#ancientdna — Public Fediverse posts

4-Sep-2026
Not a cheetah: #AncientDNA reveals the surprising #Arctic life of extinct North American cat
New #paleogenomics research by UC Santa Cruz reveals how the so-called #AmericanCheetah adapted to harsh Arctic conditions by preying on fish

research in #CurrentBiology

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1142183

#science #ecology #carnivores #felines #bigCats

Wheat, barley and cattle reached Gansu around 4,000 years ago. Ancient DNA from 149 people at 11 sites finds no western Eurasian ancestry at all. Though the crops moved; farmers didn’t. #ancientDNA #archaeology #archaeogenetics https://www.anthropology.net/p/western-crops-reached-gansu-without

Ancient DNA analysis reveals Wiltshire’s #UptonLovell #Shaman was a woman
Exclusive: Analysis offers ‘smoking gun evidence’ that overturns previous assumption that bronze age individual was male

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/14/ancient-dna-analysis-reveals-upton-lovell-shaman-was-woman-wiltshire

There are quite a few such cases where the analysis of #ancientDNA has led to a #gender reassignment, exposed the tendency of previous research to assume important people to have been male until proven otherwise. See my recent feature: https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2025/11/prehistoric-women-ruled.html

#science

Modern Cats Were Domesticated Only 2,000 Years Ago

"Ancient DNA reveals the origin and global spread of the domestic cat out of its ancestral home in Africa."

#SciComm by @GrrlScientist

#cats #wildcats #evolution #domestication #AncientDNA #genomics https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2025/12/16/modern-cats-were-domesticated-only-2000-years-ago/

Modern Cats Were Domesticated Only 2,000 Years Ago

"Ancient DNA reveals the origin and global spread of the domestic cat out of its ancestral home in Africa."

#SciComm by @grrlscientist

#cats #wildcats #evolution #domestication #AncientDNA #genomics https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2025/12/16/modern-cats-were-domesticated-only-2000-years-ago/

Genomic evidence from ancient Rapanui people from Easter Island shows that they had around 10% ancestry related to Andean people before Europeans arrived, evidence either that Native Americans lived on the island before Polynesians arrived in the 12-13th century or that Polynesians made it to mainland South America and then backtracked to the island.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07881-4

#Rapanui #Polynesians #PreColumbianAmerica #EasterIsland #AncientGenomes #AncientDNA #Admixture