Latest news with #ancientDNA
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Ötzi the Iceman and his neighbors had totally different ancestries, ancient DNA study finds
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A new analysis of ancient DNA from 15 people who lived in the Italian Alps around the same time as Ötzi the Iceman shows that Ötzi's ancestry was decidedly different from his neighbors'. "We analysed an additional 15 Copper Age individuals and they have the same genetic structure as the Iceman," Valentina Coia, a researcher at the Institute for Mummy Studies in Bolzano, Italy, told Live Science in an email. But when looking more closely at the DNA to understand lineages, "we were able to compare the results with those of the Iceman and found that it differs from the other Alpine samples in the area." In a study published July 11 in the journal Nature Communications, Coia and colleagues analyzed the genomes of 47 people who lived in the Tyrolean Alps between the Mesolithic and the Middle Bronze Age, around 6400 to 1300 B.C., to learn more about their ancestry. The most famous individual they examined was Ötzi, who lived 5,300 years ago in the Alps before he was murdered in mysterious circumstances. His mummified and frozen corpse was discovered by tourists in 1991. Because a previous study found that Ötzi had "unusually high Anatolian farmer ancestry," the researchers wanted to investigate whether the Iceman's neighbors — who lived in the Alps in the Copper Age, between 3368 and 3108 B.C. — had a similar ancestry or whether they were more closely related to hunter-gatherer groups from the Eurasian Steppe. The researchers' analysis of the ancient genomes revealed that most prehistoric Alpine people had high proportions of Anatolian farmer ancestry (80% to 90%) and low proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry. Most of these people also displayed a similar genomic structure and ancestry, they wrote in the study. For example, the Y-chromosome data, which helps trace paternal lineage, revealed that nearly all males who were tested shared a similar ancestry that has been found in prehistoric Germany and France. Ötzi, by contrast, had a different paternal lineage that was more widespread, the researchers wrote. Related: Ötzi the Iceman used surprisingly modern technique for his tattoos 5,300 years ago, study suggests While the paternal lineages of the prehistoric Alpine men were broadly similar, their maternal lineages were diverse, suggesting that women may have been marrying into a close-knit group of men. But Ötzi's maternal lineage has never been identified in other ancient or modern individuals, the researchers wrote, and it was not found in any of the other Alpine people analyzed in the study. "As the maternal line has never yet been found, this might suggest its extinction," Coia said. But she cautioned that the data are somewhat difficult to interpret. "Perhaps the Iceman, compared to other individuals of the same period, comes from a different group of farmers, but this can only be discovered if we have more data on Neolithic individuals from Anatolia and northern Italy," she said. Because a previous study had revealed Ötzi had dark hair and dark eyes, the researchers also looked for these traits in six individuals whose genomes were complete enough to predict hair and eye color. "These [people] likely had brown eyes associated with dark brown to black hair colour (similarly to the Iceman)," they wrote. And their genomes also revealed that all of the prehistoric Alpine people were lactose intolerant, as was Ötzi. RELATED STORIES —Ötzi the Iceman's mummified corpse was found in an Alpine gully — but he didn't die there, new study finds —Ötzi the Iceman may have scaled ice-free Alps —7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world Prior to this study, only two genomes of Copper Age people from the eastern Italian Alps had been analyzed. The additional 15 new genomes from Ötzi's "neighbors" are improving the researchers' understanding of the lives of people who lived in this cold, high-altitude region. "We have no information on the cultural group to which the Iceman may have belonged," the researchers wrote, so "our findings leave open some questions about the genetic origin and cultural affiliation of this enigmatic individual."
Reuters
10-07-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old
WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Scientists in recent years have made progress in finding ancient DNA in fossils, gaining insight into organisms that lived long ago. But the oldest DNA obtained so far dates back about two million years. Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows. Scientists have now extracted and sequenced proteins from dental fossils of extinct rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses, including from a rhino tooth 21-24 million years old. Separate research teams found protein fragments in fossils from vastly different environments - the frigid High Arctic of Canada and a scorching rift valley in Kenya. "Together, these complementary projects demonstrate that proteins - fundamental building blocks of living organisms that preserve information about evolutionary history - can be found in ancient fossils the world over," said Harvard University evolutionary biologist Daniel Green, lead author of the Kenya fossils study published in the journal Nature, opens new tab. This opens a new frontier for probing the deep evolutionary past, including the human lineage and perhaps even dinosaurs. "Ancient proteins can tell us about an organism's evolutionary history by providing molecular data from specimens too old for DNA preservation. This allows researchers to clarify evolutionary relationships across the tree of life, even for species that went extinct millions of years ago," said Ryan Sinclair Paterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen's Globe Institute and lead author of the Canada fossil study in Nature, opens new tab. DNA and proteins are fragile and degrade over time, but proteins are more resilient. The oldest-known DNA is from organisms that lived in Greenland two million years ago. Until now, the oldest-known proteins preserved well enough to offer insight on evolutionary relationships were about four million years old, from the Canadian Arctic. The new research pushes the boundaries of ancient protein research, a field called paleoproteomics, back by millions of years. Proteins were obtained from teeth of five rhino, elephant and hippo species that lived 1.5–18 million years ago in Kenya's Turkana region. The proteins showed the ties between the ancient animals and their modern-day relatives. Proteins also were extracted from a fragment of a tooth of an extinct rhino unearthed at a site called Haughton Crater in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory, that was up to 24 million years old. They showed how this species fit into the rhino family tree. Haughton Crater's cold and dry conditions were considered ideal for preserving proteins. Preservation in the hot climate of Turkana was more unexpected. DNA and proteins, fundamental molecules in biology, possess distinct structures and functions. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the blueprint for life, bearing instructions for an organism's development, growth and reproduction. Proteins perform numerous functions based on instructions from DNA. "Proteins are encoded by our genetic code, DNA, so protein sequences reveal information about relatedness between different individuals, and biological sex, among other things," Green said. The scientists extracted peptides - chains of organic compounds called amino acids that combine to form proteins - found inside tooth enamel. "Some proteins help build teeth, the hardest and most durable structures in animal bodies," Green added. "Enamel is mostly rock: a mineral called hydroxyapatite. But its formation is biologically mediated by proteins that guide both shape and hardness over time. Because these proteins become entombed deep within enamel mineral, we have some reason to expect that protein fragments can be preserved over many millions of years," Green said. Homo sapiens appeared about 300,000 years ago. Ancient proteins previously have been found in the teeth of some extinct species in the human evolutionary lineage, called hominins. The Turkana region has yielded important hominin fossils. "Hominins have evolutionary origins and/or diversification in the area where our samples derive, so our results have promise in future exploration of the enamel proteome (set of proteins) of our evolutionary ancestors from the Turkana Basin of Kenya," said study co-author Timothy Cleland, a physical scientist at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute in Maryland. The proteins studied came from large-bodied species dating to the age of mammals that followed the demise of the dinosaurs that had dominated during the preceding Mesozoic era, which ended 66 million years ago. Green said that in the new research the number of detectable proteins declined in progressively older fossils. But Green did not rule out finding proteins dating to the age of dinosaurs, saying, "Newer and better methods for extracting and detecting ancient proteins could, perhaps, push paleoproteomics into the Mesozoic."
