DNA of a woman from France revealed links between Eastern and Western Europe — Live Science
Scientists sequenced the genomes of three people who lived in Europe about 30,000 years ago and found closer genetic ties between populations in its western and eastern regions than previously believed. In particular, the DNA of a woman whose remains were found in Isturitz Cave in southwestern France was most similar to previously known Western European genomes, but also had a connection to Eastern and Central European groups, Live Science reports.
Population exchange during the Gravettian period
Researchers analyzed the genomes of people who lived in what are now Spain, France and Italy during the Gravettian period. The Gravettian culture spread across Europe after the disappearance of Neanderthals and existed approximately from 34,000 to 25,000 years ago.
Previously, due to the limited number of available ancient DNA samples, it was believed that groups in Western and Eastern Europe were largely separate. The authors of the study, published on October 23 in the journal Science Advances, dated the influx of genes from the east associated with the ancestry of the woman from Isturitz to approximately 31,500–32,500 years ago. In their view, this may have resulted from the movement of people from Eastern Europe during the Gravettian period.
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Isturitz Cave as a hub of contacts
Isturitz Cave is located on an important route between continental Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. The genetic data, the researchers noted, support the archaeological hypothesis of its importance as a cultural and biological hub throughout tens of thousands of years of the Late Stone Age.
All three new genomes also showed close biological ties with Western European groups. Scientists found genetic signs of dark skin, dark hair and dark eyes, as well as the absence of close kinship between these people's parents. This may indicate that groups at the time avoided close-kin unions.
