Center for the Human Past (CHP)

Lasting Lower Rhine–Meuse forager ancestry shaped Bell Beaker expansion - Nature A distinctive population with high hunter-gatherer ancestry persisted 3,000 years later than in most European regions, contributing to later Lower Rhine–Meuse Bell Beaker users.

Reading tips: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Nature #aDNA #farmers #huntergatherers #genomics #ancestry #humanpast #Europe #bellbeaker #humanevolution

New #preprint: #Ancient #tree-topologies and #gene-flow processes among #human lineages in #Africa #humanpast #genetics www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Ancient human genomes from Ladakh reveal Tibetan, South Asian, and Central Asian admixture over the last three millennia https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.26.701789v1

Inference and applications of ancestral recombination graphs - Nature Reviews Genetics Ancestral recombination graphs (ARGs) are revolutionizing population genetics by elucidating genetic processes such as demography, migration and selection. This Review introduces ARG structure, compar...

Another #reading tip: Inference and applications of #ancestral #recombination graphs www.nature.com/articles/s41... #nature #humanpast #methods #genetics

A geographic history of human genetic ancestry Describing the distribution of genetic variation across individuals is a fundamental goal of population genetics. We present a method that capitalizes on the rich genealogical information encoded in g...

Maybe it's not a bad idea to brush up on: A #geographic #history of #human #genetic #ancestry www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #science #population #humanpast

The population history of Central Europe in the Early Bronze Age (2200/2100–1600/1500 BC) - a craniometric approach - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences During the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, migrations and the advent of working bronze alloy materials triggered profound cultural, social, and economic shifts across Central Europe. As a result ...

#Reading tips: The #population history of Central #Europe in the Early #BronzeAge (2200/2100–1600/1500 BC) - a craniometric approach. doi.org/10.1007/s125... Our former fellow, Hugo Reyes-Centeno, is the co-author. #archaeology #anthropology #humanpast #publication

This handprint is the oldest known cave art Beating the previous record for the oldest known cave artwork by at least 15,000 years, a hand stencil in an Indonesian cave might shed light on when early humans migrated to Australia

In an Indonesian cave system known for its prehistoric art, the oldest cave art yet found was hiding in plain sight. It might shed light on when early humans migrated to Australia: spklr.io/633278xck1

We are looking for an enthusiast and motivated postdoc to join the Paleogenomics and Evolutionary Biology group at @liigh-unam.bsky.social, to lead a project working with human pre-hispanic samples. Interested candidates send a CV and letter of intent to fsanchez@liigh.unam.mx. Please #RT

🚨 6th HAAM-RADIO Webinar
🌍 African Population Demography and Social Organizations of the Past
🗓️ Wed, 28 Jan 2026
Register here:
👉 forms.gle/FuBTTX4wreW4...

#AncientDNA #HumanGenetics #AfricanHistory #HAAM #Webinar
@abinstitute.bsky.social @cesarforteslima.bsky.social
@hildegunnink.bsky.social

#Reading tips: Tracing the #Neanderthal–Modern #Human hybrid zone using #paleogenomic #data #humanpast
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

PANAF2026

Check this out! #Panaf2026 #conference Discovering #African #Archaeology and #Heritage Without Borders, 26-31 July 2026, Maputo, #Mozambique. Abstract submission until 30 March 2026. Share! panaf2026moz.com #humanpast #linguistics #genetics #panafrican #interdisciplinary @haam-community.bsky.social

For those interested in #aDNA, #methods, #SNPretrieval and #Tweap: new preprint from #jakobssonLab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @biorxiv-genomic.bsky.social

DDLS Research School Postdoc call 2026 Call for Academic and Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowships in Data-Driven Life Science 2026 Generic Description of the DDLS Postdoc Program The SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Drive...

SciLifeLab has opened a call for #postdoc fellows in Data-Driven Life Science. We would be happy to host such fellows!

Get in touch if you are interested in applying with a project on the evolution of humans and domestic animals using ancient and/or modern DNA 🧪🏺

www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/...

