Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture

AI interpretationAI-generated

45,000-year-old German genomes push back the shared Out-of-Africa split.

Researchers sequenced six genomes from Ranis, Germany (about 45,000 years old) plus another from Zlatý kůň, Czechia. These people were close relatives belonging to one small, isolated group. Their DNA shows they represent the deepest known split among all non-African lineages, and it carries Neanderthal segments from a single admixture event dated to roughly 45,000-49,000 years ago.

• Ranis and Zlatý kůň individuals were distant relatives in one small isolated population.
• This group represents the deepest known split among all non-African lineages.
• Neanderthal DNA in the Ranis genome comes from one admixture event dated to about 45,000-49,000 years ago.

Sample interpretation

The site lists 4 ancient samples: 3 from Ranis (labeled 45000) and 1 from Zlatý kůň (ZKU002). Y-chromosome resolution is available for 3 samples, all falling under K-FTH1. Mitochondrial DNA is resolved for 3 samples: two belong to haplogroup N and one to N-T16172C. These small numbers reflect the limited but high-quality ancient genomes analyzed in this study.

For genealogy enthusiasts

For ancestry fans, this means all present-day non-Africans trace back to a single population that lived around 45,000-49,000 years ago, and that some earlier European fossils belong to separate, now-extinct branches. It also pins the Neanderthal mixing event to a narrow time window.