Bone fragments discovered in Germany and the Czech Republic offer a surprising view into the migration of people from Africa. These genomes are the most ancient among modern humans found in Europe, although hominins set foot on these lands long before the appearance of Homo sapiens. A 1.4-million-year-old fossil ancestor from Spain confirms earlier hominin visits.
Archaeologists from the Ranis cave in Germany found remains of six individuals—a mother, daughter, and distant relatives. DNA sequencing performed by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology dates them to 45 thousand years ago. These people belonged to the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) culture.
Interestingly, the DNA from an ancient female skull from Zlatý Kun in the Czech Republic showed a genetic connection with the inhabitants of Ranis. “This is one group, one large family. Perhaps they knew one another,” noted Johannes Krause from the Max Planck Institute.
There were few such families—probably only hundreds roamed across the vast and inhospitable territory. Genetic uniformity indicates their isolation. “If you take one person from one area and another from a neighboring one, it is unlikely they share a common ancestor in the last three generations. But things were different then,” remarked study co-author Katerina Pruitfer.
Unlike contemporary Europeans, the LRJ lacked genes for fair skin; their pigmentation remained dark, reflecting a recent African origin. However, their stay in Europe proved brief: the lineage vanished, and its DNA is not preserved in the modern population.
The ancient genomes also revealed closeness to Neanderthals. During migration from Africa, Homo sapiens encountered Neanderthals, who inhabited Europe and Western Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. The two groups interbred, leaving traces in the human genome. Latest research from the Max Planck Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that interbreeding lasted for about 7000 years, with processes occurring in several waves over nearly 200 thousand years.
LRJ individuals had long segments of Neanderthal DNA, indicating interbreeding only about 1000–2500 years ago, around 46,000 years ago. The analysis aligns with estimates from other fossil remains, refining the timelines of human migration from the Near East into Europe.
“It is surprising to see the dates coincide,” commented Priya Murjani from the University of California, Berkeley. These findings deepen the understanding of early Homo sapiens migrations and their interactions with Neanderthals.
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