{"id":3122,"date":"2026-10-08T13:01:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/?p=3122"},"modified":"2026-10-08T13:01:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T11:01:41","slug":"gut-microbes-that-trace-ancient-human-journeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/2026\/10\/08\/gut-microbes-that-trace-ancient-human-journeys\/","title":{"rendered":"Gut microbes that trace ancient human journeys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-026-02969-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">piece in Nature&#8217;s News &amp; Views<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-002ffff5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:20%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><div class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-host wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover\"><a class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825.jpg\" data-wpcp-wp-lb-image=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825.jpg\" alt=\"Carina Schlebusch\" class=\"wp-image-337\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9\/16;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825.jpg 480w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Carina Schlebusch<\/sup><\/figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825.jpg\" data-fancybox=\"wpcp-wp-img-337\" class=\"wpcp-lightbox-trigger wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon wpcp-position-top-right wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover wpcp-global-lightbox-icon wpcp-lightbox-icon--global wpcp-lb-icon-style-default\" data-wpcp-lb-icon-source=\"global\" aria-label=\"Open image in lightbox\" data-thumb-src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Carina-22825-240x300.jpg\" data-wpcp-lb-single=\"1\"><span class=\"wpcp-icon-container\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\"><path d=\"M17.6585 16.025L14.2437 12.6198C15.1716 11.3338 15.6121 9.7613 15.4871 8.1819C15.362 6.60251 14.6795 5.11847 13.5607 3.99351C12.936 3.36206 12.1916 2.86066 11.3709 2.51845C10.5502 2.17623 9.66952 2 8.77995 2C7.89039 2 7.00969 2.17623 6.18899 2.51845C5.36829 2.86066 4.62395 3.36206 3.99919 3.99351C3.36594 4.61649 2.86312 5.35871 2.51992 6.17708C2.17673 6.99545 2 7.87365 2 8.76068C2 9.64772 2.17673 10.5259 2.51992 11.3443C2.86312 12.1627 3.36594 12.9049 3.99919 13.5279C5.11957 14.6901 6.62279 15.4103 8.23285 15.5562C9.84291 15.7022 11.4517 15.2641 12.7639 14.3224L16.1788 17.7275C16.3849 17.9034 16.6473 18 16.9186 18C17.1899 18 17.4523 17.9034 17.6585 17.7275C18.1138 17.16 18.1138 16.5925 17.6585 16.025ZM5.59278 12.0523C5.16258 11.6298 4.82094 11.1263 4.58774 10.5709C4.35455 10.0156 4.23446 9.41951 4.23446 8.81744C4.23446 8.21536 4.35455 7.6193 4.58774 7.06394C4.82094 6.50859 5.16258 6.00503 5.59278 5.58257C6.01644 5.15359 6.52144 4.81292 7.07838 4.58039C7.63532 4.34786 8.23308 4.22811 8.83687 4.22811C9.44066 4.22811 10.0384 4.34786 10.5954 4.58039C11.1523 4.81292 11.6573 5.15359 12.081 5.58257C12.5112 6.00503 12.8528 6.50859 13.086 7.06394C13.3192 7.6193 13.4393 8.21536 13.4393 8.81744C13.4393 9.41951 13.3192 10.0156 13.086 10.5709C12.8528 11.1263 12.5112 11.6298 12.081 12.0523C11.6573 12.4813 11.1523 12.822 10.5954 13.0545C10.0384 13.287 9.44066 13.4068 8.83687 13.4068C8.23308 13.4068 7.63532 13.287 7.07838 13.0545C6.52144 12.822 6.01644 12.4813 5.59278 12.0523Z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:20%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><div class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-host wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover\"><a class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830.jpg\" data-wpcp-wp-lb-image=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3125\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9\/16;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830.jpg 534w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup>Maja Vukovikj<\/sup><\/figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830.jpg\" data-fancybox=\"wpcp-wp-img-3125\" class=\"wpcp-lightbox-trigger wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon wpcp-position-top-right wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover wpcp-global-lightbox-icon wpcp-lightbox-icon--global wpcp-lb-icon-style-default\" data-wpcp-lb-icon-source=\"global\" aria-label=\"Open image in lightbox\" data-thumb-src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Maja-Vukovikj-s-1643581526830-200x300.jpg\" data-wpcp-lb-single=\"1\"><span class=\"wpcp-icon-container\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\"><path d=\"M17.6585 16.025L14.2437 12.6198C15.1716 11.3338 15.6121 9.7613 15.4871 8.1819C15.362 6.60251 14.6795 5.11847 13.5607 3.99351C12.936 3.36206 12.1916 2.86066 11.3709 2.51845C10.5502 2.17623 9.66952 2 8.77995 2C7.89039 2 7.00969 2.17623 6.18899 2.51845C5.36829 2.86066 4.62395 3.36206 3.99919 3.99351C3.36594 4.61649 2.86312 5.35871 2.51992 6.17708C2.17673 6.99545 2 7.87365 2 8.76068C2 9.64772 2.17673 10.5259 2.51992 11.3443C2.86312 12.1627 3.36594 12.9049 3.99919 13.5279C5.11957 14.6901 6.62279 15.4103 8.23285 15.5562C9.84291 15.7022 11.4517 15.2641 12.7639 14.3224L16.1788 17.7275C16.3849 17.9034 16.6473 18 16.9186 18C17.1899 18 17.4523 17.9034 17.6585 17.7275C18.1138 17.16 18.1138 16.5925 17.6585 16.025ZM5.59278 12.0523C5.16258 11.6298 4.82094 11.1263 4.58774 10.5709C4.35455 10.0156 4.23446 9.41951 4.23446 8.81744C4.23446 8.21536 4.35455 7.6193 4.58774 7.06394C4.82094 6.50859 5.16258 6.00503 5.59278 5.58257C6.01644 5.15359 6.52144 4.81292 7.07838 4.58039C7.63532 4.34786 8.23308 4.22811 8.83687 4.22811C9.44066 4.22811 10.0384 4.34786 10.5954 4.58039C11.1523 4.81292 11.6573 5.15359 12.081 5.58257C12.5112 6.00503 12.8528 6.50859 13.086 7.06394C13.3192 7.6193 13.4393 8.21536 13.4393 8.81744C13.4393 9.41951 13.3192 10.0156 13.086 10.5709C12.8528 11.1263 12.5112 11.6298 12.081 12.0523C11.6573 12.4813 11.1523 12.822 10.5954 13.0545C10.0384 13.287 9.44066 13.4068 8.83687 13.4068C8.23308 13.4068 7.63532 13.287 7.07838 13.0545C6.52144 12.822 6.01644 12.4813 5.59278 12.0523Z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Humans have never travelled alone. When our ancestors spread out of Africa and across the other continents, they carried their microorganisms with them. