@article {pmid30445034,
year = {2018},
author = {O'Connor, TD},
title = {Native American Genomic Diversity through Ancient DNA.},
journal = {Cell},
volume = {175},
number = {5},
pages = {1173-1174},
doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.058},
pmid = {30445034},
issn = {1097-4172},
abstract = {Ancient DNA is a powerful tool to understand the evolutionary dynamics of both current and ancestral populations. Posth et al. use ancient DNA to elucidate important questions surrounding the peopling of Central and South America, giving us greater insights into the ancestry of genetically understudied populations.},
}

@article {pmid28266657,
year = {2017},
author = {Juras, A and Krzewińska, M and Nikitin, AG and Ehler, E and Chyleński, M and Łukasik, S and Krenz-Niedbała, M and Sinika, V and Piontek, J and Ivanova, S and Dabert, M and Götherström, A},
title = {Diverse origin of mitochondrial lineages in Iron Age Black Sea Scythians.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {7},
number = {},
pages = {43950},
doi = {10.1038/srep43950},
pmid = {28266657},
issn = {2045-2322},
mesh = {Asia ; Black Sea ; *Continental Population Groups ; DNA, Ancient/*chemistry ; DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry/*genetics ; *Ethnic Groups ; Europe ; *Genetic Variation ; *Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Phylogeography ; *Sequence Analysis, DNA ; },
abstract = {Scythians were nomadic and semi-nomadic people that ruled the Eurasian steppe during much of the first millennium BCE. While having been extensively studied by archaeology, very little is known about their genetic identity. To fill this gap, we analyzed ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Scythians of the North Pontic Region (NPR) and successfully retrieved 19 whole mtDNA genomes. We have identified three potential mtDNA lineage ancestries of the NPR Scythians tracing back to hunter-gatherer and nomadic populations of east and west Eurasia as well as the Neolithic farming expansion into Europe. One third of all mt lineages in our dataset belonged to subdivisions of mt haplogroup U5. A comparison of NPR Scythian mtDNA linages with other contemporaneous Scythian groups, the Saka and the Pazyryks, reveals a common mtDNA package comprised of haplogroups H/H5, U5a, A, D/D4, and F1/F2. Of these, west Eurasian lineages show a downward cline in the west-east direction while east Eurasian haplogroups display the opposite trajectory. An overall similarity in mtDNA lineages of the NPR Scythians was found with the late Bronze Age Srubnaya population of the Northern Black Sea region which supports the archaeological hypothesis suggesting Srubnaya people as ancestors of the NPR Scythians.},
}

Asia
Black Sea
*Continental Population Groups
DNA, Ancient/*chemistry
DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry/*genetics
*Ethnic Groups
Europe
*Genetic Variation
*Genetics, Population
Humans
Phylogeography
*Sequence Analysis, DNA

@article {pmid30420497,
year = {2018},
author = {Woods, R and Turvey, ST and Brace, S and MacPhee, RDE and Barnes, I},
title = {Ancient DNA of the extinct Jamaican monkey Xenothrix reveals extreme insular change within a morphologically conservative radiation.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1808603115},
pmid = {30420497},
issn = {1091-6490},
abstract = {The insular Caribbean until recently contained a diverse mammal fauna including four endemic platyrrhine primate species, all of which died out during the Holocene. Previous morphological studies have attempted to establish how these primates are related to fossil and extant platyrrhines, whether they represent ancient or recent colonists, and whether they constitute a monophyletic group. These efforts have generated multiple conflicting hypotheses, from close sister-taxon relationships with several different extant platyrrhines to derivation from a stem platyrrhine lineage outside the extant Neotropical radiation. This diversity of opinion reflects the fact that Caribbean primates were morphologically extremely unusual, displaying numerous autapomorphies and apparently derived conditions present across different platyrrhine clades. Here we report ancient DNA data for an extinct Caribbean primate: a limited-coverage entire mitochondrial genome and seven regions of nuclear genome for the most morphologically derived taxon, the Jamaican monkey Xenothrix mcgregori We demonstrate that Xenothrix is part of the existing platyrrhine radiation rather than a late-surviving stem platyrrhine, despite its unusual adaptations, and falls within the species-rich but morphologically conservative titi monkey clade (Callicebinae) as sister to the newly recognized genus Cheracebus These results are not congruent with previous morphology-based hypotheses and suggest that even morphologically conservative lineages can exhibit phenetic plasticity in novel environments like those found on islands. Xenothrix and Cheracebus diverged ca. 11 Ma, but primates have been present in the Caribbean since 17.5-18.5 Ma, indicating that Caribbean primate diversity was generated by multiple over-water colonizations.},
}

@article {pmid30415837,
year = {2018},
author = {Posth, C and Nakatsuka, N and Lazaridis, I and Skoglund, P and Mallick, S and Lamnidis, TC and Rohland, N and Nägele, K and Adamski, N and Bertolini, E and Broomandkhoshbacht, N and Cooper, A and Culleton, BJ and Ferraz, T and Ferry, M and Furtwängler, A and Haak, W and Harkins, K and Harper, TK and Hünemeier, T and Lawson, AM and Llamas, B and Michel, M and Nelson, E and Oppenheimer, J and Patterson, N and Schiffels, S and Sedig, J and Stewardson, K and Talamo, S and Wang, CC and Hublin, JJ and Hubbe, M and Harvati, K and Nuevo Delaunay, A and Beier, J and Francken, M and Kaulicke, P and Reyes-Centeno, H and Rademaker, K and Trask, WR and Robinson, M and Gutierrez, SM and Prufer, KM and Salazar-García, DC and Chim, EN and Müller Plumm Gomes, L and Alves, ML and Liryo, A and Inglez, M and Oliveira, RE and Bernardo, DV and Barioni, A and Wesolowski, V and Scheifler, NA and Rivera, MA and Plens, CR and Messineo, PG and Figuti, L and Corach, D and Scabuzzo, C and Eggers, S and DeBlasis, P and Reindel, M and Méndez, C and Politis, G and Tomasto-Cagigao, E and Kennett, DJ and Strauss, A and Fehren-Schmitz, L and Krause, J and Reich, D},
title = {Reconstructing the Deep Population History of Central and South America.},
journal = {Cell},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.027},
pmid = {30415837},
issn = {1097-4172},
abstract = {We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals forming four parallel time transects in Belize, Brazil, the Central Andes, and the Southern Cone, each dating to at least ∼9,000 years ago. The common ancestral population radiated rapidly from just one of the two early branches that contributed to Native Americans today. We document two previously unappreciated streams of gene flow between North and South America. One affected the Central Andes by ∼4,200 years ago, while the other explains an affinity between the oldest North American genome associated with the Clovis culture and the oldest Central and South Americans from Chile, Brazil, and Belize. However, this was not the primary source for later South Americans, as the other ancient individuals derive from lineages without specific affinity to the Clovis-associated genome, suggesting a population replacement that began at least 9,000 years ago and was followed by substantial population continuity in multiple regions.},
}

@article {pmid30409866,
year = {2018},
author = {Wade, L},
title = {Ancient DNA tracks migrations around Americas.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {362},
number = {6415},
pages = {627-628},
doi = {10.1126/science.362.6415.627},
pmid = {30409866},
issn = {1095-9203},
}

@article {pmid30408154,
year = {2018},
author = {Quillen, EE and Norton, HL and Parra, EJ and Lona-Durazo, F and Ang, KC and Illiescu, FM and Pearson, LN and Shriver, MD and Lasisi, T and Gokcumen, O and Starr, I and Lin, YL and Martin, AR and Jablonski, NG},
title = {Shades of complexity: New perspectives on the evolution and genetic architecture of human skin.},
journal = {American journal of physical anthropology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23737},
pmid = {30408154},
issn = {1096-8644},
support = {1714867//National Science Foundation/ ; },
abstract = {Like many highly variable human traits, more than a dozen genes are known to contribute to the full range of skin color. However, the historical bias in favor of genetic studies in European and European-derived populations has blinded us to the magnitude of pigmentation's complexity. As deliberate efforts are being made to better characterize diverse global populations and new sequencing technologies, better measurement tools, functional assessments, predictive modeling, and ancient DNA analyses become more widely accessible, we are beginning to appreciate how limited our understanding of the genetic bases of human skin color have been. Novel variants in genes not previously linked to pigmentation have been identified and evidence is mounting that there are hundreds more variants yet to be found. Even for genes that have been exhaustively characterized in European populations like MC1R, OCA2, and SLC24A5, research in previously understudied groups is leading to a new appreciation of the degree to which genetic diversity, epistatic interactions, pleiotropy, admixture, global and local adaptation, and cultural practices operate in population-specific ways to shape the genetic architecture of skin color. Furthermore, we are coming to terms with how factors like tanning response and barrier function may also have influenced selection on skin throughout human history. By examining how our knowledge of pigmentation genetics has shifted in the last decade, we can better appreciate how far we have come in understanding human diversity and the still long road ahead for understanding many complex human traits.},
}

@article {pmid30406142,
year = {2018},
author = {Guedes, L and Dias, O and Neto, J and Ribeiro da Silva, LDP and Mendonça de Souza, SMF and Iñiguez, AM},
title = {First Paleogenetic Evidence of Probable Syphilis and Treponematoses Cases in the Brazilian Colonial Period.},
journal = {BioMed research international},
volume = {2018},
number = {},
pages = {8304129},
doi = {10.1155/2018/8304129},
pmid = {30406142},
issn = {2314-6141},
abstract = {Despite interest in the origins of syphilis, paleopathological analysis has not provided answers, and paleogenetic diagnosis remains a challenge. Even venereal syphilis has low infectivity which means there are few circulating bacteria for most of the individual's life. Human remains recovered from the Nossa Senhora do Carmo Church (17th to 19th centuries) and the Praça XV Cemetery (18th to 19th centuries), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were subjected to Treponema paleogenetic analysis. Historical data point to endemic treponemal infections in the city, including venereal syphilis. Based on the physiopathology of Treponema pallidum infection, 25 samples, mostly from skull remains of young adults, with no visible paleopathological evidence of treponematoses, were analyzed. PCR with three molecular targets, tpp47, polA, and tpp15, were applied. Ancient DNA tpp15 sequences were recovered from two young adults from each archaeological site and revealed the polymorphism that characterizes T. p. subsp. pallidum in a female up to 18 years old, suggesting a probable case of syphilis infection. The results indicated that the epidemiological context and the physiopathology of the disease should be considered in syphilis paleogenetic detection. The findings of Treponema sp. aDNA are consistent with historical documents that describe venereal syphilis and yaws as endemic diseases in Rio de Janeiro. Data on the epidemiological characteristics of the disease and its pathophysiology offer new perspectives in paleopathology.},
}

@article {pmid30391623,
year = {2018},
author = {Hefetz, I and Einot, N and Faerman, M and Horowitz, M and Almog, J},
title = {Touch DNA: The effect of the deposition pressure on the quality of latent fingermarks and STR profiles.},
journal = {Forensic science international. Genetics},
volume = {38},
number = {},
pages = {105-112},
doi = {10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.10.016},
pmid = {30391623},
issn = {1878-0326},
abstract = {Latent fingermarks (FMs) present unique, and sometimes the only, evidence found at a crime scene. Several factors affect their quality, including deposition pressure (DP). Its effect on FM size and quality, and on STR amplification success rate, is an emerging area of interest in forensic science. This study examined 540 FM samples, each consisting of index, middle and ring fingers, deposited by 30 donors on glass, polythene (PE) and paper under a range of weights from 0.1 to 10 kg. Both length and width of FMs increased with the increasing DP. FMs deposited under lower (≤0.5 kg) DPs varied in size (p < 0.01), while those deposited at higher (≥3 kg) DPs were more consistent. FM quality on glass and PE, as determined by the AFIS minutiae count and by a fingerprint examiner on a scale from 0 to 4, improved with the increasing DP, but it deteriorated on PE at DP of 10 kg. FM quality on paper continued to improve from DP of 1 kg up to the maximum DP of 10 kg. The effect DP has on the efficacy of DNA profiling from latent FMs was significant as shown by an increase in the DNA amount recovered, the number of amplified loci per FM sample, and the number of forensically useful DNA profiles (defined here as those with ≥8 full STR loci detected) as DP increased. This effect was most pronounced with PE (R = 0.98) and paper (R = 0.96). Altogether, the success rate of DNA profiling varied from 16.3% in FMs deposited on paper to 21.2% and 22.5% of those on PE and glass. The highest number of useful DNA profiles was obtained from glass under DP of 10 kg. Forensically useful FMs obtained at low (≤1 kg) DP from all three substrates significantly outnumbered that of STR profiles, while an opposite, though less pronounced trend, was observed at high (≥3 kg) DP on PE and paper. Application of the simple device for collecting of FMs under controlled pressure designed for this study, and the palm-up mode of FM deposition as described, allowed us to eliminate the undesirable effect of the hand self-weight and to objectively assess the actual effect of increasing DP on FM size and quality, as well as on the efficacy of DNA profiling.},
}

