Origins and Genetic Legacy of Neolithic Farmers and Hunter-Gatherers in Europe

TLDR

Ancient DNA analysis has advanced our understanding of prehistoric demography and human evolution, revealing how Neolithic farmers displaced European hunter‑gatherers. The study extracted and sequenced ~5000‑year‑old genomic DNA from four northern European Neolithic individuals in Sweden, comprising three Pitted Ware hunter‑gatherers and one Mid‑Neolithic North‑Central TRB farmer. Genetic signatures showed the hunter‑gatherers matched modern northern Europeans, while the farmer resembled southern Europeans, indicating migration and admixture during farming expansion.

Abstract

Farmer Displaced European Hunters Our understanding of prehistoric demography and human evolution has been improved by analysis of ancient DNA. Skoglund et al. (p. 466) describe the retrieval and analysis of genomic DNA from ancient (~5000-year-old) northern European Neolithic individuals within modern Sweden. These include three hunter-gatherers from the Pitted Ware Culture horizon and one farmer ascribed to the Mid-Neolithic North-Central TRB culture. The hunter-gatherers displayed a distinct genetic signature, similar to that of extant northern Europeans, whereas the farmer's genetic signature more closely resembled southern Europeans, suggesting migration and admixture during the spread of farming.