Genomic Data Ancient Human DNA Reveals Hidden Connections Across Ice Age Europe

Ancient DNA from human remains and cave sediments reveals genetic exchange between eastern and western European populations more than 30,000 years ago. The findings suggest that Gravettian communities were more interconnected than previously thought, while some regional ancestry persisted through the Ice Age.

More than 30,000 years ago, people associated with one of Europe’s major Palaeolithic cultures (the Gravettian) were more interconnected than previously thought. An international research team led by the University of Vienna has uncovered new genetic evidence of long-distance connections between these populations. Published in Science Advances, the study combines genomic data from rare human remains with human DNA preserved in cave sediments.

The Gravettian culture was widespread across Europe around 34,000 to 25,000 years ago. While archaeological finds have long suggested extensive contacts across the continent, genetic data pointed to relatively stable eastern and western ancestry groups. By analysing new and previously published genomic data alongside human DNA from cave sediments, the researchers found evidence of east-west genetic exchange and long-term population continuity in southwestern Europe.

A Woman’s Genome Links East and West

The remains of a woman from Isturitz Cave in southwestern France, who lived around 30,000 years ago, yielded the oldest to date genome-wide dataset of a modern human from southwestern Europe. Her genetic data provide key evidence of east-west exchange: most of her ancestry was related to the western European lineage, but she also carried ancestry related to populations from central and eastern Europe. Genetic modelling dates this gene flow to around 32,500 to 31,500 years ago.

“Gene flow across such large distances adds a new dimension to our understanding of how Gravettian populations were connected,” says Pere Gelabert, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna. A similar signal was found in a previously studied individual from Ormesson, France. Together with archaeological evidence, the new findings also support the idea that Isturitz may have been a meeting place for different groups.

Human DNA from Cave Sediment

At the same time, the researchers found evidence for long-term population continuity in southwestern Europe. Genomic data from Chufín Cave in northern Spain indicate that western European ancestry persisted in the region over thousands of years. The team also analysed ancient human DNA preserved directly in cave sediment. At El Mirón Cave in Cantabria, they recovered enough human nuclear DNA from a 22,000-year-old layer to determine its genetic ancestry — despite the absence of human bones or teeth. “Sedimentary DNA allows us to recover genetic information from periods where human remains are missing,” says senior author Ron Pinhasi, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna, whose team led this study. {This gives us a way to connect archaeological layers with the genetic ancestry of the people who occupied a site.” The El Mirón DNA shows that this ancestry persisted through the Last Glacial Maximum, supporting the idea of the Iberian Peninsula as an Ice Age refuge.

What Mother and Son Reveal about Mating

In southern Italy, the team analysed Ostuni1b, a male fetus and most likely the son of the previously studied woman Ostuni1. His father probably came from the same genetic population, yet the parents were not closely related — suggesting mating practices that helped avoid high levels of inbreeding. Together, the findings show that regional population continuity could coexist with genetic exchange over large distances. Gelabert's team is now combining sedimentary DNA with advanced proteomic analyses to investigate the first trans-European expansions of modern humans and their interactions with carnivores where organic remains are scarce.

Original Article: Early Gravettian genomic data from Western Europe reveal population movements before the LGM; Science Advances; DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aeh6128

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