@article {pmid30379865,
year = {2018},
author = {Taylor, W and Shnaider, S and Abdykanova, A and Fages, A and Welker, F and Irmer, F and Seguin-Orlando, A and Khan, N and Douka, K and Kolobova, K and Orlando, L and Krivoshapkin, A and Boivin, N},
title = {Early pastoral economies along the Ancient Silk Road: Biomolecular evidence from the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {13},
number = {10},
pages = {e0205646},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0205646},
pmid = {30379865},
issn = {1932-6203},
abstract = {The Silk Road was an important trade route that channeled trade goods, people, plants, animals, and ideas across the continental interior of Eurasia, fueling biotic exchange and key social developments across the Old World. Nestled between the Pamir and Alay ranges at a baseline elevation of nearly 3000m, Kyrgyzstan's high Alay Valley forms a wide geographic corridor that comprised one of the primary channels of the ancient Silk Road. Recent archaeological survey reveals a millennia-long history of pastoral occupation of Alay from the early Bronze Age through the Medieval period, and a stratified Holocene sequence at the site of Chegirtke Cave. Faunal remains were recovered from test excavations as well as surface collection of material from recent marmot activity. Although recovered specimens were highly fragmented and mostly unidentifiable using traditional zooarchaeological methods, species identification via collagen mass fingerprinting (ZooMS) coupled with sex and first-generation hybrid identification through ancient DNA enabled preliminary characterization of the animal economy of Alay herders. Our new results indicate primary reliance on sheep at Chegirtke Cave (ca. 2200 BCE), with cattle and goat also present. The discovery of a large grinding stone at a spatially associated Bronze or Iron Age habitation structure suggests a mixed agropastoral economic strategy, rather than a unique reliance on domestic animals. Radiocarbon-dated faunal assemblages from habitation structures at nearby localities in the Alay Valley demonstrate the presence of domestic horse, as well as Bactrian camel during later periods. The current study reveals that agropastoral occupation of the high-mountain Alay corridor started millennia before the formal establishment of the Silk Road, and posits that ZooMS, when paired with radiocarbon dates and ancient DNA, is a powerful and cost-effective tool for investigating shifts in the use of animal domesticates in early pastoral economies.},
}

@article {pmid30375193,
year = {2018},
author = {Geigl, EM and Grange, T},
title = {Ancient DNA: The quest for the best.},
journal = {Molecular ecology resources},
volume = {18},
number = {6},
pages = {1185-1187},
doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.12931},
pmid = {30375193},
issn = {1755-0998},
abstract = {It is the dream of all researchers working with ancient DNA to identify prior to DNA extraction from bone the specimens or specific zones within them that contain the highest proportion of endogenous DNA. As it impacts the sacrifice of precious ancient specimens and the financial support needed for the analyses, the question is of high importance to the scientific field of palaeogenomics. The "Holy Grail" of palaeogenomics was reached when Cristina Gamba et al. () discovered that it was in the petrosal part of the temporal bone, the densest part of the mammalian skeleton, where DNA is exceptionally well preserved. As a consequence, osteological collections experienced a rush from palaeogenomicists to "harvest" these precious bone parts. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Alberti et al. () describe the discovery of another promising source of relatively well-preserved endogenous DNA, that they had identified through computed tomography (CT scans), the outermost layer of cortical bone. These bones being larger and more abundant than petrous bones, this discovery increases markedly the source material for high-quality palaeogenomic studies and releases the pressure on osteological collections.},
}

@article {pmid30374172,
year = {2018},
author = {Zarrillo, S and Gaikwad, N and Lanaud, C and Powis, T and Viot, C and Lesur, I and Fouet, O and Argout, X and Guichoux, E and Salin, F and Solorzano, RL and Bouchez, O and Vignes, H and Severts, P and Hurtado, J and Yepez, A and Grivetti, L and Blake, M and Valdez, F},
title = {The use and domestication of Theobroma cacao during the mid-Holocene in the upper Amazon.},
journal = {Nature ecology & evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1038/s41559-018-0697-x},
pmid = {30374172},
issn = {2397-334X},
abstract = {Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important economic crop, yet studies of its domestication history and early uses are limited. Traditionally, cacao is thought to have been first domesticated in Mesoamerica. However, genomic research shows that T. cacao's greatest diversity is in the upper Amazon region of northwest South America, pointing to this region as its centre of origin. Here, we report cacao use identified by three independent lines of archaeological evidence-cacao starch grains, absorbed theobromine residues and ancient DNA-dating from approximately 5,300 years ago recovered from the Santa Ana-La Florida (SALF) site in southeast Ecuador. To our knowledge, these findings constitute the earliest evidence of T. cacao use in the Americas and the first unequivocal archaeological example of its pre-Columbian use in South America. They also reveal the upper Amazon region as the oldest centre of cacao domestication yet identified.},
}

@article {pmid30369466,
year = {2018},
author = {Tian, JY and Li, YC and Kong, QP and Zhang, YP},
title = {[The origin and evolution history of East Asian populations from genetic perspectives].},
journal = {Yi chuan = Hereditas},
volume = {40},
number = {10},
pages = {814-824},
doi = {10.16288/j.yczz.18-202},
pmid = {30369466},
issn = {0253-9772},
abstract = {East Asia is widely concerned as one of the important places for the dispersal and evolution of the Anatomically Modern Human (AMH). How the diverse ethnic groups in East Asia originated and diversified is also widely focused by different disciplines of Anthropology. The adoption of genetic data had provided new clues for reconstructing the genetic history of East Asian populations. Genetic studies supported the hypothesis that the AMHs originated from Africa's Homo sapiens at about 200 kilo years ago (kya) and then migrated out of Africa at ~100 kya, followed by expansions into the whole East Asia since their arrival in Southern East Asia at 5~6 kya along the coastal route. Early Homo Sapiens might have genetic contribution to the non-African AMHs. Early settlement, cultural assimilation, population migration and genetic exchanges are crucial in the origination and evolution of East Asia populations. Previous studies made detailed analysis for the genetic history of East Asian populations, which largely resolved the longstanding divergence between archaeology and history. However, this needs further verification by whole-genome sequencing and ancient DNA studies. Here we briefly reviewed the progresses of genetic studies in exploring the population origin, dispersal and diversification in East Asia, which improved understanding of the evolution of East Asian populations. We also prospected the future of genetic studies in revealing the prehistory of East Asians.},
}

@article {pmid30368203,
year = {2018},
author = {Zilberman, U and Milevski, I and Yegorov, D and Smith, P},
title = {A 3000 year old case of an unusual dental lesion: Pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption.},
journal = {Archives of oral biology},
volume = {97},
number = {},
pages = {97-101},
doi = {10.1016/j.archoralbio.2018.10.015},
pmid = {30368203},
issn = {1879-1506},
abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To determine the cause of a large dental lesion, tentatively identified as a case of pre-eruptive intra-coronal resorption (PEIR), in the permanent second mandibular molar of a young individual from an Iron Age cemetery at Tel Erani (Israel), dated to ca. 3000 years B.P. The provisional diagnosis was based on the massive size of the lesion in a young individual in whom the adjacent teeth were caries-free and showed no visible enamel defects.

DESIGN: The lower molars of Tel Erani on the affected side were radiographed and compared to radiographs of a modern clinical case of PEIR treated by one of us (U.Z) and the internal structure and mineral content of the lesion examined in detail using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).

RESULTS: The Tel Erani specimen closely resembled the modern clinical case of PEIR. Moreover, both cases occurred in young individuals in whom the adjacent teeth were caries-free. Examination with SEM revealed absence of dentine in the affected tooth from Tel Erani, together with changes in structure and mineral content characteristic of resorption.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the changes found in the lower second molar of the 3000 year old mandible from Tel Erani are characteristic of PEIR and demonstrate the antiquity of this condition.},
}

@article {pmid30367976,
year = {2018},
author = {Cole, TL and Rawlence, NJ and Dussex, N and Ellenberg, U and Houston, DM and Mattern, T and Miskelly, CM and Morrison, KW and Paul Scofield, R and Tennyson, AJD and Thompson, DR and Wood, JR and Waters, JM},
title = {Ancient DNA of crested penguins: Testing for temporal genetic shifts in the world's most diverse penguin clade.},
journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2018.10.025},
pmid = {30367976},
issn = {1095-9513},
abstract = {Human impacts have substantially reduced avian biodiversity in many parts of the world, particularly on isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean. The New Zealand archipelago, including its five subantarctic island groups, holds breeding grounds for a third of the world's penguin species, including several representatives of the diverse crested penguin genus Eudyptes. While this species-rich genus has been little studied genetically, recent population estimates indicate that several Eudyptes taxa are experiencing demographic declines. Although crested penguins are currently limited to southern regions of the New Zealand archipelago, prehistoric fossil and archaeological deposits suggest a wider distribution during prehistoric times, with breeding ranges perhaps extending to the North Island. Here, we analyse ancient, historic and modern DNA sequences to explore two hypotheses regarding the recent history of Eudyptes in New Zealand, testing for (1) human-driven extinction of Eudyptes lineages; and (2) reduced genetic diversity in surviving lineages. From 84 prehistoric bone samples, each tentatively identified as 'Eudyptes spp.', we genetically identified six prehistoric penguin taxa from mainland New Zealand, including one previously undescribed genetic lineage. Moreover, our Bayesian coalescent analyses indicated that, while the range of Fiordland crested penguin (E. pachyrhynchus) may have contracted markedly over the last millennium, genetic DNA diversity within this lineage has remained relatively constant. This result contrasts with human-driven biodiversity reductions previously detected in several New Zealand coastal vertebrate taxa.},
}

@article {pmid30359256,
year = {2018},
author = {de Filippo, C and Meyer, M and Prüfer, K},
title = {Quantifying and reducing spurious alignments for the analysis of ultra-short ancient DNA sequences.},
journal = {BMC biology},
volume = {16},
number = {1},
pages = {121},
doi = {10.1186/s12915-018-0581-9},
pmid = {30359256},
issn = {1741-7007},
support = {No. 694707 to Svante Pääbo//European Research Council ()/ ; No. 31-12LMP Pääbo//Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (DE)/ ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: The study of ancient DNA is hampered by degradation, resulting in short DNA fragments. Advances in laboratory methods have made it possible to retrieve short DNA fragments, thereby improving access to DNA preserved in highly degraded, ancient material. However, such material contains large amounts of microbial contamination in addition to DNA fragments from the ancient organism. The resulting mixture of sequences constitutes a challenge for computational analysis, since microbial sequences are hard to distinguish from the ancient sequences of interest, especially when they are short.

RESULTS: Here, we develop a method to quantify spurious alignments based on the presence or absence of rare variants. We find that spurious alignments are enriched for mismatches and insertion/deletion differences and lack substitution patterns typical of ancient DNA. The impact of spurious alignments can be reduced by filtering on these features and by imposing a sample-specific minimum length cutoff. We apply this approach to sequences from four ~ 430,000-year-old Sima de los Huesos hominin remains, which contain particularly short DNA fragments, and increase the amount of usable sequence data by 17-150%. This allows us to place a third specimen from the site on the Neandertal lineage.

CONCLUSIONS: Our method maximizes the sequence data amenable to genetic analysis from highly degraded ancient material and avoids pitfalls that are associated with the analysis of ultra-short DNA sequences.},
}

@article {pmid30348080,
year = {2018},
author = {Paijmans, JLA and Barlow, A and Förster, DW and Henneberger, K and Meyer, M and Nickel, B and Nagel, D and Worsøe Havmøller, R and Baryshnikov, GF and Joger, U and Rosendahl, W and Hofreiter, M},
title = {Historical biogeography of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and its extinct Eurasian populations.},
journal = {BMC evolutionary biology},
volume = {18},
number = {1},
pages = {156},
doi = {10.1186/s12862-018-1268-0},
pmid = {30348080},
issn = {1471-2148},
support = {310763//European Research Council/International ; Academic Hardware Grant//Nvidia/ ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Resolving the historical biogeography of the leopard (Panthera pardus) is a complex issue, because patterns inferred from fossils and from molecular data lack congruence. Fossil evidence supports an African origin, and suggests that leopards were already present in Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene. Analysis of DNA sequences however, suggests a more recent, Middle Pleistocene shared ancestry of Asian and African leopards. These contrasting patterns led researchers to propose a two-stage hypothesis of leopard dispersal out of Africa: an initial Early Pleistocene colonisation of Asia and a subsequent replacement by a second colonisation wave during the Middle Pleistocene. The status of Late Pleistocene European leopards within this scenario is unclear: were these populations remnants of the first dispersal, or do the last surviving European leopards share more recent ancestry with their African counterparts?

