| | |  | | | | Record from Web of Science® | | | | | | |
| Ancient DNA from the first European farmers in 7500-year-old Neolithic sites |
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| Author(s): Haak W, Forster P, Bramanti B, Matsumura S, Brandt G, Tanzer M, Villems R, Renfrew C, Gronenborn D, Alt KW, Burger J |
| Source: SCIENCE Volume: 310 Issue: 5750 Pages: 1016-1018 Published: NOV 11 2005 |
| Times Cited: 72 References: 29 |
| Abstract: The ancestry of modern Europeans is a subject of debate among geneticists, archaeologists, and anthropologists. A crucial question is the extent to which Europeans are descended from the first European farmers in the Neolithic Age 7500 years ago or from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who were present in Europe since 40,000 years ago. Here we present an analysis of ancient DNA from early European farmers. We successfully extracted and sequenced intact stretches of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 24 out of 57 Neolithic skeletons from various locations in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. We found that 25% of the Neolithic farmers had one characteristic mtDNA type and that this type formerly was widespread among Neolithic farmers in Central Europe. Europeans today have a 150-times lower frequency (0.2%) of this mtDNA type, revealing that these first Neolithic farmers did not have a strong genetic influence on modern European female lineages. Our finding lends weight to a proposed Paleolithic ancestry for modern Europeans. |
| Document Type: Article |
| Language: English |
| Reprint Address: Haak, W (reprint author), Mol Archaeol Grp, Inst Anthropol, Colonel Kleinmann Weg 2,SBII 02, D-55128 Mainz, Germany |
Addresses:
1. Univ Mainz, Inst Anthropol, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
2. Univ Cambridge, McDonald Inst Archaeol Res, Cambridge CB2 3ER, England
3. Univ Tartu, Estonian Bioctr, EE-51010 Tartu, Estonia
4. Romisch German Zent Museum, D-55116 Mainz, Germany |
| Publisher: AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE, 1200 NEW YORK AVE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20005 USA |
| Subject Category: Multidisciplinary Sciences |
| IDS Number: 984YN |
| ISSN: 0036-8075 |
| DOI: 10.1126/science.1118725 |
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