The Arrival of Siberian Ancestry Connecting the Eastern Baltic to Uralic Speakers further East (original) (raw)
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New genetic evidence of affinities and discontinuities between bronze age Siberian populations
American journal of physical anthropology, 2018
This work focuses on the populations of South Siberia during the Eneolithic and Bronze Age and specifically on the contribution of uniparental lineage and phenotypical data to the question of the genetic affinities and discontinuities between western and eastern populations. We performed molecular analyses on the remains of 28 ancient humans (10 Afanasievo (3600-2500 BC) and 18 Okunevo (2500-1800 BC) individuals). For each sample, two uniparentally inherited systems (mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA) were studied, in order to trace back maternal and paternal lineages. Phenotype-informative SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were also analyzed, along with autosomal STRs (Short Tandem Repeats). Most of the Afanasievo men submitted to analysis belonged to a single sub-haplogroup, R1b1a1a, which reveals the predominance of this haplogroup in these early Bronze Age populations. Conversely, Okunevo individuals carried more diverse paternal lineages that mostly belonged to Asian/...
The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region
While the series of events that shaped the transition between foraging societies and food producers are well described for Central and Southern Europe, genetic evidence from Northern Europe surrounding the Baltic Sea is still sparse. Here, we report genome-wide DNA data from 38 ancient North Europeans ranging from ~9500 to 2200 years before present. Our analysis provides genetic evidence that hunter-gatherers settled Scandinavia via two routes. We reveal that the first Scandinavian farmers derive their ancestry from Anatolia 1000 years earlier than previously demonstrated. The range of Mesolithic Western hunter-gatherers extended to the east of the Baltic Sea, where these populations persisted without gene-flow from Central European farmers during the Early and Middle Neolithic. The arrival of steppe pastoralists in the Late Neolithic introduced a major shift in economy and mediated the spread of a new ancestry associated with the Corded Ware Complex in Northern Europe.
Despite the increase in our knowledge about the factors that shaped the genetic structure of the human population in Europe, the demographic processes that occurred during and after the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in Central-East Europe remain unclear. To fill the gap, we isolated and sequenced DNAs of 60 individuals from Kowalewko, a bi-ritual cemetery of the Iron Age (IA) Wielbark culture, located between the Oder and Vistula rivers (Kow-OVIA population). The collected data revealed high genetic diversity of Kow-OVIA, suggesting that it was not a small isolated population. Analyses of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and genetic distances performed for Kow-OVIA and other ancient European populations showed that Kow-OVIA was most closely linked to the Jutland Iron Age (JIA) population. However, the relationship of both populations to the preceding Late Neolithic (LN) and EBA populations were different. We found that this phenomenon is most likely the consequence of the distinct genetic history observed for Kow-OVIA women and men. Females were related to the Early-Middle Neolithic farmers, whereas males were related to JIA and LN Bell Beakers. In general, our findings disclose the mechanisms that could underlie the formation of the local genetic substructures in the South Baltic region during the IA. One of the consequences of the rapid development of DNA isolation, enrichment and sequencing technologies is currently observed: the substantial increase of our knowledge about the prehistory of anatomically modern humans (AMH). The first projects that focused on ancient DNA (aDNA) isolated from singular individuals gave a rough idea of when the first representatives of AMH appeared in Africa and how global human expansion occurred. Currently, the genetic studies on a population scale are a pressing need. Together with archaeological and anthropological research, genetic studies can provide new insight into the natural history of Homo sapiens sapiens. So far, such population scale studies have most frequently been concentrated on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) due to its high copy number, small size and lack of recombination. Consequently, the analyses of ancient mtDNA substantially contribute to unraveling the history of human settlement around the world. The genetic structure of the European population has been shaped by a series of consecutive or partly concurrent processes that form the following chain of events: (i) Europe colonization by AMH during the Upper Paleolithic Period; (ii) the Late Glacial and Post-glacial recolonization; (iii) introduction of agriculture (Neolithization); (iv) genetic continuation through the Middle Neolithic (MN) and the progressive intermix of the Early European Farmers (EEF) with endogenous hunters-gatherers (HG); (v) the inflow of new genetic components from the southwest and southeast to Central Europe in the Late Neolithic (LN), and formation of separate cultures in the Early Bronze Age (EBA) 1–4. The initial colonization of Europe by AMH began approximately forty-five thousand years ago (tya) 5–7. This colonization was connected to the extinction of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and a spread of AMH HG. One of the characteristics of the HG populations was the domination of mtDNA haplogroup U represented mainly by
