Ancient DNA links Ice Age communities across Europe
古代DNAが示す氷河期ヨーロッパの集団間のつながり科学・技術
- Country:
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- Voice:
- 🇬🇧 Sophie
英語本文
An international research team led by the University of Vienna in Austria has found evidence of genetic connections among Ice Age Europeans. The study, published in Science Advances and reported on October 23, 2026, combined new and earlier genomic data from human remains with human DNA preserved in cave sediments. The Gravettian culture extended across Europe about 34,000–25,000 years ago.
A woman from Isturitz Cave in southwestern France lived about 30,000 years ago. Her ancestry was mainly linked to western Europe, but also showed a connection to central and eastern European populations. Genetic modelling placed this gene flow about 32,500–31,500 years ago.
At El Mirón Cave in Cantabria, northern Spain, a 22,000-year-old sediment layer yielded human nuclear DNA despite having no human bones or teeth. This evidence indicates that western European ancestry persisted through the Last Glacial Maximum. The findings suggest regional continuity alongside long-distance genetic exchange, rather than complete isolation or one uniform European population.