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Animals in indigenous mortuary practices and traditions
Rita Peyroteo-Stjerna has participated in the workshop: The Archaeology of Animal Handling in Mortuary Practices in the Circumpolar North and Arctic in (Pre)historic Time, organised by Markus Fjellström (SU), Astrid A. Noterman (SU and UU), and Ingrid Sommerseth (The Arctic University Museum of Norway) in Tromsø, Norway, 18-20 May 2026. Aim and background In the…
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Lydia Furness joins the lab as a postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary genetics
“My research background lies at the intersection of archaeology, evolutionary anthropology, and biomolecular science. I trained initially as an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, specialising in archaeological science and early human evolution, which provided a strong foundation in archaeological practice, material analysis, and the ethical dimensions of working with human remains and cultural heritage.”…
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Surprising discovery in prehistoric DNA – traced to our kidneys
Latest research results from Mattias Jakobsson and his colleagues at the Human Evolution Program were featured on local TV (18 Apr 2026). By examining DNA from thousands of years-old bone fragments, researchers have found genetic changes that were present in prehistoric humans – and in us today. The researchers also made a surprising discovery: several…
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Short report from ProbGen 2026
Mark Chernyshev attended the Probabilistic Modelling in Genomics conference in Berkeley, California, 25-28 March 2026 (ProbGen2026). The conference attracted around 1000 participants, and approximately 300 posters were displayed and discussed. Mark presented some of his research in the poster: Detecting Sapiens-Specific Selective Sweeps by Leveraging Deep Divergence and Machine Learning. Abstract Identifying the selective pressures…
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Researcher profile: Mattias Jakobsson
Sometimes we know little about the people we work closely with. Uppsala University has recently published a researcher profile about the head of the Jakobsson Lab. Mattias’ research casts new light on human prehistory. “When you’re allowed to think freely, brainstorm and speculate. And the unknown, when we discover completely different things than what we…
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Mark Chernyshev invited to attend 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
“I’ve always believed that transformative research happens at the intersection of fields, so I am particularly thrilled to announce I have been selected to attend the interdisciplinary 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting!I’m looking forward to this rare opportunity to exchange ideas with young scientists and laureates across all Nobel disciplines.” This interdisciplinary event will take…
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Meet Tan Xujie, a new Master’s student in the Lab
Tan Xujie has just started research training in the Jakobsson Lab. For the next six weeks, he will work with Per Sjödin on how mutation spectra (which types of mutations are most common) vary between genomes. More specifically, how much it differs between modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans. Welcome to the group, Tan!
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Beyond bones: how biomolecular archaeology is challenging the definition of ancient human remains and its ethical implications
A new paper by Rita Peyroteo Stjerna and Mari Tõrv has been published in World Archaeology. Peyroteo-Stjerna, R., & Tõrv, M. (2026). Beyond bones: how biomolecular archaeology is challenging the definition of ancient human remains and its ethical implications. World Archaeology, 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2026.2632228 Abstract Technological advancements in the twenty-first century have profoundly transformed archaeological research.…
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Genetic relatedness mattered in the co-burial ritual of Neolithic hunter–gatherers
Mattila, T. M., Fraser, M., Koelman, J., Krzewińska, M., Ivarsson-Aalders, M., Götherström, A., Jakobsson, M., Storå, J., Günther, T., Wallin, P. & Malmström, H. (2026). Genetic relatedness mattered in the co-burial ritual of Neolithic hunter–gatherers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 293(2065). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.0813 Abstract Kin relations among past societies can offer valuable information about…
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Mark Chernyshev was awarded the Marcus Borgström grant for human genetics research
The 140,000 SEK grant will support detailed genetic analysis of ancient southern Africans who lived 10,200 to 1,400 years ago. This research will use computational methods to reconstruct how these populations changed over time, which is of particular interest because ancient southern Africans represent one of humanity’s earliest population splits (approximately 300,000 years ago) and harbour genetic variation not captured by existing datasets. Congratulations, Mark! M…