RESULTS: In this study, we generate and analyse mitogenome sequences from historical samples that span the entire modern leopard distribution, as well as from Late Pleistocene remains. We find a deep bifurcation between African and Eurasian mitochondrial lineages (~ 710 Ka), with the European ancient samples as sister to all Asian lineages (~ 483 Ka). The modern and historical mainland Asian lineages share a relatively recent common ancestor (~ 122 Ka), and we find one Javan sample nested within these.

CONCLUSIONS: The phylogenetic placement of the ancient European leopard as sister group to Asian leopards suggests that these populations originate from the same out-of-Africa dispersal which founded the Asian lineages. The coalescence time found for the mitochondrial lineages aligns well with the earliest undisputed fossils in Eurasia, and thus encourages a re-evaluation of the identification of the much older putative leopard fossils from the region. The relatively recent ancestry of all mainland Asian leopard lineages suggests that these populations underwent a severe population bottleneck during the Pleistocene. Finally, although only based on a single sample, the unexpected phylogenetic placement of the Javan leopard could be interpreted as evidence for exchange of mitochondrial lineages between Java and mainland Asia, calling for further investigation into the evolutionary history of this subspecies.},
}

@article {pmid30344633,
year = {2018},
author = {Silva, NM and Rio, J and Kreutzer, S and Papageorgopoulou, C and Currat, M},
title = {Bayesian estimation of partial population continuity using ancient DNA and spatially explicit simulations.},
journal = {Evolutionary applications},
volume = {11},
number = {9},
pages = {1642-1655},
doi = {10.1111/eva.12655},
pmid = {30344633},
issn = {1752-4571},
abstract = {The retrieval of ancient DNA from osteological material provides direct evidence of human genetic diversity in the past. Ancient DNA samples are often used to investigate whether there was population continuity in the settlement history of an area. Methods based on the serial coalescent algorithm have been developed to test whether the population continuity hypothesis can be statistically rejected by analysing DNA samples from the same region but of different ages. Rejection of this hypothesis is indicative of a large genetic shift, possibly due to immigration occurring between two sampling times. However, this approach is only able to reject a model of full continuity model (a total absence of genetic input from outside), but admixture between local and immigrant populations may lead to partial continuity. We have recently developed a method to test for population continuity that explicitly considers the spatial and temporal dynamics of populations. Here, we extended this approach to estimate the proportion of genetic continuity between two populations, using ancient genetic samples. We applied our original approach to the question of the Neolithic transition in Central Europe. Our results confirmed the rejection of full continuity, but our approach represents an important step forward by estimating the relative contribution of immigrant farmers and of local hunter-gatherers to the final Central European Neolithic genetic pool. Furthermore, we show that a substantial proportion of genes brought by the farmers in this region were assimilated from other hunter-gatherer populations along the way from Anatolia, which was not detectable by previous continuity tests. Our approach is also able to jointly estimate demographic parameters, as we show here by finding both low density and low migration rate for pre-Neolithic hunter-gatherers. It provides a useful tool for the analysis of the numerous ancient DNA data sets that are currently being produced for many different species.},
}

@article {pmid30333851,
year = {2018},
author = {Vajana, E and Barbato, M and Colli, L and Milanesi, M and Rochat, E and Fabrizi, E and Mukasa, C and Del Corvo, M and Masembe, C and Muwanika, VB and Kabi, F and Sonstegard, TS and Huson, HJ and Negrini, R and , and Joost, S and Ajmone-Marsan, P},
title = {Combining Landscape Genomics and Ecological Modelling to Investigate Local Adaptation of Indigenous Ugandan Cattle to East Coast Fever.},
journal = {Frontiers in genetics},
volume = {9},
number = {},
pages = {385},
doi = {10.3389/fgene.2018.00385},
pmid = {30333851},
issn = {1664-8021},
abstract = {East Coast fever (ECF) is a fatal sickness affecting cattle populations of eastern, central, and southern Africa. The disease is transmitted by the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and caused by the protozoan Theileria parva parva, which invades host lymphocytes and promotes their clonal expansion. Importantly, indigenous cattle show tolerance to infection in ECF-endemically stable areas. Here, the putative genetic bases underlying ECF-tolerance were investigated using molecular data and epidemiological information from 823 indigenous cattle from Uganda. Vector distribution and host infection risk were estimated over the study area and subsequently tested as triggers of local adaptation by means of landscape genomics analysis. We identified 41 and seven candidate adaptive loci for tick resistance and infection tolerance, respectively. Among the genes associated with the candidate adaptive loci are PRKG1 and SLA2. PRKG1 was already described as associated with tick resistance in indigenous South African cattle, due to its role into inflammatory response. SLA2 is part of the regulatory pathways involved into lymphocytes' proliferation. Additionally, local ancestry analysis suggested the zebuine origin of the genomic region candidate for tick resistance.},
}

@article {pmid30333260,
year = {2018},
author = {Ollivier, M and Tresset, A and Frantz, LAF and Bréhard, S and Bălăşescu, A and Mashkour, M and Boroneanţ, A and Pionnier-Capitan, M and Lebrasseur, O and Arbogast, RM and Bartosiewicz, L and Debue, K and Rabinovich, R and Sablin, MV and Larson, G and Hänni, C and Hitte, C and Vigne, JD},
title = {Dogs accompanied humans during the Neolithic expansion into Europe.},
journal = {Biology letters},
volume = {14},
number = {10},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2018.0286},
pmid = {30333260},
issn = {1744-957X},
abstract = {Near Eastern Neolithic farmers introduced several species of domestic plants and animals as they dispersed into Europe. Dogs were the only domestic species present in both Europe and the Near East prior to the Neolithic. Here, we assessed whether early Near Eastern dogs possessed a unique mitochondrial lineage that differentiated them from Mesolithic European populations. We then analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences from 99 ancient European and Near Eastern dogs spanning the Upper Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age to assess if incoming farmers brought Near Eastern dogs with them, or instead primarily adopted indigenous European dogs after they arrived. Our results show that European pre-Neolithic dogs all possessed the mitochondrial haplogroup C, and that the Neolithic and Post-Neolithic dogs associated with farmers from Southeastern Europe mainly possessed haplogroup D. Thus, the appearance of haplogroup D most probably resulted from the dissemination of dogs from the Near East into Europe. In Western and Northern Europe, the turnover is incomplete and haplogroup C persists well into the Chalcolithic at least. These results suggest that dogs were an integral component of the Neolithic farming package and a mitochondrial lineage associated with the Near East was introduced into Europe alongside pigs, cows, sheep and goats. It got diluted into the native dog population when reaching the Western and Northern margins of Europe.},
}

@article {pmid30314119,
year = {2018},
author = {Thomson, V and Wiewel, A and Chinen, A and Maryanto, I and Sinaga, MH and How, R and Aplin, K and Suzuki, H},
title = {A perspective for resolving the systematics of Rattus, the vertebrates with the most influence on human welfare.},
journal = {Zootaxa},
volume = {4459},
number = {3},
pages = {431-452},
doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4459.3.2},
pmid = {30314119},
issn = {1175-5334},
abstract = {The murid rodent genus Rattus Fischer 1803 contains several species that are responsible for massive loss of crops and food, extinction of other species and the spread of zoonotic diseases to humans, as well as a laboratory species used to answer important questions in physiology, immunology, pharmacology, toxicology, nutrition, behaviour and learning. Despite the well-known significant impacts of Rattus, a definitive evolutionary based systematic framework for the genus is not yet available. The past 75 years have seen more dramatic changes in membership of Rattus than in almost any other genus of mammals. In fact, the Rattus genus has been a receptacle for any generalised Old World murine that lacked morphological specialisation and at one point, has included more than 560 species and/or subspecies, spread across Eurasia, Africa and the Australo-Papuan region. The dissolution of Rattus is ongoing as many of its constituent species and many genera of Rattini remain unsampled in any molecular study. To address this sampling limitation, we sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene and examined phylogenetic relationships using both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood algorithms for an expanded set of taxa within Rattus and among closely related genera. Here we place previously unsampled taxa in a phylogenetic context for the first time, including R. burrus, R. hoogerwerfi, R. lugens, and R. mindorensis within the Asian Rattus group, R. facetus within the Australo-Papuan Rattus radiation, and the undescribed 'Bisa Rat' described by Flannery as sister to the recently described genus Halmaheramys. We also present an exploratory foray into the wider topic of Rattus phylogenetics and propose that a reorganisation of the Rattus genus should require that it be a monophyletic group, include at least the type species R. norvegicus and R. rattus (plus their close allies); and exclude the Bandicota/Nesokia clade and other such specialised genera.},
}

@article {pmid30313742,
year = {2018},
author = {Vences, M and Hildenbrand, A and Warmuth, KM and Andreone, F and Glaw, F},
title = {A new riparian Mantidactylus (Brygoomantis) frog from the Tsaratanana and Manongarivo Massifs in northern Madagascar.},
journal = {Zootaxa},
volume = {4486},
number = {4},
pages = {575-588},
doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4486.4.10},
pmid = {30313742},
issn = {1175-5334},
abstract = {The subgenus Brygoomantis in the Madagascar-endemic genus Mantidactylus contains 12 nominal species but is in urgent need of taxonomic revision as many additional, genetically divergent but undescribed candidate species have been identified. We here take a first step towards a better resolution of this group by describing a new species, Mantidactylus schulzi sp. nov., occurring at the Tsaratanana and Manongarivo Massifs, differentiated in genetic, bioacoustic and sometimes morphological characters from its closest relatives. We show that upon detailed study, most species in Brygoomantis can be delimited by concordant differentiation of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and by bioacoustic and morphological differences. We flag this group of morphologically similar frogs as a test case where molecular data on historical type specimens by ancient DNA methods might be needed to reach a satisfying clarification of taxonomy and nomenclature. However, the status of the new species M. schulzi is not in doubt as it is morphologically distinct from most historical type specimens, and microendemic to a region in northern Madagascar from where no earlier names exist.},
}

@article {pmid30303530,
year = {2018},
author = {Herrando-Pérez, S and Ferri-Yáñez, F and Monasterio, C and Beukema, W and Gomes, V and Belliure, J and Chown, SL and Vieites, DR and Araújo, MB},
title = {Intraspecific variation in lizard heat tolerance alters estimates of climate impact.},
journal = {The Journal of animal ecology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.12914},
pmid = {30303530},
issn = {1365-2656},
abstract = {1.Research addressing the effects of global warming on the distribution and persistence of species generally assumes that population variation in thermal tolerance is spatially constant or overridden by interspecific variation. Typically, this rationale is implicit in sourcing one critical thermal maximum (CTmax) population estimate per species to model spatiotemporal cross-taxa variation in heat tolerance. Theory suggests that such an approach could result in biased or imprecise estimates and forecasts of impact from climate warming, but limited empirical evidence in support of those expectations exists. 2.We experimentally quantify the magnitude of intraspecific variation in CTmax among lizard populations, and the extent to which incorporating such variability can alter estimates of climate impact through a biophysical model. To do so, we measured CTmax from 59 populations of 15 Iberian lizard species (304 individuals). 3.The overall median CTmax across all individuals from all species was 42.8 °C and ranged from 40.5 to 48.3 °C, with species medians decreasing through xeric, climate-generalist and mesic taxa. We found strong statistical support for intraspecific differentiation in CTmax by up to a median of 3 °C among populations. We show that annual restricted activity (operative temperature > CTmax) over the Iberian distribution of our study species differs by a median of > 80 hours per 25-km2 grid cell based on different population-level CTmax estimates. This discrepancy leads to predictions of spatial variation in annual restricted activity to change by more than 20 days for six of the study species. 4.Considering that during restriction periods, reptiles should be unable to feed and reproduce, current projections of climate-change impacts on the fitness of ectotherm fauna could be under- or over-estimated depending on which population is chosen to represent the physiological spectra of the species in question. Mapping heat tolerance over the full geographical ranges of single species is thus critical to address cross-taxa patterns and drivers of heat tolerance in a biologically comprehensive way. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.},
}

