Ancient genomes show social and reproductive behavior of early Upper Paleolithic foragers

[SDE] Environmental Sciences Population Density 570 History 0303 health sciences Genome General Science & Technology Genome, Human Reproductive Behavior DNA Biological Sciences Ancient Russia Human Society 03 medical and health sciences Anthropology [SDE]Environmental Sciences Genetics Humans DNA, Ancient Social Behavior History, Ancient Human
DOI: 10.1126/science.aao1807 Publication Date: 2017-10-06T01:00:19Z
ABSTRACT
How early human groups were organized Sequencing ancient hominid remains has provided insights into the relatedness between individuals. However, it is not clear whether ancient humans bred among close relatives, as is common in some modern human cultures. Sikora et al. report genome sequences from four early humans buried close together in western Russia about 34,000 years ago (see the Perspective by Bergström and Tyler-Smith). The individuals clustered together genetically and came from a population with a small effective size, but they were not very closely related. Thus, these people may represent a single social group that was part of a larger mating network, similar to contemporary hunter-gatherers. The lack of close inbreeding might help to explain the survival advantage of anatomically modern humans. Science , this issue p. 659 ; see also p. 586
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