Ancient DNA reveals long-distance connections in Paleolithic Europe

New genomic research published in Science Advances suggests that Paleolithic European communities were more interconnected than previously believed. By analyzing human DNA recovered from cave sediments rather than traditional skeletal remains, researchers have identified genetic links spanning the continent during the Ice Age.

A study coordinated by the University of Vienna, with participation from Sapienza University of Rome, examined individuals associated with the Gravettian culture, which existed approximately between 34,000 and 25,000 years ago. Findings from sites in Isturitz, France, Chufin, Spain, and Ostuni, Italy, indicate significant genetic exchange. Notably, a woman from southwestern France who lived roughly 30,000 years ago possessed ancestry linked to central and eastern Europe, suggesting a genetic exchange occurred around 32,500 to 31,500 years ago.

In Cantabria, Spain, researchers also successfully extracted 22,000-year-old nuclear DNA from cave sediments at El Mirón, despite the absence of bones or teeth. This method allows scientists to reconstruct prehistoric populations in locations where physical remains have not survived, providing evidence of regional genetic continuity and human movement across Europe during the last glacial maximum.