Papers Ancient DNA Reveals HLA Genes Linked to Leprosy Risk in Medieval Europe Leprosy in Medieval Europe: Archaeological and Genetic Evidence Leprosy Epidemics and Social Responses in Medieval Europe This comprehensive study plunges readers into a medieval Europe where leprosy was not a rare misfortune but an ever-present fear. From the 10th to the 16th century, communities across Denmark and Germany grappled with By Sven • 4 min read
Papers Ancient DNA reveals Yakut origins and resilience under Russian conquest Yakut Origins and Long-Term Continuity in Eastern Siberia Yakut Origins and Long-Term Continuity The article opens in the vast, frozen landscapes of Yakutia, where winter can plunge below –60°C and rivers like the Lena, Yana and Indigirka carve through the permafrost. In this setting, archaeologists working with the French– By Caterina • 7 min read
Papers Ancient Zoonotic Pathogens in Animal Bones: Integrating Zooarchaeology, Palaeopathology and DNA Across 6,000 Years Ancient Animal Pathogens: Hunting Disease in Archaeological Bones Ancient Animal Pathogens: Hunting Disease in Archaeological Bones Introduction: From Barnyard to Laboratory This comprehensive study examines animal bone collections from 34 archaeological sites across Eurasia, spanning roughly 6,000 years of human-animal cohabitation. The research addresses a fundamental question in archaeological By Caterina • 9 min read
Papers Ancient DNA and kinship analysis in Bronze Age and Iron Age European populations Ancient DNA and the People Behind the Bones: A Comprehensive Study Ancient DNA and the People Behind the Bones: A Comprehensive Study of Past Lives, Kinship Networks, and Population Movements Introduction: Voices from the Graves This comprehensive study plunges deep into the world of ancient DNA recovered from human skeletons, By Caterina • 8 min read
Papers Ancient Genomic History of the Oral Pathogen Streptococcus mutans Over 8,000 Years Ancient Streptococcus mutans across 8,000 years of Eurasian history Ancient Streptococcus mutans across 8,000 years of Eurasian history This comprehensive study follows a single bacterial companion of humanity – Streptococcus mutans, a key player in tooth decay – through some 8,000 years of Eurasian history. By extracting DNA from By Caterina • 5 min read
Papers Kin, Empire, and DNA: How Roman Rule Reshaped (and Failed to Reshape) Family Mating Practices Roman Imperial Impact on Kinship and Consanguinity Across Regions Roman Imperial Impact on Kinship and Consanguinity: A Comprehensive Genomic Analysis Introduction: The Genomic Revolution in Roman Studies This comprehensive study explores how the Roman Empire fundamentally reshaped family life and marriage practices across its vast territories, while simultaneously revealing where By Sara V • 8 min read
Papers Ancient Roman Sculptures as Early Depictions of Occult Spinal Dysraphism Occult Spinal Dysraphism and Its Cutaneous Stigmata in Clinical Neurosurgery Occult Spinal Dysraphism and Its Cutaneous Stigmata in Clinical Neurosurgery This comprehensive study takes readers on an extraordinary journey from modern neurosurgical clinics to the marble halls of ancient Roman museums, examining how subtle cutaneous markers of spinal anomalies may By Sara V • 6 min read
Papers Histological Study of Cremated Human Remains from the Imperial Roman Necropolis of La Cona Roman Cremation Rituals at La Cona: Fire, Bones, and Changing Ways of Death The article follows the story of cremation in Italy from its Bronze Age rise to its Roman heyday, before examining the Imperial Roman necropolis of La Cona at Teramo, in central Italy. Here, archaeologists have traced how By Sara V • 8 min read
Papers Roman–‘Barbarian’ Blending on the German Frontier, 400–700 CE Demographic Upheaval around 470 CE: When Northerners Met the Roman Provincials The article plunges the reader into the thick of one of the most dramatic demographic moments in late Roman and early medieval Europe: a sweeping population shift, centred roughly on the year 470 CE, when people with roots in By Sara V • 6 min read
Papers Ancient DNA Reveals Cave-Burial Ancestry in the Formation of Kra–Dai and Hmong–Mien Peoples of Southwest China Cave Burial Traditions in Guangxi: Ancient DNA and the Origins of Kra-Dai and Hmong-Mien Peoples Cave Burial Traditions in Guangxi: Ancient DNA and the Origins of Kra-Dai and Hmong-Mien Peoples Introduction: Doorways into the Deep Past This comprehensive study takes readers into the dramatic limestone landscapes of Guangxi in southwest By Sara V • 7 min read
Papers Cosmopolitan Goths: Archaeogenomic Evidence for a Genetically Diverse Masłomęcz Community in Late Iron Age Barbaricum Goths on the Move: The Masłomęcz Group and Gothic Origins Goths on the Move: The Masłomęcz Group and Gothic Origins Introduction: A Gothic Community Revealed Through DNA The migration route of the Goths sweeps from the chilly shores of the Baltic Sea down towards the Black Sea, but pauses for By Caterina • 8 min read
