Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria-associated with an Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) archaeological culture-and from Peştera cu Oase in Romania 2,6. Other individuals from that period, such as Zlatý kůň from Czechia and Ust'Ishim from Russia, do not carry significantly more Neanderthal ancestry than other non-African groups 1,7 , indicating differential interactions between Neanderthals and early modern humans during their initial expansions across Eurasia. Surprisingly, however, none of those pre-40 ka individuals left substantial traces in the genetic makeup of present-day Eurasian populations 1,2,6,7. The oldest genomes carrying ancestries that derive primarily from the lineage leading to present-day Europeans are Kostenki 14 (from 37 ka, with uncertain archaeological association from western Russia), Goyet Q116-1 (35 ka, Aurignacian-associated from Belgium) and Bacho Kiro 1653 (35 ka, probably Aurignacian-associated from Bulgaria) 2,4,8. These data suggest that the genetic ancestries identified in the pre-40 ka individuals analysed so far went largely extinct or were assimilated by subsequent expansions 1,9. The Kostenki genetic signature (related to the Kostenki 14 genome, and hereafter referred to as the Kostenki cluster or ancestry) contributed to the later Věstonice genetic cluster (hereafter, Věstonice cluster or ancestry), named after the Dolní Věstonice site in Czechia 4. This genetic signature is shared among individuals associated with the archaeologically defined Gravettian culture (33-26 ka) in central and southern Europe and seemingly disappeared after the Last Glacial Maximum 4 (LGM). However, the genetic profile of contemporaneous Gravettian-associated individuals from western Europe remains unknown, as is their contribution to populations after the LGM. Known to have been the coldest phase of the last Ice Age, the LGM is considered to have caused a demographic decline in large parts of Europe 10 , with populations retracting to southern latitudes as attested-for example-by the contemporaneity of the Solutrean culture (24-19 ka) in the Iberian peninsula and southern France. Other proposed climatic refugia for human survival during this period are the Italian peninsula, the Balkans and the southeastern European Plain, but the actual genetic contribution of populations from these regions to post-LGM Europeans is highly debated 11-13. After the LGM, a genetic component distantly linked to the Goyet Q116-1 individual from Belgium dated to 35 ka-named GoyetQ2 ancestry (hereafter, GoyetQ2 cluster or ancestry)-reappeared in individuals from southwestern and central Europe associated with the Magdalenian culture (19-14 ka from Iberia to eastern Europe across central Europe) and in an admixed form in subsequent Final Palaeolithic and Mesolithic
Nature
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic r... more Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdal...