DNA Study Shows Ancient Hunter Gatherers Bred With Neolithic Europe's Farmers

An extensive study shows that early populations from Europe and near East were not just farming but they were making love. Hunter gatherers very frequently used to interbred with farmers. The findings were published in journal Nature and helps in disclosing the nature of the relationship of when the two groups met. The study confirms that European heritage do have a hunter gatherer instincts in their genetic makeup. For the study, the researchers on the study examined genomes of 180 ancient individuals who existed around 6000-2200 BC and were from the places now known as Spain, Hungary and Germany.

 They used mathematical models to explain how ancient populations interacted with each other when they moved from place to place. The arrival of farmers led to interbreeding with local hunter gatherers. The trend was consistent with time and was seen over and over again. The admixture happened over a period of time and was not immediate. The data also revealed that while on one hand, farmers tend to travel a lot, on the other hand, hunter gatherers found it to be more apt to stay close to their homes. In the near future, the researchers are going to apply these DNA analysis methods to other parts of the world. Just like this latest study, the results of other studies can help in proving how different populations used to interbreed.

By: Neha Maheshwari

Content: https://www.seeker.com/culture/history/dna-reveals-sexy-history-of-early-neolithic-europeans