Despite the increase in our knowledge about the factors that shaped the genetic structure of the human population in Europe, the demographic processes that occurred during and after the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in Central-East Europe remain unclear. To fill the gap, we isolated and sequenced DNAs of 60 individuals from Kowalewko, a bi-ritual cemetery of the Iron Age (IA) Wielbark culture, located between the Oder and Vistula rivers (Kow-OVIA population). The collected data revealed high genetic diversity of Kow-OVIA, suggesting that it was not a small isolated population. Analyses of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and genetic distances performed for Kow-OVIA and other ancient European populations showed that Kow-OVIA was most closely linked to the Jutland Iron Age (JIA) population. However, the relationship of both populations to the preceding Late Neolithic (LN) and EBA populations were different. We found that this phenomenon is most likely the consequence of the distinct genetic history observed for Kow-OVIA women and men. Females were related to the Early-Middle Neolithic farmers, whereas males were related to JIA and LN Bell Beakers. In general, our findings disclose the mechanisms that could underlie the formation of the local genetic substructures in the South Baltic region during the IA. One of the consequences of the rapid development of DNA isolation, enrichment and sequencing technologies is currently observed: the substantial increase of our knowledge about the prehistory of anatomically modern humans (AMH). The first projects that focused on ancient DNA (aDNA) isolated from singular individuals gave a rough idea of when the first representatives of AMH appeared in Africa and how global human expansion occurred. Currently, the genetic studies on a population scale are a pressing need. Together with archaeological and anthropological research, genetic studies can provide new insight into the natural history of Homo sapiens sapiens. So far, such population scale studies have most frequently been concentrated on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) due to its high copy number, small size and lack of recombination. Consequently, the analyses of ancient mtDNA substantially contribute to unraveling the history of human settlement around the world. The genetic structure of the European population has been shaped by a series of consecutive or partly concurrent processes that form the following chain of events: (i) Europe colonization by AMH during the Upper Paleolithic Period; (ii) the Late Glacial and Post-glacial recolonization; (iii) introduction of agriculture (Neolithization); (iv) genetic continuation through the Middle Neolithic (MN) and the progressive intermix of the Early European Farmers (EEF) with endogenous hunters-gatherers (HG); (v) the inflow of new genetic components from the southwest and southeast to Central Europe in the Late Neolithic (LN), and formation of separate cultures in the Early Bronze Age (EBA) 1-4. The initial colonization of Europe by AMH began approximately forty-five thousand years ago (tya) 5-7. This colonization was connected to the extinction of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and a spread of AMH HG. One of the characteristics of the HG populations was the domination of mtDNA haplogroup U represented mainly by
New genetic evidence of affinities and discontinuities between bronze age Siberian populations Clémence Hollard Vincent Zvénigorosky Alexey Kovalev Yurii Kiryushin Alexey Tishkin Igor Lazaretov Eric Crubézy Bertrand Ludes Christine Keyser , 2018
This work focuses on the populations of South Siberia during the Eneolithic and Bronze Age and specifically on the contribution of uniparental lineage and phenotypical data to the question of the genetic affinities and discontinuities between western and eastern populations. We performed molecular analyses on the remains of 28 ancient humans (10 Afanasievo (3600–2500 BC) and 18 Okunevo (2500–1800 BC) individuals). For each sample, two uniparentally inherited systems (mitochondrial DNA and Y‐chromosome DNA) were studied, in order to trace back maternal and paternal lineages. Phenotype‐informative SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were also analyzed, along with autosomal STRs (Short Tandem Repeats). Most of the Afanasievo men submitted to analysis belonged to a single sub‐haplogroup, R1b1a1a, which reveals the predominance of this haplogroup in these early Bronze Age populations. Conversely, Okunevo individuals carried more diverse paternal lineages that mostly belonged to Asian/Siberian haplogroups. These differences are also apparent, although less strongly, in mitochondrial lineage composition and phenotype marker variant frequencies. This study provides new elements that contribute to our understanding of the genetic interactions between populations in Eneolithic and Bronze Age southern Siberia. Our results support the hypothesis of a genetic link between Afanasievo and Yamnaya (in western Eurasia), as suggested by previous studies of other markers. However, we found no Y‐chromosome lineage evidence of a possible Afanasievo migration to the Tarim Basin. Moreover, the presence of Y‐haplogroup Q in Okunevo individuals links them to Native American populations, as was suggested by whole‐genome sequencing
Ancient Fennoscandian genomes reveal origin and spread of Siberian ancestry in Europe
Nature Communications, 2018
European population history has been shaped by migrations of people, and their subsequent admixture. Recently, ancient DNA has brought new insights into European migration events linked to the advent of agriculture, and possibly to the spread of Indo-European languages. However, little is known about the ancient population history of north-eastern Europe, in particular about populations speaking Uralic languages, such as Finns and Saami. Here we analyse ancient genomic data from 11 individuals from Finland and north-western Russia. We show that the genetic makeup of northern Europe was shaped by migrations from Siberia that began at least 3500 years ago. This Siberian ancestry was subsequently admixed into many modern populations in the region, particularly into populations speaking Uralic languages today. Additionally, we show that ancestors of modern Saami inhabited a larger territory during the Iron Age, which adds to the historical and linguistic information about the population history of Finland.