@article {pmid30291256,
year = {2018},
author = {Fernandes, DM and Strapagiel, D and Borówka, P and Marciniak, B and Żądzińska, E and Sirak, K and Siska, V and Grygiel, R and Carlsson, J and Manica, A and Lorkiewicz, W and Pinhasi, R},
title = {A genomic Neolithic time transect of hunter-farmer admixture in central Poland.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
pages = {14879},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-33067-w},
pmid = {30291256},
issn = {2045-2322},
support = {GOIPG/2013/36//Irish Research Council/ ; },
abstract = {Ancient DNA genome-wide analyses of Neolithic individuals from central and southern Europe indicate an overall population turnover pattern in which migrating farmers from Anatolia and the Near East largely replaced autochthonous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. However, the genetic history of the Neolithic transition in areas lying north of the European Neolithic core region involved different levels of admixture with hunter-gatherers. Here we analyse genome-wide data of 17 individuals spanning from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (4300-1900 BCE) in order to assess the Neolithic transition in north-central Poland, and the local impacts of hunter-farmer contacts and Late Neolithic steppe migrations. We evaluate the influence of these on local populations and assess if and how they change through time, reporting evidence of recurrent hunter-farmer admixture over three millennia, and the co-existence of unadmixed hunter-gatherers as late as 4300 BCE. During the Late Neolithic we report the appearance of steppe ancestry, but on a lesser scale than previously described for other central European regions, with evidence of stronger affinities to hunter-gatherers than to steppe pastoralists. These results help understand the Neolithic palaeogenomics of another central European area, Kuyavia, and highlight the complexity of population interactions during those times.},
}

@article {pmid30286387,
year = {2018},
author = {Metspalu, M and Mondal, M and Chaubey, G},
title = {The genetic makings of South Asia.},
journal = {Current opinion in genetics & development},
volume = {53},
number = {},
pages = {128-133},
doi = {10.1016/j.gde.2018.09.003},
pmid = {30286387},
issn = {1879-0380},
abstract = {South Asia is home for more than a billion people culturally structured into innumerable groups practicing different levels of endogamy. Linguistically South Asia is broadly characterized by four major language families which has served as access way for disentangling the genetic makings of South Asia. In this review we shall give brief account on the recent developments in the field. Advances are made in two fronts simultaneously. Whole genome characterisation of many extant South Asians paint the picture of the genetic diversity and its implications to health-care. On the other hand ancient DNA studies, which are finally reaching South Asia, provide new incites to the demographic history of the subcontinent. Before the spread of agriculture, South Asia was likely inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups deriving much of their ancestry from a population that split from the rest of humanity soon after expanding from Africa. Early Iranian agriculturalists mixing with these local hunter-gatherers probably formed the population that flourished during the blossoming of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Further admixture with the still persisting HG groups and population(s) from the Eurasian Steppe, formed the two ancestral populations (ANI and ASI), the north-south mixing pattern of whom is known today as the 'Indian Cline'. Studies on natural selection in South Asia have so far revealed strong signals of sweeps that are shared with West Eurasians. Future studies will have to fully unlock the aDNA promise for South Asia.},
}

@article {pmid30282648,
year = {2018},
author = {Flammer, PG and Dellicour, S and Preston, SG and Rieger, D and Warren, S and Tan, CKW and Nicholson, R and Přichystalová, R and Bleicher, N and Wahl, J and Faria, NR and Pybus, OG and Pollard, M and Smith, AL},
title = {Molecular archaeoparasitology identifies cultural changes in the Medieval Hanseatic trading centre of Lübeck.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {285},
number = {1888},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2018.0991},
pmid = {30282648},
issn = {1471-2954},
abstract = {Throughout history, humans have been afflicted by parasitic worms, and eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits. This study integrated parasitological and ancient DNA methods with a large sample set dating between Neolithic and Early Modern periods to explore the utility of molecular archaeoparasitology as a new approach to study the past. Molecular analyses provided unequivocal species-level parasite identification and revealed location-specific epidemiological signatures. Faecal-oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura) were ubiquitous across time and space. By contrast, high numbers of food-associated cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum and Taenia saginata) were restricted to medieval Lübeck. The presence of these cestodes and changes in their prevalence at approximately 1300 CE indicate substantial alterations in diet or parasite availability. Trichuris trichiura ITS-1 sequences grouped into two clades; one ubiquitous and one restricted to medieval Lübeck and Bristol. The high sequence diversity of T.tITS-1 detected in Lübeck is consistent with its importance as a Hanseatic trading centre. Collectively, these results introduce molecular archaeoparasitology as an artefact-independent source of historical evidence.},
}

@article {pmid30272210,
year = {2018},
author = {Mathieson, S and Mathieson, I},
title = {FADS1 and the timing of human adaptation to agriculture.},
journal = {Molecular biology and evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/molbev/msy180},
pmid = {30272210},
issn = {1537-1719},
abstract = {Variation at the FADS1/FADS2 gene cluster is functionally associated with differences in lipid metabolism and is often hypothesized to reflect adaptation to an agricultural diet. Here, we test the evidence for this relationship using both modern and ancient DNA data. We show that almost all the inhabitants of Europe carried the ancestral allele until the derived allele was introduced approximately 8,500 years ago by Early Neolithic farming populations. However, we also show that it was not under strong selection in these populations. We find that this allele, and other proposed agricultural adaptations at LCT/MCM6 and SLC22A4, were not strongly selected until much later, perhaps as late as the Bronze Age. Similarly, increased copy number variation at the salivary amylase gene AMY1 is not linked to the development of agriculture although, in this case, the putative adaptation precedes the agricultural transition. Our analysis shows that selection at the FADS locus was not tightly linked to the initial introduction of agriculture and the Neolithic transition. Further, it suggests that the strongest signals of recent human adaptation in Europe did not coincide with the Neolithic transition but with more recent changes in environment, diet or efficiency of selection due to increases in effective population size.},
}

@article {pmid30268682,
year = {2018},
author = {Pośpiech, E and Chen, Y and Kukla-Bartoszek, M and Breslin, K and Aliferi, A and Andersen, JD and Ballard, D and Chaitanya, L and Freire-Aradas, A and van der Gaag, KJ and Girón-Santamaría, L and Gross, TE and Gysi, M and Huber, G and Mosquera-Miguel, A and Muralidharan, C and Skowron, M and Carracedo, Á and Haas, C and Morling, N and Parson, W and Phillips, C and Schneider, PM and Sijen, T and Syndercombe-Court, D and Vennemann, M and Wu, S and Xu, S and Jin, L and Wang, S and Zhu, G and Martin, NG and Medland, SE and Branicki, W and Walsh, S and Liu, F and Kayser, M and , },
title = {Towards broadening Forensic DNA Phenotyping beyond pigmentation: Improving the prediction of head hair shape from DNA.},
journal = {Forensic science international. Genetics},
volume = {37},
number = {},
pages = {241-251},
doi = {10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.08.017},
pmid = {30268682},
issn = {1878-0326},
abstract = {Human head hair shape, commonly classified as straight, wavy, curly or frizzy, is an attractive target for Forensic DNA Phenotyping and other applications of human appearance prediction from DNA such as in paleogenetics. The genetic knowledge underlying head hair shape variation was recently improved by the outcome of a series of genome-wide association and replication studies in a total of 26,964 subjects, highlighting 12 loci of which 8 were novel and introducing a prediction model for Europeans based on 14 SNPs. In the present study, we evaluated the capacity of DNA-based head hair shape prediction by investigating an extended set of candidate SNP predictors and by using an independent set of samples for model validation. Prediction model building was carried out in 9674 subjects (6068 from Europe, 2899 from Asia and 707 of admixed European and Asian ancestries), used previously, by considering a novel list of 90 candidate SNPs. For model validation, genotype and phenotype data were newly collected in 2415 independent subjects (2138 Europeans and 277 non-Europeans) by applying two targeted massively parallel sequencing platforms, Ion Torrent PGM and MiSeq, or the MassARRAY platform. A binomial model was developed to predict straight vs. non-straight hair based on 32 SNPs from 26 genetic loci we identified as significantly contributing to the model. This model achieved prediction accuracies, expressed as AUC, of 0.664 in Europeans and 0.789 in non-Europeans; the statistically significant difference was explained mostly by the effect of one EDAR SNP in non-Europeans. Considering sex and age, in addition to the SNPs, slightly and insignificantly increased the prediction accuracies (AUC of 0.680 and 0.800, respectively). Based on the sample size and candidate DNA markers investigated, this study provides the most robust, validated, and accurate statistical prediction models and SNP predictor marker sets currently available for predicting head hair shape from DNA, providing the next step towards broadening Forensic DNA Phenotyping beyond pigmentation traits.},
}

@article {pmid30262781,
year = {2018},
author = {Santiago-Rodriguez, TM and Toranzos, GA},
title = {On Controls in Ancient Microbiome Studies, and Microbial Resilience in Ancient Samples.},
journal = {Genes},
volume = {9},
number = {10},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/genes9100471},
pmid = {30262781},
issn = {2073-4425},
abstract = {In the following comment, we reply to Eisenhofer and Weyrich's letter "Proper authentication of ancient DNA is still essential" responding to the article "Gut Microbiome and Putative Resistome of Inca and Italian Nobility Mummies" by Santiago-Rodriguez et al. One of the concerns raised was the possibility that the patterns noted in the gut microbiome of pre-Inca/Inca and Italian nobility mummies were due to contamination of the blank control. When examining the blank controls and filtering the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) present in the blank controls, and further performing in-silico contamination analyses, we noticed very similar patterns as those previously reported. We also discuss controls in ancient microbiome studies, and aspects of microbial resilience in ancient samples.},
}

@article {pmid30261278,
year = {2018},
author = {Kavlick, MF},
title = {Development of a triplex Mtdna Qpcr assay to assess quantification, degradation, inhibition, and amplification target copy numbers.},
journal = {Mitochondrion},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1016/j.mito.2018.09.007},
pmid = {30261278},
issn = {1872-8278},
abstract = {A hybrid absolute/relative qPCR assay which provides information regarding the condition of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in a DNA sample is described. MtDNA concentration (copy number/μL) is determined via absolute quantification using a standard curve of a synthetic duplex DNA previously described (Kavlick, 2011). The state of mtDNA degradation is determined via the relative quantification of a mtDNA target found within the 16 s rRNA gene which is 3× longer than that of the short target in the former duplex assay, using the delta, delta Ct (ΔΔCt) method. The presence or absence of PCR inhibitors in the sample is qualitatively determined using a custom internal positive control (IPC) system which targets a unique and non-naturally occurring duplex DNA sequence. This IPC effectively detected inhibition by humic acid, tannic acid, melanin, and EDTA. All three assay components utilize sensitive and specific hydrolysis probes. The utility of ΔΔCt method was demonstrated in a series of experiments involving laboratory-fragmented DNA. Also described is a method for estimating copy number of any mtDNA target longer than the two targets amplified. The described triplex assay works well for intact and for fragmented or degraded mtDNA and therefore may be useful in forensic and ancient DNA disciplines as well as in biomedical research or practice.},
}

@article {pmid30249639,
year = {2018},
author = {Guellil, M and Kersten, O and Namouchi, A and Bauer, EL and Derrick, M and Jensen, AØ and Stenseth, NC and Bramanti, B},
title = {Genomic blueprint of a relapsing fever pathogen in 15th century Scandinavia.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {41},
pages = {10422-10427},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1807266115},
pmid = {30249639},
issn = {1091-6490},
abstract = {Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) is known to have killed millions of people over the course of European history and remains a major cause of mortality in parts of the world. Its pathogen, Borrelia recurrentis, shares a common vector with global killers such as typhus and plague and is known for its involvement in devastating historical epidemics such as the Irish potato famine. Here, we describe a European and historical genome of Brecurrentis, recovered from a 15th century skeleton from Oslo. Our distinct European lineage has a discrete genomic makeup, displaying an ancestral oppA-1 gene and gene loss in antigenic variation sites. Our results illustrate the potential of ancient DNA research to elucidate dynamics of reductive evolution in a specialized human pathogen and to uncover aspects of human health usually invisible to the archaeological record.},
}

@article {pmid30237547,
year = {2018},
author = {Harney, É and May, H and Shalem, D and Rohland, N and Mallick, S and Lazaridis, I and Sarig, R and Stewardson, K and Nordenfelt, S and Patterson, N and Hershkovitz, I and Reich, D},
title = {Publisher Correction: Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {3913},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-06484-8},
pmid = {30237547},
issn = {2041-1723},
abstract = {In the original version of this Article, references in the format 'First author et al.' were inappropriately deleted. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.},
}

@article {pmid30232557,
year = {2018},
author = {Kivisild, T},
title = {Correction to: The study of human Y chromosome variation through ancient DNA.},
journal = {Human genetics},
volume = {137},
number = {10},
pages = {863},
doi = {10.1007/s00439-018-1937-5},
pmid = {30232557},
issn = {1432-1203},
abstract = {The following sentence on the 11th page of the article.},
}

@article {pmid30232341,
year = {2018},
author = {Furtwängler, A and Reiter, E and Neumann, GU and Siebke, I and Steuri, N and Hafner, A and Lösch, S and Anthes, N and Schuenemann, VJ and Krause, J},
title = {Ratio of mitochondrial to nuclear DNA affects contamination estimates in ancient DNA analysis.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
pages = {14075},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-32083-0},
pmid = {30232341},
issn = {2045-2322},
abstract = {In the last decade, ancient DNA research has grown rapidly and started to overcome several of its earlier limitations through Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS). Among other advances, NGS allows direct estimation of sample contamination from modern DNA sources. First NGS-based approaches of estimating contamination measured heterozygosity. These measurements, however, could only be performed on haploid genomic regions, i.e. the mitochondrial genome or male X chromosomes, but provided no measures of contamination in the nuclear genome of females with their two X chromosomes. Instead, female nuclear contamination is routinely extrapolated from mitochondrial contamination estimates, but it remains unclear if this extrapolation is reliable and to what degree variation in mitochondrial to nuclear DNA ratios affects this extrapolation. We therefore analyzed ancient DNA from 317 samples of different skeletal elements from multiple sites, spanning a temporal range from 7,000 BP to 386 AD. We found that the mitochondrial to nuclear DNA (mt/nc) ratio negatively correlates with an increase in endogenous DNA content and strongly influenced mitochondrial and nuclear contamination estimates in males. The ratio of mt to nc contamination estimates remained stable for overall mt/nc ratios below 200, as found particularly often in petrous bones but less in other skeletal elements and became more variable above that ratio.},
}

@article {pmid30225046,
year = {2018},
author = {Miller, EF and Manica, A and Amos, W},
title = {Global demographic history of human populations inferred from whole mitochondrial genomes.},
journal = {Royal Society open science},
volume = {5},
number = {8},
pages = {180543},
doi = {10.1098/rsos.180543},
pmid = {30225046},
issn = {2054-5703},
abstract = {The Neolithic transition has led to marked increases in census population sizes across the world, as recorded by a rich archaeological record. However, previous attempts to detect such changes using genetic markers, especially mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), have mostly been unsuccessful. We use complete mtDNA genomes from over 1700 individuals, from the 1000 Genomes Project Phase 3, to explore changes in populations sizes in five populations for each of four major geographical regions, using a sophisticated coalescent-based Bayesian method (extended Bayesian skyline plots) and mutation rates calibrated with ancient DNA. Despite the power and sophistication of our analysis, we fail to find size changes that correspond to the Neolithic transitions of the study populations. However, we do detect a number of size changes, which tend to be replicated in most populations within each region. These changes are mostly much older than the Neolithic transition and could reflect either population expansion or changes in population structure. Given the amount of migration and population mixing that occurred after these ancient signals were generated, we caution that modern populations will often carry ghost signals of demographic events that occurred far away from their current location.},
}

@article {pmid30224645,
year = {2018},
author = {Chiang, CWK and Marcus, JH and Sidore, C and Biddanda, A and Al-Asadi, H and Zoledziewska, M and Pitzalis, M and Busonero, F and Maschio, A and Pistis, G and Steri, M and Angius, A and Lohmueller, KE and Abecasis, GR and Schlessinger, D and Cucca, F and Novembre, J},
title = {Genomic history of the Sardinian population.},
journal = {Nature genetics},
volume = {50},
number = {10},
pages = {1426-1434},
doi = {10.1038/s41588-018-0215-8},
pmid = {30224645},
issn = {1546-1718},
support = {R01 GM108805/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; RC2 HG005552/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; U01 HG006513/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; T32 NS048004/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; F32 GM106656/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HG007089/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; HHSN271201100005C/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; N01 AG012109/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; T32 GM007197/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HG007022/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; U01 HL117626/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL117626/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; RC2 HG005581/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; },
abstract = {The population of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia has made important contributions to genome-wide association studies of complex disease traits and, based on ancient DNA studies of mainland Europe, Sardinia is hypothesized to be a unique refuge for early Neolithic ancestry. To provide new insights on the genetic history of this flagship population, we analyzed 3,514 whole-genome sequenced individuals from Sardinia. Sardinian samples show elevated levels of shared ancestry with Basque individuals, especially samples from the more historically isolated regions of Sardinia. Our analysis also uniquely illuminates how levels of genetic similarity with mainland ancient DNA samples varies subtly across the island. Together, our results indicate that within-island substructure and sex-biased processes have substantially impacted the genetic history of Sardinia. These results give new insight into the demography of ancestral Sardinians and help further the understanding of sharing of disease risk alleles between Sardinia and mainland populations.},
}

@article {pmid30215675,
year = {2018},
author = {Kawash, JK and Smith, SD and Karaiskos, S and Grigoriev, A},
title = {ARIADNA: machine learning method for ancient DNA variant discovery.},
journal = {DNA research : an international journal for rapid publication of reports on genes and genomes},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/dnares/dsy029},
pmid = {30215675},
issn = {1756-1663},
abstract = {Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies often rely on standard methods of mutation calling, optimized for high-quality contemporary DNA but not for excessive contamination, time- or environment-related damage of aDNA. In the absence of validated datasets and despite showing extreme sensitivity to aDNA quality, these methods have been used in many published studies, sometimes with additions of arbitrary filters or modifications, designed to overcome aDNA degradation and contamination problems. The general lack of best practices for aDNA mutation calling may lead to inaccurate results. To address these problems, we present ARIADNA (ARtificial Intelligence for Ancient DNA), a novel approach based on machine learning techniques, using specific aDNA characteristics as features to yield improved mutation calls. In our comparisons of variant callers across several ancient genomes, ARIADNA consistently detected higher-quality genome variants with fast runtimes, while reducing the false positive rate compared with other approaches.},
}

@article {pmid30200636,
year = {2018},
author = {Pratas, D and Hosseini, M and Grilo, G and Pinho, AJ and Silva, RM and Caetano, T and Carneiro, J and Pereira, F},
title = {Metagenomic Composition Analysis of an Ancient Sequenced Polar Bear Jawbone from Svalbard.},
journal = {Genes},
volume = {9},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/genes9090445},
pmid = {30200636},
issn = {2073-4425},
support = {PD/BD/113969/2015//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; SFRH/BPD/111148/2015//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; SFRH/BPD/77900/2011//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; SFRH/BPD/100912/2014//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; IF/01356/2012//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; UID/BIM/04501/2013//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; UID/CEC/00127/2013//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; UID/AMB/50017//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; PTCD/EEI-SII/6608/2014//Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ ; },
abstract = {The sequencing of ancient DNA samples provides a novel way to find, characterize, and distinguish exogenous genomes of endogenous targets. After sequencing, computational composition analysis enables filtering of undesired sources in the focal organism, with the purpose of improving the quality of assemblies and subsequent data analysis. More importantly, such analysis allows extinct and extant species to be identified without requiring a specific or new sequencing run. However, the identification of exogenous organisms is a complex task, given the nature and degradation of the samples, and the evident necessity of using efficient computational tools, which rely on algorithms that are both fast and highly sensitive. In this work, we relied on a fast and highly sensitive tool, FALCON-meta, which measures similarity against whole-genome reference databases, to analyse the metagenomic composition of an ancient polar bear (Ursus maritimus) jawbone fossil. The fossil was collected in Svalbard, Norway, and has an estimated age of 110,000 to 130,000 years. The FASTQ samples contained 349 GB of nonamplified shotgun sequencing data. We identified and localized, relative to the FASTQ samples, the genomes with significant similarities to reference microbial genomes, including those of viruses, bacteria, and archaea, and to fungal, mitochondrial, and plastidial sequences. Among other striking features, we found significant similarities between modern-human, some bacterial and viral sequences (contamination) and the organelle sequences of wild carrot and tomato relative to the whole samples. For each exogenous candidate, we ran a damage pattern analysis, which in addition to revealing shallow levels of damage in the plant candidates, identified the source as contamination.},
}

@article {pmid30200350,
year = {2018},
author = {Ferrari, G and Lischer, HEL and Neukamm, J and Rayo, E and Borel, N and Pospischil, A and Rühli, F and Bouwman, AS and Campana, MG},
title = {Assessing Metagenomic Signals Recovered from Lyuba, a 42,000-Year-Old Permafrost-Preserved Woolly Mammoth Calf.},
journal = {Genes},
volume = {9},
number = {9},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/genes9090436},
pmid = {30200350},
issn = {2073-4425},
support = {URPP Evolution in Action: from Genomes to Ecosystems//Universität Zürich/ ; n/a//Mäxi Foundation Zurich/ ; n/a//Smithsonian Institution/ ; },
abstract = {The reconstruction of ancient metagenomes from archaeological material, and their implication in human health and evolution, is one of the most recent advances in paleomicrobiological studies. However, as for all ancient DNA (aDNA) studies, environmental and laboratory contamination need to be specifically addressed. Here we attempted to reconstruct the tissue-specific metagenomes of a 42,000-year-old, permafrost-preserved woolly mammoth calf through shotgun high-throughput sequencing. We analyzed the taxonomic composition of all tissue samples together with environmental and non-template experimental controls and compared them to metagenomes obtained from permafrost and elephant fecal samples. Preliminary results suggested the presence of tissue-specific metagenomic signals. We identified bacterial species that were present in only one experimental sample, absent from controls, and consistent with the nature of the samples. However, we failed to further authenticate any of these signals and conclude that, even when experimental samples are distinct from environmental and laboratory controls, this does not necessarily indicate endogenous presence of ancient host-associated microbiomic signals.},
}

@article {pmid30192911,
year = {2018},
author = {Al-Asadi, H and Dey, KK and Novembre, J and Stephens, M},
title = {Inference and visualization of DNA damage patterns using a Grade of Membership Model.},
journal = {Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/bioinformatics/bty779},
pmid = {30192911},
issn = {1367-4811},
abstract = {Motivation: Quality control plays a major role in the analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA). One key step in this quality control is assessment of DNA damage: aDNA contains unique signatures of DNA damage that distinguish it from modern DNA, and so analyses of damage patterns can help confirmthat DNA sequences obtained are from endogenous aDNA rather than from modern contamination. Predominant signatures of DNA damage include a high frequency of cytosine to thymine substitutions (C-to-T) at the ends of fragments, and elevated rates of purines (A & G) before the 5' strand-breaks. Existing QC procedures help assess damage by simply plotting for each sample, the C-to-T mismatch rate along the read and the composition of bases before the 5' strand-breaks. Here we present a more flexible and comprehensive model-based approach to infer and visualize damage patterns in aDNA, implemented in an R package aRchaic. This approach is based on a "grade of membership" model (also known as "admixture" or "topic" model) in which each sample has an estimated grade of membership in each of K damage profiles that are estimated from the data.

Results: We illustrate aRchaic on data from several aDNA studies and modern individuals from 1000 Genomes Project Consortium (2012). Here, aRchaic clearly distinguishes modern from ancient samples irrespective of DNA extraction, lab and sequencing protocols. Additionally, through an in-silico contamination experiment, we show that the aRchaic grades of membership reflect relative levels of exogenous modern contamination. Together, the outputs of aRchaic provide a concise visual summary of DNA damage patterns, as well as other processes generating mismatches in the data.

Availability: aRchaic is available for download from https://www.github.com/kkdey/aRchaic.

Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.},
}

@article {pmid30191172,
year = {2018},
author = {O'Sullivan, N and Posth, C and Coia, V and Schuenemann, VJ and Price, TD and Wahl, J and Pinhasi, R and Zink, A and Krause, J and Maixner, F},
title = {Ancient genome-wide analyses infer kinship structure in an Early Medieval Alemannic graveyard.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {4},
number = {9},
pages = {eaao1262},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aao1262},
pmid = {30191172},
issn = {2375-2548},
abstract = {From historical and archeological records, it is posited that the European medieval household was a combination of close relatives and recruits. However, this kinship structure has not yet been directly tested at a genomic level on medieval burials. The early 7th century CE burial at Niederstotzingen, discovered in 1962, is the most complete and richest example of Alemannic funerary practice in Germany. Excavations found 13 individuals who were buried with an array of inscribed bridle gear, jewelry, armor, and swords. These artifacts support the view that the individuals had contact with France, northern Italy, and Byzantium. This study analyzed genome-wide sequences recovered from the remains, in tandem with analysis of the archeological context, to reconstruct kinship and the extent of outside contact. Eleven individuals had sufficient DNA preservation to genetically sex them as male and identify nine unique mitochondrial haplotypes and two distinct Y chromosome lineages. Genome-wide analyses were performed on eight individuals to estimate genetic affiliation to modern west Eurasians and genetic kinship at the burial. Five individuals were direct relatives. Three other individuals were not detectably related; two of these showed genomic affinity to southern Europeans. The genetic makeup of the individuals shares no observable pattern with their orientation in the burial or the cultural association of their grave goods, with the five related individuals buried with grave goods associated with three diverse cultural origins. These findings support the idea that not only were kinship and fellowship held in equal regard: Diverse cultural appropriation was practiced among closely related individuals as well.},
}

@article {pmid30187463,
year = {2018},
author = {Leonardi, M and Sandionigi, A and Conzato, A and Vai, S and Lari, M and Tassi, F and Ghirotto, S and Caramelli, D and Barbujani, G},
title = {The female ancestor's tale: Long-term matrilineal continuity in a nonisolated region of Tuscany.},
journal = {American journal of physical anthropology},
volume = {167},
number = {3},
pages = {497-506},
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23679},
pmid = {30187463},
issn = {1096-8644},
abstract = {OBJECTIVES: With the advent of ancient DNA analyses, it has been possible to disentangle the contribution of ancient populations to the genetic pool of the modern inhabitants of many regions. Reconstructing the maternal ancestry has often highlighted genetic continuity over several millennia, but almost always in isolated areas. Here we analyze North-western Tuscany, a region that was a corridor of exchanges between Central Italy and the Western Mediterranean coast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We newly obtained mitochondrial HVRI sequences from 28 individuals, and after gathering published data, we collected genetic information for 119 individuals from the region. Those span five periods during the last 5,000 years: Prehistory, Etruscan age, Roman age, Renaissance, and Present-day. We used serial coalescent simulations in an approximate Bayesian computation framework to test for continuity between the mentioned groups.

RESULTS: Our analyses always favor continuity over discontinuity for all groups considered, with the Etruscans being part of the genealogy. Moreover, the posterior distributions of the parameters support very small female effective population sizes.

CONCLUSIONS: The observed signals of long-term genetic continuity and isolation are in contrast with the history of the region, conquered several times (Etruscans, Romans, Lombards, and French). While the Etruscans appear as a local population, intermediate between the prehistoric and the other samples, we suggest that the other conquerors-arriving from far-had a consistent social or sex bias, hence only marginally affecting the maternal lineages. At the same time, our results show that long-term genealogical continuity is not necessarily linked to geographical isolation.},
}

@article {pmid30183732,
year = {2018},
author = {Guedes, L and Jaeger, LH and Liryo, A and Rodrigues-Carvalho, C and Mendonça de Souza, S and Iñiguez, AM},
title = {Tuberculosis in post-contact Native Americans of Brazil: Paleopathological and paleogenetic evidence from the Tenetehara-Guajajara.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {13},
number = {9},
pages = {e0202394},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0202394},
pmid = {30183732},
issn = {1932-6203},
abstract = {Tuberculosis (TB) has been described in Native American populations prior to the arrival of European explorers, and in Brazilian populations dating from the Colonial Period. There are no studies demonstrating TB infection in native Brazilians, and the history and epidemiological scenario of TB in Brazil is still unknown. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of TB infection among the native Tenetehara-Guajajara population from Maranhão State, Brazil, 210 ± 40 years ago. A Tenetehara-Guajajara skeleton collection was submitted to paleopathological analysis, and rib bone samples (n = 17) were used for paleogenetic analysis based on Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) targets. Porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia were found in 10 and 13 individuals, respectively. Maternal ancestry analysis revealed Native American mtDNA haplogroups A and C1 in three individuals. Three samples showed osteological evidence suggestive of TB. katG and mtp40 sequences were detected in three individuals, indicating probable TB infection by two MTC lineages. Tuberculosis infection in the Tenetehara-Guajajara population since the 18th century points to a panorama of the disease resulting, most probably, from European contact. However, the important contribution of African slaves in the population of Maranhão State, could be also considered as a source of the disease. This study provides new data on TB during the Brazilian Colonial Period. This is the first report integrating paleopathological and paleogenetic data for the study of TB in Brazil.},
}

@article {pmid30160314,
year = {2018},
author = {Lang, PLM and Willems, FM and Scheepens, JF and Burbano, HA and Bossdorf, O},
title = {Using herbaria to study global environmental change.},
journal = {The New phytologist},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/nph.15401},
pmid = {30160314},
issn = {1469-8137},
abstract = {During the last centuries, humans have transformed global ecosystems. With their temporal dimension, herbaria provide the otherwise scarce long-term data crucial for tracking ecological and evolutionary changes over this period of intense global change. The sheer size of herbaria, together with their increasing digitization and the possibility of sequencing DNA from the preserved plant material, makes them invaluable resources for understanding ecological and evolutionary species' responses to global environmental change. Following the chronology of global change, we highlight how herbaria can inform about long-term effects on plants of at least four of the main drivers of global change: pollution, habitat change, climate change and invasive species. We summarize how herbarium specimens so far have been used in global change research, discuss future opportunities and challenges posed by the nature of these data, and advocate for an intensified use of these 'windows into the past' for global change research and beyond.},
}

@article {pmid30159882,
year = {2018},
author = {Skelly, E and Kapellas, K and Cooper, A and Weyrich, LS},
title = {Consequences of colonialism: A microbial perspective to contemporary Indigenous health.},
journal = {American journal of physical anthropology},
volume = {167},
number = {2},
pages = {423-437},
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23637},
pmid = {30159882},
issn = {1096-8644},
support = {DE150101574//Australian Research Council/ ; },
abstract = {Nearly all Indigenous populations today suffer from worse health than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and despite interventions against known factors, this health "gap" has not improved. The human microbiome-the beneficial, diverse microbial communities that live on and within the human body-is a crucial component in developing and maintaining normal physiological health. Disrupting this ecosystem has repercussions for microbial functionality, and thus, human health. In this article, we propose that modern-day Indigenous population health may suffer from disrupted microbial ecosystems as a consequence of historical colonialism. Colonialism may have interrupted the established relationships between the environment, traditional lifeways, and microbiomes, altering the Indigenous microbiome with detrimental health consequences.},
}

@article {pmid30158639,
year = {2018},
author = {Eisenmann, S and Bánffy, E and van Dommelen, P and Hofmann, KP and Maran, J and Lazaridis, I and Mittnik, A and McCormick, M and Krause, J and Reich, D and Stockhammer, PW},
title = {Reconciling material cultures in archaeology with genetic data: The nomenclature of clusters emerging from archaeogenomic analysis.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
pages = {13003},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-31123-z},
pmid = {30158639},
issn = {2045-2322},
abstract = {Genome-wide ancient DNA analysis of skeletons retrieved from archaeological excavations has provided a powerful new tool for the investigation of past populations and migrations. An important objective for the coming years is to properly integrate ancient genomics into archaeological research. This article aims to contribute to developing a better understanding and cooperation between the two disciplines and beyond. It focuses on the question of how best to name clusters encountered when analysing the genetic makeup of past human populations. Recent studies have frequently borrowed archaeological cultural designations to name these genetic groups, while neglecting the historically problematic nature of the concept of cultures in archaeology. After reviewing current practices in naming genetic clusters, we introduce three possible nomenclature systems ('numeric system', 'mixed system (a)', 'geographic-temporal system') along with their advantages and challenges.},
}

@article {pmid30154815,
year = {2018},
author = {Bernardi, J and Stagnati, L and Lucini, L and Rocchetti, G and Lanubile, A and Cortellini, C and De Poli, G and Busconi, M and Marocco, A},
title = {Phenolic Profile and Susceptibility to Fusarium Infection of Pigmented Maize Cultivars.},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
volume = {9},
number = {},
pages = {1189},
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2018.01189},
pmid = {30154815},
issn = {1664-462X},
abstract = {Maize is a staple food source in the world, whose ancient varieties or landraces are receiving a growing attention. In this work, two Italian maize cultivars with pigmented kernels and one inbred line were investigated for untargeted phenolic profile, in vitro antioxidant capacity and resistance to Fusariumverticillioides infection. "Rostrato Rosso" was the richest in anthocyanins whilst phenolic acids were the second class in abundance, with comparable values detected between cultivars. Tyrosol equivalents were also the highest in "Rostrato Rosso" (822.4 mg kg-1). Coherently, "Rostrato Rosso" was highly resistant to fungal penetration and diffusion. These preliminary findings might help in breeding programs, aiming to develop maize lines more resistant to infections and with improved nutraceutical value.},
}

@article {pmid30152893,
year = {2018},
author = {Poyntz, HC and Jones, A and Jauregui, R and Young, W and Gestin, A and Mooney, A and Lamiable, O and Altermann, E and Schmidt, A and Gasser, O and Weyrich, L and Jolly, CJ and Linterman, MA and Gros, GL and Hawkins, ED and Forbes-Blom, E},
title = {Genetic regulation of antibody responsiveness to immunization in substrains of BALB/c mice.},
journal = {Immunology and cell biology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/imcb.12199},
pmid = {30152893},
issn = {1440-1711},
support = {1067891//National Health and Medical Research Council/ ; 1051820//National Health and Medical Research Council/ ; //Ministry of Business, Industry and Employment/ ; //High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge/ ; BBS/E/B/000C0407//Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BBS/E/B/000C0409//Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; },
abstract = {Antibody-mediated immunity is highly protective against disease. The majority of current vaccines confer protection through humoral immunity, but there is high variability in responsiveness across populations. Identifying immune mechanisms that mediate low antibody responsiveness may provide potential strategies to boost vaccine efficacy. Here, we report diverse antibody responsiveness to unadjuvanted as well as adjuvanted immunization in substrains of BALB/c mice, resulting in high and low antibody response phenotypes. Furthermore, these antibody phenotypes were not affected by changes in environmental factors such as the gut microbiota composition. Antigen-specific B cells following immunization had a marked difference in capability to class switch, resulting in perturbed IgG isotype antibody production. In vitro, a B-cell intrinsic defect in the regulation of class-switch recombination was identified in mice with low IgG antibody production. Whole genome sequencing identified polymorphisms associated with the magnitude of antibody produced, and we propose candidate genes that may regulate isotype class-switching capability. This study highlights that mice sourced from different vendors can have significantly altered humoral immune response profiles, and provides a resource to interrogate genetic regulators of antibody responsiveness. Together these results further our understanding of immune heterogeneity and suggest additional research on the genetic influences of adjuvanted vaccine strategies is warranted for enhancing vaccine efficacy.},
}

@article {pmid30146150,
year = {2018},
author = {Krzewińska, M and Kjellström, A and Günther, T and Hedenstierna-Jonson, C and Zachrisson, T and Omrak, A and Yaka, R and Kılınç, GM and Somel, M and Sobrado, V and Evans, J and Knipper, C and Jakobsson, M and Storå, J and Götherström, A},
title = {Genomic and Strontium Isotope Variation Reveal Immigration Patterns in a Viking Age Town.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {28},
number = {17},
pages = {2730-2738.e10},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.053},
pmid = {30146150},
issn = {1879-0445},
abstract = {The impact of human mobility on the northern European urban populations during the Viking and Early Middle Ages and its repercussions in Scandinavia itself are still largely unexplored. Our study of the demographics in the final phase of the Viking era is the first comprehensive multidisciplinary investigation that includes genetics, isotopes, archaeology, and osteology on a larger scale. This early Christian dataset is particularly important as the earlier common pagan burial tradition during the Iron Age was cremation, hindering large-scale DNA analyses. We present genome-wide sequence data from 23 individuals from the 10th to 12th century Swedish town of Sigtuna. The data revealed high genetic diversity among the early urban residents. The observed variation exceeds the genetic diversity in distinct modern-day and Iron Age groups of central and northern Europe. Strontium isotope data suggest mixed local and non-local origin of the townspeople. Our results uncover the social system underlying the urbanization process of the Viking World of which mobility was an intricate part and was comparable between males and females. The inhabitants of Sigtuna were heterogeneous in their genetic affinities, probably reflecting both close and distant connections through an established network, confirming that early urbanization processes in northern Europe were driven by migration.},
}

@article {pmid30139851,
year = {2018},
author = {Vogel, G},
title = {Ancient DNA reveals tryst between extinct human species.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6404},
pages = {737},
doi = {10.1126/science.361.6404.737},
pmid = {30139851},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; Bone and Bones ; *DNA, Ancient ; *Extinction, Biological ; Fathers/history ; Female ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Mothers/history ; Neanderthals/*genetics ; Women/*history ; },
}

