Carina Schlebusch’s current research—in a nutshell


Photo: Magnus Bergström

Carina Schlebusch is combining archaeology, genetics and biochemistry with the aim of discovering how human genes have adapted to changing lifestyles over thousands of years.

Prehistoric DNA from skeletal remains in Africa can provide answers to questions about diet, disease and survival, and perhaps even offer clues about humanity’s future health.

The goal now is to understand how the transition to agriculture affected people’s health and diet and how humans adapted genetically to their new lifestyle. Schlebusch sees parallels with our own time.

“When contemporary hunter-gatherers move into cities, they often develop health problems such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Our bodies are adapted to scarcity, not abundance. By understanding how our ancestors coped with change, we can better understand our own challenges.”

Carina’s research, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, is featured in an article on the foundation’s website.


  • Mattias Jakobsson receives an award from the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Uppsala

    Mattias Jakobsson receives an award from the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences of Uppsala

    The 2026 prize for an interdisciplinary achievement of outstanding quality is awarded to Mattias Jakobsson for his distinguished research into human origins and prehistory. By linking Stone Age genomic data with archaeology and linguistics, Jakobsson has shown that there were different populations that engaged in farming, and hunting and gathering. Read more about the Royal…

  • Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeys

    Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeys

    The newest piece in Nature’s News & Views, co-authored by our PI, Carina Schlebusch and Maja Vukovikj from Human Evolution Program at Uppsala University discusses the study by Carter et al. exploring what our gut microbiomes can tell us about human population history. Humans have never travelled alone. When our ancestors spread out of Africa…

  • The unknown origins of humans on Swedish radio

    Mattias Jakobsson was featured on Swedish Radio’s morning program (Förmiddag i P1) today, 29 Sept 2026. His conversation with Nicke Nordmark, the program leader, is available at: https://www.sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/manniskans-okanda-ursprung (in Swedish). They talked about Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans and their coexistence; the unknown DNA in our genes; and the possibility that humans as we know…