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Northwest African Neolithic initiated by migrants from Iberia and Levant
A new article by Luciana Simões and others from the Jakobsson Lab is published in Nature. Abstract In northwestern Africa, lifestyle transitioned from foraging to food production around 7,400 years ago but what sparked that change remains unclear. Archaeological data support conflicting views: (1) that migrant European Neolithic farmers brought the new way of life to…
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New grant from the Swedish Research Council
Mattias Jakobsson received funds to start a new project, A genetic model for the evolution of H. sapiens, from 1 Jan 2023. The project will run until end of 2025. Congratulations! Project summary Genetic variation forms the basic material that allows evolutionary change over time. Finding, describing and utilizing genetic variation to understand human evolutionary…
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Multidisciplinary investigation reveals an individual of West African origin buried in a Portuguese Mesolithic shell midden four centuries ago
A multidisciplinary approach to an old burial site reveals new secrets in the human past. The article, by Peyroteo Stjerna et al. (2022) were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Highlights Related content 350 years old remains in a Stone Age site in Portugal
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Multiple migrations to the Philippines during the last 50,000 years
An article in PNAS described as the largest and most comprehensive DNA-mapping study of the Philippines, by Larena et al. (2021) offers insights to understand human history in Island Southeast Asia. Significance A key link to understanding human history in Island Southeast Asia is the Philippine archipelago and its poorly investigated genetic diversity. We analyzed…
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The Neolithic Pitted Ware culture foragers were culturally but not genetically influenced by the Battle Axe culture herders
A study by Coutinho et al. (2020) combines archaeological and genetic information to understand better Battle Axe cultural influences discovered in graves of the Pitted Ware culture. The genomic data show that all individuals belonged to one genetic population—a population associated with the Pitted Ware culture—irrespective of the burial style. The authors conclude that the…
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Where do the Scandinavians come from?
Have you ever wondered where Scandinavians came from? Watch a new video from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation about our work on ancient Scandinavians. “A piece of the puzzle is DNA from a man who lived about 9000 years ago, whose remains were found at an excavation in Stora Bjers, Gotland. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Mattias Jakobsson,…
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Mattias Jakobsson appointed a Wallenberg Scholar, 2019-24
“The Wallenberg Scholar grant gives me the freedom and the economic means to take on high-risk projects. It really is a gift for a researcher to be able to work without the normal constraints. Thanks to the Wallenberg Foundation, Sweden has a unique position in the world in the field of independent and free-thinking research.”…
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The genomic ancestry of the Scandinavian Battle Axe Culture people and their relation to the broader Corded Ware horizon
Our study on the Battle Axe Culture by Helena Malmström with others (2019) is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The study caught the attention of media outlets (“Mysterious ‘Battle Axe Culture’ reveals its secrets thanks to DNA discovery“, by James Rogers, Fox News) Abstract The Neolithic period is characterized by major…
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Health change with the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers
Mattias Jakobsson gave a short interview (video on Meta account Evolutionen och du – in Swedish) about the health consequences associated with the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers.
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A new grant from RJ
On October 17th, 2019 Magdalena Fraser received a 3 year research grant from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond for the project “Gotland in the 3rd millennium BCE. Archaeogenetics, archaeology and cultural diversity”. Big Congrats! Project Summary Recent technological advancements have allowed for in-depth genetic investigations of pre-historic humans (archaeogenetics) which have profoundly altered European archaeology. These studies give unique…
