AI interpretationAI-generated
A 17,000-year-old infant from southern Italy reveals early life, health, and ancestry at the end of the Ice Age.
Researchers studied the skeleton of Le Mura 1, an infant who lived in southern Italy about 17,000 years ago. Using ancient DNA, tooth histology, and chemical analyses, they reconstructed the baby's short life, health, and death at around 72 weeks. The study found signs of a congenital disease, low mobility of the mother during pregnancy, and high endogamy. Genetically, the infant carried Villabruna-like ancestry, showing early spread along the peninsula and a population turnover after the Last Glacial Maximum.
- The infant Le Mura 1 lived 17,320-16,910 cal BP and died at about 72 weeks of age.
- The infant had a potential congenital disease, and the mother had low mobility during gestation with high endogamy.
- Genomic data show an early spread of Villabruna-like ancestry in Italy and a population turnover around the Last Glacial Maximum.
Sample interpretation
No site samples or Y-chromosome data are provided in this study. The analysis focuses on a single infant skeleton from Grotta delle Mura, so no population-level sample statistics are available. This means the findings are based on one individual and should be interpreted cautiously for broader population trends.
For genealogy enthusiasts
This study shows that even a single ancient infant can reveal population movements and health in Ice Age Italy. For ancestry fans, it highlights the Villabruna-like component as key to Italian prehistory and warns that genetic diversity decreased from north to south.
Abstract
The biological aspects of infancy within late Upper Palaeolithic populations and the role of southern refugia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum are not yet fully understood. This study presents a multidisciplinary, high temporal resolution investigation of an Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura (Apulia, southern Italy) combining palaeogenomics, dental palaeohistology, spatially-resolved geochemical analyses, direct radiocarbon dating, and traditional anthropological studies. The skeletal remains of the infant – Le Mura 1 – were directly dated to 17,320-16,910 cal BP. The results portray a biological history of the infant’s development, early life, health and death (estimated at ~72 weeks). They identify, several phenotypic traits and a potential congenital disease in the infant, the mother’s low mobility during gestation, and a high level of endogamy. Furthermore, the genomic data indicates an early spread of the Villabruna-like components along the Italian peninsula, confirming a population turnover around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, and highlighting a general reduction in genetic variability from northern to southern Italy. Overall, Le Mura 1 contributes to our better understanding of the early stages of life and the genetic puzzle in the Italian peninsula at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum.