Human History

 

Ancient genomes reveal Down Syndrome in past societies

Burials show that children with Down Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome were recognized as members of their communities more

Thailand’s Iron Age Log Coffin culture

Ancient DNA helps researchers elucidate the structure of a prehistoric community from Southeast Asia more

Ancient relatives

New computational tool detects up to second to third degree cousins using ancient genomes more

Research highlights 2023

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2023 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Probing the deep genetic structure of Africa

DNA research from human populations thought to be uncontactable or extinct helps probe the deep genetic structure of Africa more

Ötzi: dark skin, bald head, Anatolian ancestry

Research team used advanced sequencing technology to analyze Ötzi’s genome to obtain a more accurate picture of the Iceman’s appearance and genetic origins more

Family trees from the European Neolithic

Scientists gain insights into the social behaviour of a Neolithic community more

Grave goods from the Copper Age cemetery of Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The copper and gold objects are considered the oldest in the world.

Genetic study finds early evidence for contact between late farming groups and early pastoralists in the northwestern Black Sea region more

Tracing Chile’s indigenous roots through genetics and linguistics

Genetic analysis adds new perspectives on the (pre)history of South America - from the first settlement until today more

Long distance voyaging among the Pacific Islands

Geochemical analyses of stone artefacts reveal long-distance voyaging among Pacific Islands during the last millennium more

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Ancient genomes reveal Down Syndrome in past societies

Burials show that children with Down Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome were recognized as members of their communities more

Ancient relatives

New computational tool detects up to second to third degree cousins using ancient genomes more

Ötzi: dark skin, bald head, Anatolian ancestry

Research team used advanced sequencing technology to analyze Ötzi’s genome to obtain a more accurate picture of the Iceman’s appearance and genetic origins more

Family trees from the European Neolithic

Scientists gain insights into the social behaviour of a Neolithic community more

Ancient DNA reveals the multiethnic structure of Mongolia’s first nomadic empire

The Xiongnu dominated the Eurasian steppes two millennia ago and foreshadowed the rise of the Mongol Empire more

Beethoven’s genome

Scientists have sequenced the composer’s genome using five genetically matching hair locks more

Reconstruction of a hunter-gatherer associated with the Gravettian culture (32,000-24,000 years ago), inspired by the archaeological findings at the Arene Candide site (Italy).

Large-scale genomic analysis documents the migrations of Ice Age hunter-gatherers over a period of 30,000 years more

Marriage in Minoan Crete

New archaeogenetic data allow exciting insights into the social order of the Aegean Bronze Age more

From Continental Europe to England

Archaeogenetic study reveals large-scale continental migration into the East of England during the early Medieval Period more

Renaming of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

New research focus in the field of geoanthropology more

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Research highlights 2023

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2023 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Ancient DNA reveals origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans

Common ancestors from Neolithic Western Anatolia and Greece more

<em>Homo naledi</em> - our new relative

Researchers discover a new species of fossil human in a cave in South Africa more

A massive migration from the steppe brought Indo-European languages to Europe

4,500 years ago, humans migrated from the Eurasian steppe to Central Europe and thus may have contributed to the spread of the Indo-European languages more

Early human ancestors used their hands like modern humans

Pre-Homo human ancestral species, such as Australopithecus africanus, used human-like hand postures much earlier than was previously thought more

Mixed genes

An interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events more

Neanderthals meet <em>Homo sapiens</em>

New high precision radiocarbon dates of bone collagen show that a cultural exchange may have taken place between modern humans and Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago. more

<em>Australopithecus sediba</em> had plant foods on the menu

For the first time, researchers have found plant remains in the two-million-year-old dental plaque of ancient hominins’ teeth more

The fermented cereal beverage of the Sumerians may not have been beer

4000-year-old cuneiform writings from Mesopotamia tell us little about the brewing techniques used at the time more

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