Animals
*Biological Evolution
Bone and Bones
*DNA, Ancient
*Extinction, Biological
Fathers/history
Female
History, Ancient
Humans
Mothers/history
Neanderthals/*genetics
Women/*history

@article {pmid30130765,
year = {2018},
author = {Senti, S and Habicht, ME and Rayo, E and Eppenberger, PE and Rühli, FJ and Galassi, FM},
title = {Egyptian Canopic Jars at the Crossroad of Medicine and Archaeology: Overview of 100 Years of Research and Future Scientific Expectations.},
journal = {Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {1-9},
doi = {10.1159/000490797},
pmid = {30130765},
issn = {1423-0291},
abstract = {Ancient Egyptian human remains have been of interest in the fields of both medical and Egyptological research for decades. However, canopic jar holders for internal organs (liver, lungs, stomach, intestines) of Egyptian mummies appear to be but a very occasional source of data for such investigations. The few medical approaches focusing on the content of these jars are summarized and listed according to pathogens and diseases to give a structured overview of this field of study. An extensive search of the literature has been conducted from different bibliographic databases with a total of n = 26 studies found. The majority of diseases found consisted of infectious diseases and internal medicine conditions such as schistosomiasis or emphysema. These are just 2 examples of many that, instead of primarily affecting bone, muscle or skin, specifically target internal organs. Hence, a better understanding of the evolution of diseases that still affect mankind could be gained. In conclusion, this reassessment shows that canopic jars represent a highly underestimated source for histological, radiological and ancient DNA examination of Ancient Egyptian remains and should, thus, be more and more brought back into the focus of retrospective medical research.},
}

@article {pmid30127404,
year = {2018},
author = {Harney, É and May, H and Shalem, D and Rohland, N and Mallick, S and Lazaridis, I and Sarig, R and Stewardson, K and Nordenfelt, S and Patterson, N and Hershkovitz, I and Reich, D},
title = {Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {9},
number = {1},
pages = {3336},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-05649-9},
pmid = {30127404},
issn = {2041-1723},
support = {R01 GM100233/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; },
abstract = {The material culture of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (4500-3900/3800 BCE) is qualitatively distinct from previous and subsequent periods. Here, to test the hypothesis that the advent and decline of this culture was influenced by movements of people, we generated genome-wide ancient DNA from 22 individuals from Peqi'in Cave, Israel. These individuals were part of a homogeneous population that can be modeled as deriving ~57% of its ancestry from groups related to those of the local Levant Neolithic, ~17% from groups related to those of the Iran Chalcolithic, and ~26% from groups related to those of the Anatolian Neolithic. The Peqi'in population also appears to have contributed differently to later Bronze Age groups, one of which we show cannot plausibly have descended from the same population as that of Peqi'in Cave. These results provide an example of how population movements propelled cultural changes in the deep past.},
}

@article {pmid30127280,
year = {2018},
author = {Sereno, D and Dorkeld, F and Akhoundi, M and Perrin, P},
title = {Pathogen Species Identification from Metagenomes in Ancient Remains: The Challenge of Identifying Human Pathogenic Species of Trypanosomatidae via Bioinformatic Tools.},
journal = {Genes},
volume = {9},
number = {8},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/genes9080418},
pmid = {30127280},
issn = {2073-4425},
abstract = {Accurate species identification from ancient DNA samples is a difficult task that would shed light on the evolutionary history of pathogenic microorganisms. The field of palaeomicrobiology has undoubtedly benefited from the advent of untargeted metagenomic approaches that use next-generation sequencing methodologies. Nevertheless, assigning ancient DNA at the species level is a challenging process. Recently, the gut microbiome analysis of three pre-Columbian Andean mummies (Santiago-Rodriguez et al., 2016) has called into question the identification of Leishmania in South America. The accurate assignment would be important because it will provide some key elements that are linked to the evolutionary scenario for visceral leishmaniasis agents in South America. Here, we recovered the metagenomic data filed in the metagenomics RAST server (MG-RAST) to identify the different members of the Trypanosomatidae family that have infected these ancient remains. For this purpose, we used the ultrafast metagenomic sequence classifier, based on an exact alignment of k-mers (Kraken) and Bowtie2, an ultrafast and memory-efficient tool for aligning sequencing reads to long reference sequences. The analyses, which have been conducted on the most exhaustive genomic database possible on Trypanosomatidae, show that species assignments could be biased by a lack of some genomic sequences of Trypanosomatidae species (strains). Nevertheless, our work raises the issue of possible co-infections by multiple members of the Trypanosomatidae family in these three pre-Columbian mummies. In the three mummies, we show the presence of DNA that is reminiscent of a probable co-infection with Leptomonas seymouri, a parasite of insect's gut, and Lotmaria.},
}

@article {pmid30125802,
year = {2018},
author = {Hoef-Emden, K},
title = {Revision of the Genus Chroomonas HANSGIRG: The Benefits of DNA-containing Specimens.},
journal = {Protist},
volume = {169},
number = {5},
pages = {662-681},
doi = {10.1016/j.protis.2018.04.005},
pmid = {30125802},
issn = {1618-0941},
abstract = {For years the genus Chroomonas was defined as being a cryptophyte with rectangular periplast plates, with a gullet and with biliprotein types PC 630 or 645. In phylogenetic trees the genus proved to be paraphyletic. Moreover, cells with hexagonal periplast plates were found in an SEM preparation from material of the type species C. nordstedtii. In this study, material of Hansgirg's C. nordstedtii was subjected to PCR and to sequencing of two short DNA tags. These tags allowed for an unambiguous identification of the real C. nordstedtii in the phylogeny of the blue-green cryptophytes. The genus Chroomonas corresponds to subclade 1, whereas subclades 3 and 4 do not belong to Chroomonas, if Hemiselmis is maintained. Additional examination by light and scanning electron microscopy and by spectrophotometry demonstrate that subclade 1 comprises only cells with hexagonal periplast plates and PC 630, whereas rectangular periplast plates are found only in subclades 3 and 4. Consequently the genus Chroomonas and its type species, C. nordstedtii, are revised and two novel species, C. debatzensis and C. gentoftensis sp. nov., are described.},
}

@article {pmid30122150,
year = {2018},
author = {Mallard, F and Nolte, V and Tobler, R and Kapun, M and Schlötterer, C},
title = {A simple genetic basis of adaptation to a novel thermal environment results in complex metabolic rewiring in Drosophila.},
journal = {Genome biology},
volume = {19},
number = {1},
pages = {119},
doi = {10.1186/s13059-018-1503-4},
pmid = {30122150},
issn = {1474-760X},
support = {W 1225//Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; 294485//European Research Council/International ; H2020-MSCA-IF-661149//H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions/International ; ArchAdapt//FP7 Ideas: European Research Council/International ; W1225//Austrian Science Fund/International ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Population genetic theory predicts that rapid adaptation is largely driven by complex traits encoded by many loci of small effect. Because large-effect loci are quickly fixed in natural populations, they should not contribute much to rapid adaptation.

RESULTS: To investigate the genetic architecture of thermal adaptation - a highly complex trait - we performed experimental evolution on a natural Drosophila simulans population. Transcriptome and respiration measurements reveal extensive metabolic rewiring after only approximately 60 generations in a hot environment. Analysis of genome-wide polymorphisms identifies two interacting selection targets, Sestrin and SNF4Aγ, pointing to AMPK, a central metabolic switch, as a key factor for thermal adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that large-effect loci segregating at intermediate allele frequencies can allow natural populations to rapidly respond to selection. Because SNF4Aγ also exhibits clinal variation in various Drosophila species, we suggest that this large-effect polymorphism is maintained by temporal and spatial temperature variation in natural environments.},
}

@article {pmid30121342,
year = {2018},
author = {Bover, P and Llamas, B and Thomson, VA and Pons, J and Cooper, A and Mitchell, KJ},
title = {Molecular resolution to a morphological controversy: The case of North American fossil muskoxen Bootherium and Symbos.},
journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution},
volume = {129},
number = {},
pages = {70-76},
doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2018.08.008},
pmid = {30121342},
issn = {1095-9513},
abstract = {The musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) is the only surviving member of a group of Pleistocene North American musk ox genera (Praeovibos, Ovibos, Bootherium, Euceratherium, and Soergelia) whose taxonomy is uncertain. The helmeted musk ox (Bootherium bombifrons) and the woodland musk ox (Symbos cavifrons) have been synonymised as male and female forms of a single Nearctic species found from Alaska, in the north, to Texas, in the south. However, this reclassification has not been tested using molecular data, despite the potential to use ancient DNA to examine these late Pleistocene taxa. In the present study, we sequenced mitochondrial genomes from seven subfossil musk ox specimens (originally identified as Bootherium and/or Symbos), allowing us to evaluate the identity of these muskoxen, explore their phylogeography, and estimate the timeline for their evolution. We also used nuclear genomic data to determine the sex of six of our seven samples. Ultimately, our molecular data support the synonymisation of the North American muskoxen Bootherium and Symbos.},
}

@article {pmid30108597,
year = {2018},
author = {Zhu, B and Li, H and Wen, J and Mysore, KS and Wang, X and Pei, Y and Niu, L and Lin, H},
title = {Functional Specialization of Duplicated AGAMOUS Homologs in Regulating Floral Organ Development of Medicago truncatula.},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
volume = {9},
number = {},
pages = {854},
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2018.00854},
pmid = {30108597},
issn = {1664-462X},
abstract = {The C function gene AGAMOUS (AG) encodes for a MADS-box transcription factor required for floral organ identity and floral meristem (FM) determinacy in angiosperms. Unlike Arabidopsis, most legume plants possess two AG homologs arose by an ancient genome duplication event. Recently, two euAGAMOUS genes, MtAGa and MtAGb, were characterized and shown to fulfill the C function activity in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Here, we reported the isolation and characterization of a new mtaga allele by screening the Medicago Tnt1 insertion mutant collection. We found that MtAGa was not only required for controlling the stamen and carpel identity but also affected pod and seed development. Genetic analysis indicated that MtAGa and MtAGb redundantly control Medicago floral organ identity, but have minimal distinct functions in regulating stamen and carpel development in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, the stamens and carpels are mostly converted to numerous vexillum-like petals in the double mutant of mtaga mtagb, which is distinguished from Arabidopsis ag. Further qRT-PCR analysis in different mtag mutants revealed that MtAGa and MtAGb can repress the expression of putative A and B function genes as well as MtWUS, but promote putative D function genes expression in M. truncatula. In addition, we found that the abnormal dorsal petal phenotype observed in the mtaga mtagb double mutant is associated with the upregulation of CYCLOIDEA (CYC)-like TCP genes. Taken together, our data suggest that the redundant MtAGa and MtAGb genes of M. truncatula employ a conserved mechanism of action similar to Arabidopsis in determining floral organ identity and FM determinacy but may have evolved distinct function in regulating floral symmetry by coordinating with specific floral dorsoventral identity factors.},
}

@article {pmid30107783,
year = {2018},
author = {Cruz-Dávalos, DI and Nieves-Colón, MA and Sockell, A and Poznik, GD and Schroeder, H and Stone, AC and Bustamante, CD and Malaspinas, AS and Ávila-Arcos, MC},
title = {In-solution Y-chromosome capture-enrichment on ancient DNA libraries.},
journal = {BMC genomics},
volume = {19},
number = {1},
pages = {608},
doi = {10.1186/s12864-018-4945-x},
pmid = {30107783},
issn = {1471-2164},
support = {IA206817//Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México/ ; FP7/2007-2013, grant no. 290344, EUROTAST//European Research Council/International ; },
mesh = {*Chromosomes, Human, Y ; DNA, Ancient/*analysis/*isolation & purification ; *Gene Library ; Genomics ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/*methods ; Whole Genome Sequencing/*methods ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: As most ancient biological samples have low levels of endogenous DNA, it is advantageous to enrich for specific genomic regions prior to sequencing. One approach-in-solution capture-enrichment-retrieves sequences of interest and reduces the fraction of microbial DNA. In this work, we implement a capture-enrichment approach targeting informative regions of the Y chromosome in six human archaeological remains excavated in the Caribbean and dated between 200 and 3000 years BP. We compare the recovery rate of Y-chromosome capture (YCC) alone, whole-genome capture followed by YCC (WGC + YCC) versus non-enriched (pre-capture) libraries.

