(Press-News.org) Contact information: Ainhoa Goñi
ainhoa.goni@csic.es
34-915-681-473
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Blue eyes and dark skin, that's how the European hunter-gatherer looked
The genome of a 7,000-year-old individual from the Mesolithic site of La Brana-Arintero (Leon, Spain) has been recovered
La Braña 1, name used to baptize a 7,000 years old individual from the Mesolithic Period, whose remains were recovered at La Braña-Arintero site in Valdelugueros (León, Spain) had blue eyes and dark skin. These details are the result of a study conducted by Carles Lalueza-Fox, researcher from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), in collaboration with the Centre for GeoGenetics (Denmark). La Braña 1 represents the first recovered genome of an European hunter-gatherer. The research is published in Nature.
The Mesolithic, a period that lasted from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago (between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic), ends with the advent of agriculture and livestock farming, coming from the Middle-East. The arrival of the Neolithic, with a carbohydrate-based diet and new pathogens transmitted by domesticated animals, entailed metabolic and immunological challenges that were reflected in genetic adaptations of post-Mesolithic populations. Among these is the ability to digest lactose, which La Braña individual could not do.
Lalueza-Fox states: "However, the biggest surprise was to discover that this individual possessed African versions in the genes that determine the light pigmentation of the current Europeans, which indicates that he had dark skin, although we can not know the exact shade".
CSIC researcher, who works at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (a joint centre of CSIC and the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), located in Barcelona, adds: "Even more surprising was to find that he possessed the genetic variations that produce blue eyes in current Europeans, resulting in a unique phenotype in a genome that is otherwise clearly northern European".
The study of the genome suggests that current populations nearest to La Braña 1 are in northern Europe, such as Sweden and Finland. In addition, the work points out that La Braña 1 has a common ancestor with the settlers of the Upper Paleolithic site of Mal'ta, located in Lake Baikal (Siberia), whose genome was recovered a few months ago. Lalueza-Fox concludes: "These data indicate that there is genetic continuity in the populations of central and western Eurasia. In fact, these data are consistent with the archeological remains, as in other excavations in Europe and Russia, including the site of Mal'ta, anthropomorphic figures –called Paleolithic Venus– have been recovered and they are very similar to each other".
DNA with an "exceptional" preservation
La Braña-Arintero site was discovered by chance in 2006 and excavated by Julio Manuel Vidal Encinas, archeologist of the Council of Castilla y León. The cave, located in a cold mountainous area with a steady temperature and 1,500 meters below the sea level, contributed to the "exceptional" preservation of the DNA from two individuals found inside, and they were called La Braña 1 and La Braña 2.
According to Iñigo Olalde, lead author of the study, "the intention of the team is to try to recover the genome of the individual called La Braña 2, which is worse preserved, in order to keep obtaining information about the genetic characteristics of these early Europeans".
INFORMATION:
Blue eyes and dark skin, that's how the European hunter-gatherer looked
The genome of a 7,000-year-old individual from the Mesolithic site of La Brana-Arintero (Leon, Spain) has been recovered
2014-01-27
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Engineers teach old chemical new tricks to make cleaner fuels, fertilizers
2014-01-27
University researchers from two continents ...
Sensitivity of carbon cycle to tropical temperature variations has doubled, research shows
2014-01-27
The tropical carbon cycle has become ...
Cleveland Clinic researchers discover process that turns 'good cholesterol' bad
2014-01-27
Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered the process by ...
Shortening guide RNA markedly improves specificity of CRISPR-Cas nucleases
2014-01-27
A simple adjustment to a powerful gene-editing tool may be able to improve its specificity. In a report receiving advance online publication in Nature Biotechnology, Massachusetts ...
How does the brain create sequences?
2014-01-27
When you learn how to play the piano, first you have to learn notes, scales and chords and only then will you be able to play a piece of music. The same ...
Long-lived breast stem cells could retain cancer legacy
2014-01-27
Researchers from Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have discovered that breast stem cells and their 'daughters' have a much longer lifespan than previously thought, and are active in puberty ...
Music therapy's positive effects on young cancer patients' coping skills, social integration
2014-01-27
A new study has found that adolescents and young adults undergoing cancer treatment gain coping skills and resilience-related outcomes when they participate in a therapeutic music ...
Quality improvement initiative improves asthma outcomes in teens
2014-01-27
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have successfully carried out what is believed to be the first initiative conducted exclusively among teenagers to show ...
After the gunshot: Hospitalizations for firearm injuries prevalent among children
2014-01-27
About 20 children per day in the United States are injured by firearms seriously enough to require hospitalization, and more than 6% of these children die from their injuries, according ...
Researchers motivate diabetics to adopt healthy lifestyle
2014-01-27
By means of so-called health coaching, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have helped a large group of diabetics to markedly improve their oral health. The patients assume responsibility for their ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Review article highlights urgent need for aflatoxin control strategies in Pakistan’s feed supply chain
Researchers reveal key differences in STING inhibition between humans and mice
Researchers generate lung cells from mouse fibroblasts in just 7 to 10 days
Prizewinner’s research reveals how immune responses to friendly skin microbiota could pave way for novel vaccination responses
Old aerial photos give scientists a new tool to predict sea level rise
20 million for courageous research at ISTA
Ships trigger high and unexpected emissions of the greenhouse gas methane
Optimizing laser irradiation: An in-silico meta-analysis of skin discoloration treatment
Climate crisis could force wild vanilla plants and pollinating insects apart, threatening global supply
Teens report spending 21% of each driving trip looking at their phone
Study explores the ‘social norms’ of distracted driving among teens
Diver-operated microscope brings hidden coral biology into focus
Enhancing the “feel-good” factor of urban vegetation using AI and street view images
A single genetic mutation may have made humans more vulnerable to cancer than chimpanzees
Innovative nanocomposite hydrogel shows promise for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis treatment
2025 Guangci Laboratory Medicine Innovation and Development Conference
LabMed Discovery is included in the ICI World Journals database
LabMed Discovery is included in the China Open Access Journal (COAJ) database
Vaccination support program reduces pneumonia-related mortality by 25 percent among the elderly
Over decades, a healthy lifestyle outperforms metformin in preventing onset of Type 2 diabetes
Mental health disorders, malaria, and heart disease most affected by covid pandemic
Green transition will boost UK productivity
Billions voted in 2024, but major new report exposes cracks in global democracy
Researchers find “forever chemicals” impact the developing male brain
Quantum leap in precision sensing across technologies
Upgrading biocrude oil into sustainable aviation fuel using zeolite-supported iron-molybdenum carbide nanocatalysts
For effective science communication, ‘just the facts’ isn’t good enough
RT-EZ: A golden gate assembly toolkit for streamlined genetic engineering of rhodotorula toruloides
Stem Cell Reports announces five new early career editors
Support networks may be the missing link for college students who seek help for excessive drinking
[Press-News.org] Blue eyes and dark skin, that's how the European hunter-gatherer lookedThe genome of a 7,000-year-old individual from the Mesolithic site of La Brana-Arintero (Leon, Spain) has been recovered