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Scientists in recent years have made progress in finding ancient DNA in fossils, gaining insight into organisms that lived long ago. But the oldest DNA obtained so far dates back about two million years. Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows. Scientists have now extracted and sequenced proteins from dental fossils of extinct rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses, including from a rhino tooth 21-24 million years old. Separate research teams found protein fragments in fossils from vastly different environments - the frigid High Arctic of Canada and a scorching rift valley in Kenya. "Together, these complementary projects demonstrate that proteins - fundamental building blocks of living organisms that preserve information about evolutionary history - can be found in ancient fossils the world over," said Harvard University evolutionary biologist Daniel Green, lead author of the Kenya fossils study published in the journal Nature. This opens a new frontier for probing the deep evolutionary past, including the human lineage and perhaps even dinosaurs. "Ancient proteins can tell us about an organism's evolutionary history by providing molecular data from specimens too old for DNA preservation. This allows researchers to clarify evolutionary relationships across the tree of life, even for species that went extinct millions of years ago," said Ryan Sinclair Paterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen's Globe Institute and lead author of the Canada fossil study in Nature. DNA and proteins are fragile and degrade over time, but proteins are more resilient. The oldest-known DNA is from organisms that lived in Greenland two million years ago. Until now, the oldest-known proteins preserved well enough to offer insight on evolutionary relationships were about four million years old, from the Canadian Arctic. The new research pushes the boundaries of ancient protein research, a field called paleoproteomics, back by millions of years. Proteins were obtained from teeth of five rhino, elephant and hippo species that lived 1.5–18 million years ago in Kenya's Turkana region. The proteins showed the ties between the ancient animals and their modern-day relatives. Proteins also were extracted from a fragment of a tooth of an extinct rhino unearthed at a site called Haughton Crater in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory, that was up to 24 million years old. They showed how this species fit into the rhino family tree. Haughton Crater's cold and dry conditions were considered ideal for preserving proteins. Preservation in the hot climate of Turkana was more unexpected. DNA and proteins, fundamental molecules in biology, possess distinct structures and functions. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the blueprint for life, bearing instructions for an organism's development, growth and reproduction. Proteins perform numerous functions based on instructions from DNA. "Proteins are encoded by our genetic code, DNA, so protein sequences reveal information about relatedness between different individuals, and biological sex, among other things," Green said. The scientists extracted peptides - chains of organic compounds called amino acids that combine to form proteins - found inside tooth enamel. "Some proteins help build teeth, the hardest and most durable structures in animal bodies," Green added. "Enamel is mostly rock: a mineral called hydroxyapatite. But its formation is biologically mediated by proteins that guide both shape and hardness over time. Because these proteins become entombed deep within enamel mineral, we have some reason to expect that protein fragments can be preserved over many millions of years," Green said. Homo sapiens appeared about 300,000 years ago. Ancient proteins previously have been found in the teeth of some extinct species in the human evolutionary lineage, called hominins. The Turkana region has yielded important hominin fossils. "Hominins have evolutionary origins and/or diversification in the area where our samples derive, so our results have promise in future exploration of the enamel proteome (set of proteins) of our evolutionary ancestors from the Turkana Basin of Kenya," said study co-author Timothy Cleland, a physical scientist at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute in Maryland. The proteins studied came from large-bodied species dating to the age of mammals that followed the demise of the dinosaurs that had dominated during the preceding Mesozoic era, which ended 66 million years ago. Green said that in the new research the number of detectable proteins declined in progressively older fossils. But Green did not rule out finding proteins dating to the age of dinosaurs, saying, "Newer and better methods for extracting and detecting ancient proteins could, perhaps, push paleoproteomics into the Mesozoic."
