Center for the Human Past
human past
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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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Meet Lydia Furness, our new postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary genetics
Read more →: Meet Lydia Furness, our new postdoctoral researcher in interdisciplinary genetics“My research background lies at the intersection of archaeology, evolutionary anthropology, and biomolecular science. I trained initially as an archaeologist at the University of Liverpool, specialising in archaeological science and early human evolution, which provided a strong foundation in archaeological practice, material analysis, and the ethical dimensions of working with human remains and cultural heritage.”…
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Call for the Human Past SCAS Fellowships 2027-28 is open
Read more →: Call for the Human Past SCAS Fellowships 2027-28 is openThe Human Past SCAS Residential Fellowship Programme is an initiative by the Center for the Human Past, administered by the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS). The fellowships are designed to foster a collaborative environment where early-stage (postdoctoral-level) and established scholars can converge across a wide range of disciplines, such as archaeology, population genetics, and…
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Mini-Seminar: Models, data, and their limits: What can we know about the deep history of language families? with Philipp Rönchen
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Read more →: Mini-Seminar: Models, data, and their limits: What can we know about the deep history of language families? with Philipp RönchenAbstract Computational methods are increasingly used to reconstruct the deep history of language families, yet different models often produce strikingly different answers. This reflects a general challenge in the historical sciences: we must draw conclusions from fragmentary data shaped by complex processes that cannot be directly observed or experimentally repeated. In this talk, I summarise…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar: The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe 5000 Years Ago, speaker Volker Heyd
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar: The Yamnaya Impact on Prehistoric Europe 5000 Years Ago, speaker Volker HeydAbstract This lecture examines the westward migration of Yamnaya populations from the Pontic-Caspian steppes into southeastern Europe around 3100–3000 BCE, reaching as far as the Tisza region in present-day Hungary. Archaeological evidence, particularly distinctive kurgan burials with standardised funerary practices, marks their presence across regions such as Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Despite the apparent…
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Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Cultural Creolization in Ostrobothnia, Finland: An Interdisciplinary View on Burials, Exchange, and Social Identity, speaker Anna Wessman
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Read more →: Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Cultural Creolization in Ostrobothnia, Finland: An Interdisciplinary View on Burials, Exchange, and Social Identity, speaker Anna WessmanThe seminar was canceled due to unexpected events out of anyone’s control. We apologize for inconvenience. Abstract This talk explores a remarkable Iron Age burial from Pukkila in western Finland, dating to around AD 700, where a cremated individual was laid to rest in a boat alongside weapons, ritual objects, and artefacts from across Scandinavia,…
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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 paper: Antonosyan, M., Maurer, G., Mkrtchyan, S., Boxleitner, K., Saribekyan, M., Hovhannisyan, A., … Amano, N., … & Yepiskoposyan, L. (2025). A biomolecular perspective on mobile pastoralism and its role in wider socioeconomic connections in the Chalcolithic South Caucasus. iScience, 28(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.112544 Abstract Mobile pastoralism is widely evoked when discussing technological developments, resource procurement, trans-regional interactions, and…
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Human Past Journal Club
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Read more →: Human Past Journal ClubDiscussion paper: Gretzinger, J., Biermann, F., Mager, H. et al. Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs. Nature 646, 384–393 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09437-6 Abstract The second half of the first millennium CE in Central and Eastern Europe was accompanied by fundamental cultural and political transformations. This period of change is commonly associated with…
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Human Past Interdisciplinary Retreat
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Read more →: Human Past Interdisciplinary RetreatThe main goal of the retreat is to strengthen collaboration between different disciplines and to learn about each other’s research through presentations and discussions. We hope this retreat will lay a solid foundation for future joint interdisciplinary projects and scientific publications. The day plan includes short(-ish) talks, primarily by junior researchers and PhD students, as…