Center for the Human Past
Africa
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Carina Schlebusch’s current research—in a nutshell
Read more →: Carina Schlebusch’s current research—in a nutshellCarina 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…
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Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes, published in Nature
Read more →: Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes, published in NatureMattias Jakobsson and Carina Schlebusch are two co-authors of the study on ancient South Africans that was just published. Abstract Homo sapiens evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago in Africa, later spreading across the globe, but the early evolutionary process is debated. Here we present whole-genome sequencing data for 28 ancient southern African individuals, including…
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Human Past Journal Club
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Read more →: Human Past Journal ClubDiscussion pre-print: Delbrassine, H., Mezzavilla, M., Vallini, L. et al. Worldwide patterns in mythology echo the human expansion out of Africa, bioRxiv 2025.01.24.634692; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.24.634692 Abstract Similarities between geographically distant mythological and folkloric traditions have been noted for a long time. With the elaboration of large banks of data describing the presence and absence of narrative motifs around…
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Meet Francesco Giannelli, our new postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary genetics
Read more →: Meet Francesco Giannelli, our new postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary geneticsFrancesco Giannelli defended his PhD on “The role of expansion dynamics in shaping genetic diversity and load accumulation: insights from two Lessepsian invaders” at the Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, Italy, in May 2025. He investigated how expansion dynamics affect neutral and deleterious genetic diversity. In September, he joined the Centre and Carina Schlebusch’s Lab…
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He traces the genetic history of modern humans
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Read more →: He traces the genetic history of modern humansThe Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation has just published an update on the research by Mattias Jakobsson, one of the KAW scholars. Mattias Jakobsson’s focus in his new Wallenberg Scholar project is to track the development that occurred between 300,000 and 600,000 years ago, following the genetic line that leads to modern humans. The material…
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Fulani: new study unravels the genetic history of Africa’s largest pastoralist community
Read more →: Fulani: new study unravels the genetic history of Africa’s largest pastoralist communityA popular science feature on the recently published Fulani study (see our news item) is available in The Conversation – Africa. Carina Schlebusch and Cesar Fortes-Lima are two of three co-authors. African populations remain underrepresented in genomic studies. Only about 1.1% of genomic data being used for studies of the links between genes and diseases has come from…
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New read alert: Population history and admixture of the Fulani people from the Sahel
Read more →: New read alert: Population history and admixture of the Fulani people from the SahelThe new paper by Fortes-Lima, Diallo, Janoušek, Černý, and Schlebusch (2025) was published last week in The American Journal of Human Genetics. Researchers have uncovered the origins and genetic diversity of the Fulani, one of Africa’s largest pastoral populations. The study reveals a complex genetic ancestry with influences from North and West Africa, shaped by historical migrations that have left a…
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Extended Wallenberg Fellowship for Carina Schlebusch
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Read more →: Extended Wallenberg Fellowship for Carina SchlebuschCarina’s project, “Prehistoric DNA reveals the spread of agriculture,” will continue thanks to the prolonged Knut and Alice Wallenberg Academy grant. Carina Schlebusch is analyzing the DNA of prehistoric farmers from different parts of Africa to map how cultivation and herding technology spread south of the Sahara. According to Carina, “Genetics is a fantastic tool…