Ancient DNA from the first European farmers in 7500-year-old Neolithic sites

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dc.contributor.authorHaak, W.
dc.contributor.authorForster, P.
dc.contributor.authorBramanti, B.
dc.contributor.authorMatsumura, S.
dc.contributor.authorBrandt, G.
dc.contributor.authorTanzer, M.
dc.contributor.authorVillems, R.
dc.contributor.authorRenfrew, C.
dc.contributor.authorGronenborn, D.
dc.contributor.authorAlt, K.
dc.contributor.authorBurger, J.
dc.date.issued2005
dc.description.abstractThe ancestry of modern Europeans is a subject of debate among geneticists, archaeologists, and anthropologists. A crucial question is the extent to which Europeans are descended from the first European farmers in the Neolithic Age 7500 years ago or from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who were present in Europe since 40,000 years ago. Here we present an analysis of ancient DNA from early European farmers. We successfully extracted and sequenced intact stretches of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 24 out of 57 Neolithic skeletons from various locations in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. We found that 25% of the Neolithic farmers had one characteristic mtDNA type and that this type formerly was widespread among Neolithic farmers in Central Europe. Europeans today have a 150-times lower frequency (0.2%) of this mtDNA type, revealing that these first Neolithic farmers did not have a strong genetic influence on modern European female lineages. Our finding lends weight to a proposed Paleolithic ancestry for modern Europeans.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityWolfgang Haak, Peter Forster, Barbara Bramanti, Shuichi Matsumura, Guido Brandt, Marc Tänzer, Richard Villems, Colin Renfrew, Detlef Gronenborn, Kurt Werner Alt, Joachim Burger
dc.identifier.citationScience, 2005; 310(5750):1016-1018
dc.identifier.doi10.1126/science.1118725
dc.identifier.issn0036-8075
dc.identifier.issn1095-9203
dc.identifier.orcidHaak, W. [0000-0003-2475-2007]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/47427
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAmer Assoc Advancement Science
dc.rights© 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectDNA, Mitochondrial
dc.subjectGenetics, Population
dc.subjectPopulation Dynamics
dc.subjectEmigration and Immigration
dc.subjectBase Sequence
dc.subjectGene Frequency
dc.subjectGenetic Drift
dc.subjectHaplotypes
dc.subjectCultural Evolution
dc.subjectAgriculture
dc.subjectHistory, Ancient
dc.subjectComputer Simulation
dc.subjectMolecular Sequence Data
dc.subjectEurope
dc.subjectAustria
dc.subjectHungary
dc.subjectGermany
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectWhite People
dc.titleAncient DNA from the first European farmers in 7500-year-old Neolithic sites
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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