Papers Genetic Links Between Ancient Corinth and Its Colony Amvrakia Revealed by Ancient DNA Ancient Greek Colonisation and the Corinth-Amvrakia Network: A Genetic Study Ancient Greek Colonisation and the Corinth-Amvrakia Network: A Genetic Study Introduction: From Trading Routes to Planned Colonies This comprehensive study examines the genetic relationships between the Corinthian settlement of Tenea and its colony Amvrakia (later the Roman Ambracia) within the By Sara V • 6 min read
Papers Ancient DNA Shows Social Hierarchy in Late Shang Xisima Was Not Based on Genetic Differences Late Shang Social Hierarchy at the Xisima Cemetery The Xisima cemetery, near today's Xingyang City in Henan Province, offers a vivid snapshot of life and death in the waning centuries of the Shang dynasty, roughly 1300–1046 BCE. Excavated in 2005, the site preserves the burials of people By Sara V • 7 min read
Papers Ancient DNA Shows Papuan–East Asian Mixing Before First Settlement of Palau Ancient DNA and the Peopling of Palau: A Comprehensive Study Ancient DNA and the Peopling of Palau: A Comprehensive Archaeological and Genetic Investigation Introduction: Papuan–East Asian Mixing Before the First People Reached Palau This comprehensive investigation takes readers deep into the limestone caves and rock islands of Palau, revealing By Sara V • 12 min read
Papers Neolithic Population Turnover and the End of Megalith Building in the Paris Basin Neolithic Decline and Demographic Collapse in North-Western Europe Neolithic Decline and Demographic Collapse in North-Western Europe: Evidence from the Bury Megalithic Tomb Introduction: A Crisis at the End of the Fourth Millennium BC The flourishing Neolithic world of north-western Europe began to unravel at the very end of the fourth By Caterina • 10 min read
Papers Ancient Y Chromosomes Reveal Coastal and Inland Migrations that Shaped East Asian Paternal History Paleolithic Peopling and Agricultural Transitions in East Asia: Y-Chromosome Evidence Paleolithic Peopling and Agricultural Transitions in East Asia: Y-Chromosome Evidence from Ancient DNA and Archaeological Sites Introduction: Tracing Ancient Migrations Through Paternal Lineages The peopling of East Asia represents one of the most complex chapters in human prehistory, involving multiple By Caterina • 10 min read
Papers µCT Scanning and Ancient DNA: A Safer Workflow for Archaeological Petrous Bones This methodological study tests whether µCT scanning measurably harms ancient DNA preservation in archaeological human petrous portions. Across 93 samples, the authors do not find strong evidence that routine scanning systematically degrades key aDNA quality metrics. They also propose a more sustain By Caterina • 1 min read
Papers Ancient Regulatory Evolution Shapes Individual Language Abilities in Present-Day Humans Ancient regulatory regions in the human genome may still influence language-related abilities in people today. By Caterina • 1 min read
Papers Ancient Genomes Reveal Three Waves of Settlement and Deep Genetic Diversity in Indigenous Americas By Sara V • 5 min read
Papers Genetic Evidence for a 1348 Pogrom: Medieval Jewish Community in Tà rrega, Catalonia The Medieval Jewish Community of Tà rrega and the 1348 Black Death Pogrom The medieval Jewish community of Tà rrega emerges from the shadows of history through an extraordinary archaeological discovery that reveals the tragic intersection of plague, prejudice, and persecution in 14th-century Catalonia. The Roquetes necropolis, excavated in 2007, offers an By Sven • 5 min read
Larson Ancient Genomes Reveal How Longshan-Era Peoples Shaped the Genetic Ancestry of the Han Chinese Genetic Formation of Han Chinese from Ancient Genomes Introduction: The Yellow River and the Missing Chapter The study of Han Chinese origins represents one of the most compelling questions in Chinese archaeology and genetics. How did the Han Chinese, today comprising nearly one-fifth of the world's population, come By Jamie L • 7 min read
Papers Life and Mobility in Late Bronze Age Central Europe Revealed by Ancient DNA, Isotopes and Burials Late Bronze Age Mobility and Population Continuity in Central Germany The Late Bronze Age communities of central Germany offer a fascinating window into a world balanced between continuity and change. In the Weida valley of today's Saxony-Anhalt, two remarkable sites—Kuckenburg and Esperstedt—reveal the complex lives of By Sara V • 8 min read
Papers Climate-Driven Population Replacement and Expansion in Late European Neanderthals Neanderthals on the Move: A Population Upheaval Around 65,000 Years Ago Neanderthals on the Move: A Population Upheaval Around 65,000 Years Ago The story of Neanderthal Europe reveals a dynamic population far from static. Around 65,000 years ago, their world underwent dramatic transformation driven by climate and By Sara V • 6 min read
Papers Sex‑Biased Genetic Mixing on Rome’s Dacian Frontier Roman Dacia: A Frontier Contact Zone at the Edge of Empire The province of Roman Dacia, perched north of the Danube River, represents one of the most fascinating examples of imperial frontier dynamics in the ancient world. Here, where the Roman Empire pushed into landscapes already shaped by local Dacians, By Caterina • 7 min read
