Scientists have sequenced and analyzed the genomes of seven individuals who lived between 42,000 and 49,000 years ago in Ranis, Germany and Zlatý kůň, the Czech Republic. The results show that distant familial relationships link the Ranis and Zlatý kůň individuals and that they were part of the same small, isolated population that represents the deepest known split from the out-of-Africa lineage; Ranis genomes harbor Neanderthal segments that originate from a single admixture event shared with all non-Africans that the authors date to 45,000-49,000 years ago; this implies that ancestors of all non-Africans sequenced to-date resided in a common population at this time, and further suggests that modern human remains older than 50,000 years from outside Africa represent different non-African populations.
“After modern humans left Africa, they met and interbred with Neanderthals, resulting in around two to three percent Neanderthal DNA that can be found in the genomes of all people outside Africa today,” said Dr. Arev Sümer from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and colleagues.
“However, little is known about the genetics of these first pioneers in Europe and the timing of the Neanderthal admixture with non-Africans.”
“A key site in Europe is Zlatý kůň in Czechia, where a complete skull from a single individual who lived around 45,000 years ago was discovered and previously genetically analyzed.”
“However, due to the lack of archaeological context, it was not possible to link this individual to any archaeologically defined group.”
“A nearby site, the Ilsenhöhle in Ranis in Germany, about 230 km from Zlatý kůň, is known for a specific type of archaeology, the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ), which dates to around 45,000 years ago.”
“It has long been debated whether the LRJ culture was produced by Neanderthals or early modern humans.”
“Although mostly small fragments of bones are preserved in…
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