Oldest genome discovered: new knowledge of early people in Europe!

Oldest genome discovered: new knowledge of early people in Europe!

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig have deciphered the oldest known genome of a modern person. The remarkable pieces of bone, which were discovered in the Ilsen cave in Ranis, Thuringia, are about 45,000 years old and give new insights into early human history. The excellent preservation of the genome was crucial for the analysis, which was published in the renowned specialist magazines "Nature" and "Science". Like the reports from Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Tagesschau show the bones found are one of the earliest groups of modern people who immigrated to Europe, but died out earlier and did not leave any direct descendants.

The decryption of genetics

The researchers found out through their analyzes that the people at that time had dark skin, dark eyes and hair. This information proves that the adjustments to European living conditions are due to genetic features, probably inherited from Neanderthal ancestors. The mixtures between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals, which were demonstrated in this analysis, must have taken place around 45,000 to 49,000 years ago, which is a time adjustment to previous estimates.

In addition, a team from the University of California in Berkeley carried out an independent study that came to similar results. They analyzed 59 old genomes and found that the genetic mixture took place over a period of around 7,000 years, which further underpinned the findings. Estimates show that only a few hundred of these early modern people lived between Great Britain and Poland, which makes the importance of discovery all the more clear. The basic data is not only relevant for evolution theory, but also for other scientific disciplines such as architecture, social history and anthropology, since they enable precise conclusions about the life and environmental conditions of the people 45,000 years ago.