Using poison-tipped arrows to hunt prey is a trick humans learned long ago—a new discovery gives a better idea of just how long. Archaeologists detected traces of two toxins on quartz arrowheads dated to 60,000 years old!

archaeology.org/news/2026/01/12/poison-detected-on-60000-year-old-arrowheads/

Global patterns of natural selection inferred using ancient DNA https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.07.697984v1

Drought and a volcanic eruption 50,000 years ago may have caused the extinction of Homo floresiensis, the small hominin called a “hobbit.” Scarcity of food could have put hobbits in direct competition with modern humans.

archaeology.org/news/2025/12/12/drought-may-have-triggered-hobbit-extinction/

Ancestry, admixture, and pathogens in contemporaneous Neolithic farmers and foragers on the Island of Gotland Two archaeological cultural complexes coexisted on Gotland for over 500 years, between ∼3300 and 2800 calBCE, i.e. the Neolithic Funnelbeaker culture (FBC), and the Pitted ware culture (PWC). The ance...

New #preprint from the #HumanEvolutionProgram team at #UppsalaUniversity: #Ancestry, #admixture, and #pathogens in contemporaneous #Neolithicfarmers and #foragers on the Island of #Gotland www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #genetics #archaeology

@haam-community.bsky.social

Last chance to apply! Deadline on Monday 15 Dec. #postdoc #archaeology #vacancy

Last chance to apply! Deadline on Monday 15 Dec. #postdoc #linguistics #vacancy

Last chance to apply! Deadline on Monday 15 Dec. #postdoc #genomics #vacancy

In the Paris Basin, 7,000 years ago, farmers began planting wheat and building big: Their tomb monuments can stretch the length of three football fields. The story behind who built them is surprising.

archaeology.org/issues/january-february-2026/letters-from/neolithic-cultural-revolution/

Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction An ancient, shared set of human-specific genes underwent changes in a geographically isolated population after around 300,000 years ago, scientists say.

The story about #ancientsouthernafricans in the #ScienceNews now: www.sciencenews.org/article/anci... #media #humanevolutionprogram

Ten-thousand-year-old genomes from southern Africa change picture of human evolution – Uppsala University

Here it is! The #news of the week comes from two of our PIs, Mattias Jakobsson & the #humanevolution program, #UppsalaUniversity. Congratulations! www.uu.se/en/news/2025... #humanpast #genetics #Africa #AncientSouthernAfricans

Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction An ancient, shared set of human-specific genes underwent changes in a geographically isolated population after around 300,000 years ago, scientists say.

Here it is! The news of the week! Also, the story has already been sniffed out by journalists: www.sciencenews.org/article/anci...
#humanpast #genetics #HumanEvolution #ancientsouthernafricans #Africa @humanevouu.bsky.social @haam-community.bsky.social

Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes - Nature The genomes of 28 ancient southern African individuals dated to between 10,200 and 150 years before present offer insights into the evolution of Homo sapiens.

Our new ancient DNA paper has just been published!
We present 28 new genomes from southern Africa - several of them high-coverage whole genomes.
Exciting to be moving towards population-level representation of ancient southern African genetic diversity!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A Framework for Archaeological Involvement with Human Genetic Data for European Prehistory A concern with ethics and commitments to ethical conduct and standards has increasingly been raised within archaeology, recently also concerning aDNA data. We suggest that codes, whether for working w...

Something #ethics #aDNA to ponder after reading: A Framework for #Archaeological Involvement with #HumanGenetic Data for European #Prehistory www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi... #humanpast

The #JakobssonLab team, led by Mattias Jakobsson, with @cschlebu.bsky.social and others, has spent more than a decade working on the #AncientSouthernAfricans project. Now, a major #publication is about to be published. Watch this space: jakobssonlab.iob.uu.se #aDNA #humanpast #genetics #Africa #San

Beth smiles at the camera.

ICP2026 flyer

Meet our plenary speakers 💁‍♂️

BETH SHAPIRO (@ucscgenomics.bsky.social)

Beth is a leader in the study of ancient DNA from extinct species and is now trying to develop tools to de-extinct prehistoric life.

Conference info 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org

⚠️ Abstract submission closing soon, 30th Nov! ⚠️

Interested in #Africa? The #documentary film #Namibia Up will be available to watch for 48 hours only: from 22 Nov (Sat) 9:00 CET until 24 Nov (Mon) 9:00 CET on: www.namibiaup.com/film #interdisciplinary #media @haam-community.bsky.social Repost, please! @afrlib.bsky.social