Agriculture Linked to DNA Changes in Ancient Europe

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The New York Times, November 23, 2015

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The agricultural revolution was one of the most profound events in human history, leading to the rise of modern civilization. Now, in the first study of its kind, an international team of scientists has found that after agriculture arrived in Europe 8,500 years ago, people’s DNA underwent widespread changes, altering their height, digestion, immune system and skin color.

Researchers had found indirect clues of some of these alterations by studying the genomes of living Europeans. But the new study, they said, makes it possible to see the changes as they occurred over thousands of years.

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Friday’s Elk, November 20, 2015

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

Here’s the week that was…

Denisovans and Other Mysterious Humans

–Ancient DNA continues to illuminate our family tree. In 2010, I wrote about mysterious ancient relatives of Neanderthals called Denisovans, which scientists only knew from a tooth, a fingerbone, and the 50,000-year-old DNA they contained. Now scientists have found some new Denisovan DNA in a tooth, and the broadening picture we’re getting is fascinating. Yet in some ways, the enigma of the Denisovans is only getting deeper. I wrote about the mystery in The New York Times this week. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, November 20, 2015” →

In a Tooth, DNA From Some Very Old Cousins, the Denisovans

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The New York Times, November 16, 2015

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A tooth fossil discovered in a Siberian cave has yielded DNA from a vanished branch of the human tree, mysterious cousins called the Denisovans, scientists said Monday.

Their analysis pushes back the oldest known evidence for Denisovans by 60,000 years, suggesting that the species was able to thrive in harsh climates for thousands of generations. The results also suggest that the Denisovans may have bred with other ancient hominins, relatives of modern humans whom science has yet to discover.

Todd Disotell, a molecular anthropologist at New York University who was not involved in the new study, said the report added to growing evidence that our species kept company with many near relatives over the past million years.

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Friday’s Elk, November 13, 2015

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

On this Friday the 13th, I wish you only good luck and offer you the following diversions…

The DNA of a Million Veterans

–I’ve got a new story at STAT, about the next chapter in the history of genetics. Researchers are launching massive studies of huge numbers of people in order to link genes to diseases. One of the biggest is being run by the U.S. military. The Veterans Administration is gathering the DNA of a million veterans to study everything from diabetes to PTSD. I went inside the Million Veteran Program to get a first-hand look at this new way of exploring our genes. (Be sure to check out the video of the enormous operation!) Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, November 13, 2015” →

After a Mass Extinction, Only the Small Survive

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The New York Times, November 12, 2015

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From sharks to giraffes, many of Earth’s biggest and most magnificent species are threatened with extinction. A new study of the fossil record indicates that once large vertebrates disappear, evolution cannot quickly restore them — for tens of millions of years, most animals remain small.

The study, published Thursday in Science, emerged from research carried out by Lauren Sallan, a paleontologist at the University of Pennsylvania.

Studying fish that lived during the Mississippian Period, from 359 million to 323 million years ago, she noticed that they were substantially smaller than their ancestors.

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