Ancient DNA reveals Phoenician tracks in the Mediterranean

Does the 43 bp sequence from an 800 000 year old Cretan dwarf elephantid really rewrite the textbook on mammoths?

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2006.0536 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 58-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ludovic Orlando ◽

Marie Pagés ◽

Sébastien Calvignac ◽

Sandrine Hughes ◽

Catherine Hänni

Keyword(s):

Ancient Dna ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Taxonomic Revision ◽

Asian Elephants ◽

The Holocene ◽

Anatomical Characteristics ◽

Dna Evidence ◽

Mtdna Sequence ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Woolly Mammoth

Pigmy elephants inhabited the islands from the Mediterranean region during the Pleistocene period but became extinct in the course of the Holocene. Despite striking distinctive anatomical characteristics related to insularity, some similarities with the lineage of extant Asian elephants have suggested that pigmy elephants could be most probably seen as members of the genus Elephas . Poulakakis et al. (2006) have recently challenged this view by recovering a short mtDNA sequence from an 800 000 year old fossil of the Cretan pigmy elephant ( Elephas creticus ). According to the authors of this study, a deep taxonomic revision of Cretan dwarf elephants would be needed, as the sequence exhibits clear affinities with woolly mammoth haplotypes. However, we point here many aspects that seriously weaken the strength of the ancient DNA evidence reported.

Download Full-text

Population history from the Neolithic to present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia: An ancient DNA perspective

10.1101/583104 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joseph H. Marcus ◽

Cosimo Posth ◽

Harald Ringbauer ◽

Luca Lai ◽

Robin Skeates ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Flow ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Ancient Dna ◽

Demographic Model ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Mediterranean Island ◽

Genetic Continuity ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Western Eurasia ◽

The Bronze Age

AbstractRecent ancient DNA studies of western Eurasia have revealed a dynamic history of admixture, with evidence for major migrations during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The population of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia has been notable in these studies – Neolithic individuals from mainland Europe cluster more closely with Sardinian individuals than with all other present-day Europeans. The current model to explain this result is that Sardinia received an initial influx of Neolithic ancestry and then remained relatively isolated from expansions in the later Neolithic and Bronze Age that took place in continental Europe. To test this model, we generated genome-wide capture data (approximately 1.2 million variants) for 43 ancient Sardinian individuals spanning the Neolithic through the Bronze Age, including individuals from Sardinia’s Nuragic culture, which is known for the construction of numerous large stone towers throughout the island. We analyze these new samples in the context of previously generated genome-wide ancient DNA data from 972 ancient individuals across western Eurasia and whole-genome sequence data from approximately 1,500 modern individuals from Sardinia. The ancient Sardinian individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations and we infer a high degree of genetic continuity on the island from the Neolithic (around fifth millennium BCE) through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). In particular, during the Bronze Age in Sardinia, we do not find significant levels of the “Steppe” ancestry that was spreading in many other parts of Europe at that time. We also characterize subsequent genetic influx between the Nuragic period and the present. We detect novel, modest signals of admixture between 1,000 BCE and present-day, from ancestry sources in the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Within Sardinia, we confirm that populations from the more geographically isolated mountainous provinces have experienced elevated levels of genetic drift and that northern and southwestern regions of the island received more gene flow from outside Sardinia. Overall, our genetic analysis sheds new light on the origin of Neolithic settlement on Sardinia, reinforces models of genetic continuity on the island, and provides enhanced power to detect post-Bronze-Age gene flow. Together, these findings offer a refined demographic model for future medical genetic studies in Sardinia.

Download Full-text

Late Bronze Age migrations in the Mediterranean. Prospects for approaching the problem of Sea Peoples using ancient DNA

Change, Continuity, and Connectivity ◽

10.2307/j.ctvckq4zg.25 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 444-450

Author(s):

Maciej Chyleñski ◽

Marcin Grynberg ◽

Anna Juras

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Ancient Dna ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Sea Peoples

Download Full-text

Ancient DNA SNP-panel data suggests stability in bluefin tuna genetic diversity despite centuries of fluctuating catches in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-99708-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Adam J. Andrews ◽

Gregory N. Puncher ◽

Darío Bernal-Casasola ◽

Antonio Di Natale ◽

Francesco Massari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ancient Dna ◽

Bluefin Tuna ◽

16Th Century ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Early 21St Century ◽

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna ◽

15Th Century ◽

Genome Wide Data ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Temporal Sample

AbstractAtlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus; BFT) abundance was depleted in the late 20th and early 21st century due to overfishing. Historical catch records further indicate that the abundance of BFT in the Mediterranean has been fluctuating since at least the 16th century. Here we build upon previous work on ancient DNA of BFT in the Mediterranean by comparing contemporary (2009–2012) specimens with archival (1911–1926) and archaeological (2nd century BCE–15th century CE) specimens that represent population states prior to these two major periods of exploitation, respectively. We successfully genotyped and analysed 259 contemporary and 123 historical (91 archival and 32 archaeological) specimens at 92 SNP loci that were selected for their ability to differentiate contemporary populations or their association with core biological functions. We found no evidence of genetic bottlenecks, inbreeding or population restructuring between temporal sample groups that might explain what has driven catch fluctuations since the 16th century. We also detected a putative adaptive response, involving the cytoskeletal protein synemin which may be related to muscle stress. However, these results require further investigation with more extensive genome-wide data to rule out demographic changes due to overfishing, and other natural and anthropogenic factors, in addition to elucidating the adaptive drivers related to these.

Download Full-text