# Ancient DNA research in Europe and Eurasia

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ancient-dna-research-in-europe-and-eurasia
> Updated: 2026-11-07T09:40:00.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 4.

Recent genetic studies are providing new insights into human and animal migration patterns during the Ice Age and subsequent historical periods.

Research involving a 30,000 year old genome from a woman near the Pyrenees suggests that eastern and western European populations experienced genetic exchange during the Gravettian period, rather than remaining isolated. New genomic research published in Science Advances, coordinated by the University of Vienna, supports this by analyzing human DNA recovered from cave sediments. Findings from sites in France, Spain, and Italy indicate significant genetic exchange among Gravettian culture communities, which existed between 34,000 and 25,000 years ago. Notably, researchers successfully extracted 22,000 year old nuclear DNA from cave sediments at El Mirón in Spain, even in the absence of bones or teeth, allowing for the reconstruction of populations where physical remains did not survive.

Additionally, studies of remains in Turkey and the United Kingdom have identified dog DNA dating back approximately 15,800 and 14,300 years, respectively. These findings suggest a single, widespread dog population existed across western Eurasia during the late Ice Age.

Further investigations into the Iberian Peninsula analyzed DNA from individuals living between 100 and 800 CE. This research indicates that Roman expansion introduced ancestry from the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Two studies published in the journal Nature have also utilized ancient DNA to reshape the understanding of European linguistic and population history, identifying migrations from the Baltic region to Scandinavia and from northern Germany into Denmark and southern Sweden.

## Timeline

### 2026-11-07: Ancient DNA reveals long-distance connections in Paleolithic Europe

New studies of ancient DNA from cave sediments reveal that Paleolithic European hunter-gatherer communities maintained long-distance genetic connections across the continent during the Ice Age.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ancient-dna-reveals-long-distance-connections-in-paleolithic-europe

### 2026-11-04: Ancient DNA studies reveal new origins for Germanic and Viking populations

New DNA research suggests Germanic languages arrived in Scandinavia 1,000 years later than thought and reveals a migration from Germany that shaped Viking and Anglo-Saxon cultures.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ancient-dna-reveals-unexpected-migrations-in-europe

### 2026-10-31: Ancient DNA reveals early human and canine migrations

New DNA studies reveal that Ice Age human populations in Europe were more genetically connected than thought, and confirm that a single dog population had spread across Eurasia 15,000 years ago.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ancient-dna-reveals-early-human-and-canine-migrations

### 2026-10-25: Ancient DNA studies reveal complex migration patterns in Europe

Genetic studies of ancient DNA reveal significant ancestral connections between European regions, from Ice Age migrations to the demographic impacts of Roman rule in Iberia.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ancient-dna-studies-reveal-complex-migration-patterns-in-europe

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Cite as: Ancient DNA research in Europe and Eurasia. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ancient-dna-research-in-europe-and-eurasia