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-026-11106-1\">Writing in <em>Nature<\/em><\/a>, Carter <em>et al<\/em>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-026-02969-5#ref-CR1\">1<\/a><\/sup> compare the community of gut microbes (also known as the microbiota) from the Indigenous Hadza people of Tanzania with that of the Tsimane of Bolivia, whose populations diverged during human migrations that occurred tens of thousands of years ago. The authors report that, despite these dispersals, hundreds of microbial species are present in both groups. Furthermore, genetic differences between strains of the same microbial species in Hadza and Tsimane populations were broadly consistent with the timescale of prehistoric human migrations. Many of these shared microbes are now rare or missing in populations from industrialized regions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><div class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-host wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover\"><a class=\"wpcp-wp-lightbox-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1.png\" data-wpcp-wp-lb-image=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2206\" height=\"765\" src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1.png 2206w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-767x266.png 767w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-1024x355.png 1024w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-1536x533.png 1536w, https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-2048x710.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2206px) 100vw, 2206px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1.png\" data-fancybox=\"wpcp-wp-img-3124\" class=\"wpcp-lightbox-trigger wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon wpcp-position-top-right wpcp-advanced-image-lightbox-icon-hover wpcp-global-lightbox-icon wpcp-lightbox-icon--global wpcp-lb-icon-style-default\" data-wpcp-lb-icon-source=\"global\" aria-label=\"Open image in lightbox\" data-thumb-src=\"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-1-300x104.png\" data-wpcp-lb-single=\"1\"><span class=\"wpcp-icon-container\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\"><path d=\"M17.6585 16.025L14.2437 12.6198C15.1716 11.3338 15.6121 9.7613 15.4871 8.1819C15.362 6.60251 14.6795 5.11847 13.5607 3.99351C12.936 3.36206 12.1916 2.86066 11.3709 2.51845C10.5502 2.17623 9.66952 2 8.77995 2C7.89039 2 7.00969 2.17623 6.18899 2.51845C5.36829 2.86066 4.62395 3.36206 3.99919 3.99351C3.36594 4.61649 2.86312 5.35871 2.51992 6.17708C2.17673 6.99545 2 7.87365 2 8.76068C2 9.64772 2.17673 10.5259 2.51992 11.3443C2.86312 12.1627 3.36594 12.9049 3.99919 13.5279C5.11957 14.6901 6.62279 15.4103 8.23285 15.5562C9.84291 15.7022 11.4517 15.2641 12.7639 14.3224L16.1788 17.7275C16.3849 17.9034 16.6473 18 16.9186 18C17.1899 18 17.4523 17.9034 17.6585 17.7275C18.1138 17.16 18.1138 16.5925 17.6585 16.025ZM5.59278 12.0523C5.16258 11.6298 4.82094 11.1263 4.58774 10.5709C4.35455 10.0156 4.23446 9.41951 4.23446 8.81744C4.23446 8.21536 4.35455 7.6193 4.58774 7.06394C4.82094 6.50859 5.16258 6.00503 5.59278 5.58257C6.01644 5.15359 6.52144 4.81292 7.07838 4.58039C7.63532 4.34786 8.23308 4.22811 8.83687 4.22811C9.44066 4.22811 10.0384 4.34786 10.5954 4.58039C11.1523 4.81292 11.6573 5.15359 12.081 5.58257C12.5112 6.00503 12.8528 6.50859 13.086 7.06394C13.3192 7.6193 13.4393 8.21536 13.4393 8.81744C13.4393 9.41951 13.3192 10.0156 13.086 10.5709C12.8528 11.1263 12.5112 11.6298 12.081 12.0523C11.6573 12.4813 11.1523 12.822 10.5954 13.0545C10.0384 13.287 9.44066 13.4068 8.83687 13.4068C8.23308 13.4068 7.63532 13.287 7.07838 13.0545C6.52144 12.822 6.01644 12.4813 5.59278 12.0523Z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-shadow has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d3539768 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Relevant reading:<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carter, M.M., Liu, Z., Olm, M.R. <em>et al.<\/em> Prehistoric global migration of vanishing gut microbes with humans. <em>Nature<\/em> (2026). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41586-026-11106-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41586-026-11106-1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The newest piece in Nature&#8217;s News &amp; Views, co-authored by our PI, Carina Schlebusch and Maja Vukovikj from Human Evolution Program at Uppsala University discusses the study by Carter et [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,60,61],"tags":[292,295,290,143,291,293,294],"class_list":["post-3122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-publications","category-research","tag-hadza","tag-human-migrations","tag-microbes","tag-nature","tag-news-views","tag-tanzania","tag-tsimane-of-bolivia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3126,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions\/3126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centerforthehumanpast.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}