A team led by the University of Vienna says people across Ice Age Europe were much more connected than scientists believed.
They studied ancient DNA from rare human remains, plus genetic material preserved in cave dirt. The research, published in Science Advances, focuses on the Gravettian culture, which spread across Europe from about 34,000 to 25,000 years ago.
What they found
- Earlier genetic work suggested eastern and western groups stayed mostly separate. The new data shows links across huge distances.
- Some groups in southwestern Europe kept their ancestry for thousands of years.
- Pulling human DNA out of cave sediment means researchers don’t need bones to learn who lived there.
I love this stuff. People back then traveled, traded and married far from home, even in an ice age. Getting DNA out of cave dirt is amazing tech.
God Bless, and May the Source Be with You!
