Tag: Ancient Southern Africans
-
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…
-
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…
-
Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes, published in Nature
In southern Africa, a group of people lived in partial isolation for hundreds of thousands of years. This is shown in a new study based on analyses of the genomes of 28 people who lived between 10,200 and 150 years ago in southern Africa. The researchers also found genetic adaptations that likely shaped Homo sapiens…
-
A decade with the ancient Southern Africans
The Jakobsson Lab team, in various constellations of researchers and with varying levels of engagement, has been working on genetic material first investigated more than a decade ago. Now, the first fruits of the work are collected. The major publication from this project is out now. Behind the scene impressions.