CNA
09-07-2025
- Science
- CNA
Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old
WASHINGTON :Scientists in recent years have made progress in finding ancient DNA in fossils, gaining insight into organisms that lived long ago. But the oldest DNA obtained so far dates back about two million years. Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows. Scientists have now extracted and sequenced proteins from dental fossils of extinct rhinoceroses, elephants and hippopotamuses, including from a rhino tooth 21-24 million years old. Separate research teams found protein fragments in fossils from vastly different environments - the frigid High Arctic of Canada and a scorching rift valley in Kenya. "Together, these complementary projects demonstrate that proteins - fundamental building blocks of living organisms that preserve information about evolutionary history - can be found in ancient fossils the world over," said Harvard University evolutionary biologist Daniel Green, lead author of the Kenya fossils study published in the journal Nature. This opens a new frontier for probing the deep evolutionary past, including the human lineage and perhaps even dinosaurs. "Ancient proteins can tell us about an organism's evolutionary history by providing molecular data from specimens too old for DNA preservation. This allows researchers to clarify evolutionary relationships across the tree of life, even for species that went extinct millions of years ago," said Ryan Sinclair Paterson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen's Globe Institute and lead author of the Canada fossil study in Nature. DNA and proteins are fragile and degrade over time, but proteins are more resilient. The oldest-known DNA is from organisms that lived in Greenland two million years ago. Until now, the oldest-known proteins preserved well enough to offer insight on evolutionary relationships were about four million years old, from the Canadian Arctic. The new research pushes the boundaries of ancient protein research, a field called paleoproteomics, back by millions of years. Proteins were obtained from teeth of five rhino, elephant and hippo species that lived 1.5–18 million years ago in Kenya's Turkana region. The proteins showed the ties between the ancient animals and their modern-day relatives. Proteins also were extracted from a fragment of a tooth of an extinct rhino unearthed at a site called Haughton Crater in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory, that was up to 24 million years old. They showed how this species fit into the rhino family tree. Haughton Crater's cold and dry conditions were considered ideal for preserving proteins. Preservation in the hot climate of Turkana was more unexpected. DNA and proteins, fundamental molecules in biology, possess distinct structures and functions. Deoxyribonucleic acid is the blueprint for life, bearing instructions for an organism's development, growth and reproduction. Proteins perform numerous functions based on instructions from DNA. "Proteins are encoded by our genetic code, DNA, so protein sequences reveal information about relatedness between different individuals, and biological sex, among other things," Green said. The scientists extracted peptides - chains of organic compounds called amino acids that combine to form proteins - found inside tooth enamel. "Some proteins help build teeth, the hardest and most durable structures in animal bodies," Green added. "Enamel is mostly rock: a mineral called hydroxyapatite. But its formation is biologically mediated by proteins that guide both shape and hardness over time. Because these proteins become entombed deep within enamel mineral, we have some reason to expect that protein fragments can be preserved over many millions of years," Green said. Homo sapiens appeared about 300,000 years ago. Ancient proteins previously have been found in the teeth of some extinct species in the human evolutionary lineage, called hominins. The Turkana region has yielded important hominin fossils. "Hominins have evolutionary origins and/or diversification in the area where our samples derive, so our results have promise in future exploration of the enamel proteome (set of proteins) of our evolutionary ancestors from the Turkana Basin of Kenya," said study co-author Timothy Cleland, a physical scientist at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute in Maryland. The proteins studied came from large-bodied species dating to the age of mammals that followed the demise of the dinosaurs that had dominated during the preceding Mesozoic era, which ended 66 million years ago. Green said that in the new research the number of detectable proteins declined in progressively older fossils. But Green did not rule out finding proteins dating to the age of dinosaurs, saying, "Newer and better methods for extracting and detecting ancient proteins could, perhaps, push paleoproteomics into the Mesozoic."
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
A 37,000-Year Chronicle of What Once Ailed Us
To prepare for future pandemics, scientists look to the past for clues. Over the last century, a series of new pathogens have swept the world, including H.I.V., Zika virus and SARS-CoV-2. But the further back researchers look, the fuzzier that history becomes. Thucydides chronicled the plague of Athens, a disease that ravaged the city-state around 430 B.C. Despite all his gory details — 'the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath' — today's historians and scientists still don't know which pathogen was responsible for it. Three decades ago, geneticists conducting historical investigations started adding new clues like the bits of DNA that some pathogens leave behind in human skeletons. In recent years, the search for ancient disease genes has accelerated. On Wednesday, a team of scientists unveiled a new genetic chronicle, documenting the rise of 214 diseases across Europe and Asia over the past 37,000 years. 'The paper is large and sweeping and overall pretty cool,' said Hendrik Poinar, an expert on ancient DNA at McMaster University in Canada who was not involved in the study. The researchers examined the remains of 1,313 ancient individuals for the project. The large scale enabled the researchers to do more than just push back the earliest known occurrence of different diseases. They could also track the rise and fall of epidemics across centuries. The oldest remains the researchers studied belonged to hunter-gatherers. Their bones and teeth contained a host of pathogens, such as hepatitis B, herpes virus and Helicobacter pylori, a stomach-dwelling bacterium. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