RESULTS: The six samples show different levels of initial endogenous content, with very low (< 0.05%, 4 samples) or low (0.1-1.54%, 2 samples) percentages of sequenced reads mapping to the human genome. We recover 12-9549 times more targeted unique Y-chromosome sequences after capture, where 0.0-6.2% (WGC + YCC) and 0.0-23.5% (YCC) of the sequence reads were on-target, compared to 0.0-0.00003% pre-capture. In samples with endogenous DNA content greater than 0.1%, we found that WGC followed by YCC (WGC + YCC) yields lower enrichment due to the loss of complexity in consecutive capture experiments, whereas in samples with lower endogenous content, the libraries' initial low complexity leads to minor proportions of Y-chromosome reads. Finally, increasing recovery of informative sites enabled us to assign Y-chromosome haplogroups to some of the archeological remains and gain insights about their paternal lineages and origins.

CONCLUSIONS: We present to our knowledge the first in-solution capture-enrichment method targeting the human Y-chromosome in aDNA sequencing libraries. YCC and WGC + YCC enrichments lead to an increase in the amount of Y-DNA sequences, as compared to libraries not enriched for the Y-chromosome. Our probe design effectively recovers regions of the Y-chromosome bearing phylogenetically informative sites, allowing us to identify paternal lineages with less sequencing than needed for pre-capture libraries. Finally, we recommend considering the endogenous content in the experimental design and avoiding consecutive rounds of capture, as clonality increases considerably with each round.},
}

*Chromosomes, Human, Y
DNA, Ancient/*analysis/*isolation & purification
*Gene Library
Genomics
History, Ancient
Humans
Sequence Analysis, DNA/*methods
Whole Genome Sequencing/*methods

@article {pmid30104352,
year = {2018},
author = {George, RJ and Plog, S and Watson, AS and Schmidt, KL and Culleton, BJ and Harper, TK and Gilman, PA and LeBlanc, SA and Amato, G and Whiteley, P and Kistler, L and Kennett, DJ},
title = {Archaeogenomic evidence from the southwestern US points to a pre-Hispanic scarlet macaw breeding colony.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {35},
pages = {8740-8745},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1805856115},
pmid = {30104352},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Animals ; *Breeding ; *Fossils ; *Models, Biological ; Parrots/*physiology ; Phylogeography ; Southwestern United States ; },
abstract = {Hundreds of scarlet macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera) skeletons have been recovered from archaeological contexts in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico (SW/NW). The location of these skeletons, >1,000 km outside their Neotropical endemic range, has suggested a far-reaching pre-Hispanic acquisition network. Clear evidence for scarlet macaw breeding within this network is only known from the settlement of Paquimé in NW dating between 1250 and 1450 CE. Although some scholars have speculated on the probable existence of earlier breeding centers in the SW/NW region, there has been no supporting evidence. In this study, we performed an ancient DNA analysis of scarlet macaws recovered from archaeological sites in Chaco Canyon and the contemporaneous Mimbres area of New Mexico. All samples were directly radiocarbon dated between 900 and 1200 CE. We reconstructed complete or near-complete mitochondrial genome sequences of 14 scarlet macaws from five different sites. We observed remarkably low genetic diversity in this sample, consistent with breeding of a small founder population translocated outside their natural range. Phylogeographic comparisons of our ancient DNA mitogenomes with mitochondrial sequences from macaws collected during the last 200 years from their endemic Neotropical range identified genetic affinity between the ancient macaws and a single rare haplogroup (Haplo6) observed only among wild macaws in Mexico and northern Guatemala. Our results suggest that people at an undiscovered pre-Hispanic settlement dating between 900 and 1200 CE managed a macaw breeding colony outside their endemic range and distributed these symbolically important birds through the SW.},
}

Animals
*Breeding
*Fossils
*Models, Biological
Parrots/*physiology
Phylogeography
Southwestern United States

@article {pmid30101195,
year = {2018},
author = {Potter, BA and Baichtal, JF and Beaudoin, AB and Fehren-Schmitz, L and Haynes, CV and Holliday, VT and Holmes, CE and Ives, JW and Kelly, RL and Llamas, B and Malhi, RS and Miller, DS and Reich, D and Reuther, JD and Schiffels, S and Surovell, TA},
title = {Current evidence allows multiple models for the peopling of the Americas.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {4},
number = {8},
pages = {eaat5473},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aat5473},
pmid = {30101195},
issn = {2375-2548},
abstract = {Some recent academic and popular literature implies that the problem of the colonization of the Americas has been largely resolved in favor of one specific model: a Pacific coastal migration, dependent on high marine productivity, from the Bering Strait to South America, thousands of years before Clovis, the earliest widespread cultural manifestation south of the glacial ice. Speculations on maritime adaptations and typological links (stemmed points) across thousands of kilometers have also been advanced. A review of the current genetic, archeological, and paleoecological evidence indicates that ancestral Native American population expansion occurred after 16,000 years ago, consistent with the archeological record, particularly with the earliest securely dated sites after ~15,000 years ago. These data are largely consistent with either an inland (ice-free corridor) or Pacific coastal routes (or both), but neither can be rejected at present. Systematic archeological and paleoecological investigations, informed by geomorphology, are required to test each hypothesis.},
}

@article {pmid30099804,
year = {2018},
author = {Iliescu, FM and Chaplin, G and Rai, N and Jacobs, GS and Basu Mallick, C and Mishra, A and Thangaraj, K and Jablonski, NG},
title = {The influences of genes, the environment, and social factors on the evolution of skin color diversity in India.},
journal = {American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council},
volume = {30},
number = {5},
pages = {e23170},
doi = {10.1002/ajhb.23170},
pmid = {30099804},
issn = {1520-6300},
support = {//Darwin Trust of Edinburgh/ ; //Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; //Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship/ ; RG47772//UK-India Education Research Initiative/ ; },
abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Skin color is a highly visible and variable trait across human populations. It is not yet clear how evolutionary forces interact to generate phenotypic diversity. Here, we sought to unravel through an integrative framework the role played by three factors-demography and migration, sexual selection, and natural selection-in driving skin color diversity in India.

METHODS: Skin reflectance data were collected from 10 diverse socio-cultural populations along the latitudinal expanse of India, including both sexes. We first looked at how skin color varies within and between these populations. Second, we compared patterns of sexual dimorphism in skin color. Third, we studied the influence of ultraviolet radiation on skin color throughout India. Finally, we attempted to disentangle the interactions between these factors in the context of available genetic data.

RESULTS: We found that the relative importance of these forces varied between populations. Social factors and population structure have played a stronger role than natural selection in shaping skin color diversity across India. Phenotypic overprinting resulted from additional genetic mutations overriding the skin lightening effect of variants such as the SLC24A5 rs1426654-A allele in some populations, in the context of the variable influence of sexual selection. Furthermore, specific genotypes are not associated reliably with specific skin color phenotypes. This result has relevance for DNA forensics and ancient DNA research.

CONCLUSIONS: India is a crucible of macro- and micro-evolutionary forces, and the complex interactions of physical and social forces are visible in the patterns of skin color seen today in the country.},
}

@article {pmid30089624,
year = {2018},
author = {Star, B and Barrett, JH and Gondek, AT and Boessenkool, S},
title = {Ancient DNA reveals the chronology of walrus ivory trade from Norse Greenland.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {285},
number = {1884},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2018.0978},
pmid = {30089624},
issn = {1471-2954},
abstract = {The importance of the Atlantic walrus ivory trade for the colonization, peak, and collapse of the medieval Norse colonies on Greenland has been extensively debated. Nevertheless, no studies have directly traced medieval European ivory back to distinct Arctic populations of walrus. Analysing the entire mitogenomes of 37 archaeological specimens from Europe, Svalbard, and Greenland, we here discover that Atlantic walrus comprises two monophyletic mitochondrial (MT) clades, which diverged between 23 400 and 251 120 years ago. Our improved genomic resolution allows us to reinterpret the geographical distribution of partial MT data from 306 modern and nineteenth-century specimens, finding that one of these clades was exclusively accessible to Greenlanders. With this discovery, we ascertain the biological origin of 23 archaeological specimens from Europe (most dated between 900 and 1400 CE). These results reveal a significant shift in trade from an early, predominantly eastern source towards a near exclusive representation of Greenland ivory. Our study provides empirical evidence for how this remote Arctic resource was progressively integrated into a medieval pan-European trade network, contributing to both the resilience and vulnerability of Norse Greenland society.},
}

@article {pmid30082377,
year = {2018},
author = {O'Connell, JF and Allen, J and Williams, MAJ and Williams, AN and Turney, CSM and Spooner, NA and Kamminga, J and Brown, G and Cooper, A},
title = {When did Homo sapiens first reach Southeast Asia and Sahul?.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {34},
pages = {8482-8490},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1808385115},
pmid = {30082377},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Africa ; Archaeology ; Asia ; History, Ancient ; Human Migration/*history ; Humans ; },
abstract = {Anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens, AMH) began spreading across Eurasia from Africa and adjacent Southwest Asia about 50,000-55,000 years ago (ca 50-55 ka). Some have argued that human genetic, fossil, and archaeological data indicate one or more prior dispersals, possibly as early as 120 ka. A recently reported age estimate of 65 ka for Madjedbebe, an archaeological site in northern Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea), if correct, offers what might be the strongest support yet presented for a pre-55-ka African AMH exodus. We review evidence for AMH arrival on an arc spanning South China through Sahul and then evaluate data from Madjedbebe. We find that an age estimate of >50 ka for this site is unlikely to be valid. While AMH may have moved far beyond Africa well before 50-55 ka, data from the region of interest offered in support of this idea are not compelling.},
}

Africa
Archaeology
Asia
History, Ancient
Human Migration/*history
Humans

@article {pmid30079081,
year = {2018},
author = {Shriner, D},
title = {Re-analysis of Whole Genome Sequence Data From 279 Ancient Eurasians Reveals Substantial Ancestral Heterogeneity.},
journal = {Frontiers in genetics},
volume = {9},
number = {},
pages = {268},
doi = {10.3389/fgene.2018.00268},
pmid = {30079081},
issn = {1664-8021},
support = {ZIA HG200362/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; },
abstract = {Supervised clustering or projection analysis is a staple technique in population genetic analysis. The utility of this technique depends critically on the reference panel. The most commonly used reference panel in the analysis of ancient DNA to date is based on the Human Origins array. We previously described a larger reference panel that captures more ancestries on the global level. Here, I reanalyzed DNA data from 279 ancient Eurasians using our reference panel. I found substantially more ancestral heterogeneity than has been reported. Reanalysis provides evidence against a resurgence of Western hunter-gatherer ancestry in the Middle to Late Neolithic and evidence for a common ancestor of farmers characterized by Western Asian ancestry, a transition of the spread of agriculture from demic to cultural diffusion, at least two migrations between the Pontic-Caspian steppes and Bronze Age Europe, and a sub-Saharan African component in Natufians that localizes to present-day southern Ethiopia.},
}

@article {pmid30076235,
year = {2018},
author = {Park, SW and Dushoff, J and Earn, DJD and Poinar, H and Bolker, BM},
title = {Human ectoparasite transmission of the plague during the Second Pandemic is only weakly supported by proposed mathematical models.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {34},
pages = {E7892-E7893},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1809775115},
pmid = {30076235},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; *Pandemics ; Plague/*epidemiology ; Yersinia pestis ; },
}

Disease Outbreaks
Humans
Models, Theoretical
*Pandemics
Plague/*epidemiology
Yersinia pestis

@article {pmid30065103,
year = {2018},
author = {Larmuseau, MHD and Bodner, M},
title = {The biological relevance of a medieval king's DNA.},
journal = {Biochemical Society transactions},
volume = {46},
number = {4},
pages = {1013-1020},
doi = {10.1042/BST20170173},
pmid = {30065103},
issn = {1470-8752},
abstract = {The discovery of the presumably lost grave of the controversial English king Richard III in Leicester (U.K.) was one of the most important archaeological achievements of the last decennium. The skeleton was identified beyond reasonable doubt, mainly by the match of mitochondrial DNA to that of living maternal relatives, along with the specific archaeological context. Since the genetic genealogical analysis only involved the DNA sequences of a single 15th century individual and a few reference persons, biologists might consider this investigation a mere curiosity. This mini-review shows that the unique context of a historical king's DNA also has relevance for biological research per se - in addition to the more obvious historical, societal and educational value. In the first place, the historical identification appeared to be a renewed forensic case realising a conservative statement with statistical power based on genetic and non-genetic data, including discordant elements. Secondly, the observation of historical non-paternity events within Richard III's patrilineage has given rise to new research questions about potential factors influencing the extra-pair paternity rate in humans and the importance of biological relatedness for the legal recognition of a child in the past. Thirdly, the identification of a named and dated skeleton with the known historical context serves as a reference for bioarchaeological investigations and studies on the spatio-temporal distribution of particular genetic variance. Finally, the Richard III case revealed privacy issues for living relatives which appear to be inherent to any publication of genetic genealogical data.},
}

@article {pmid30053542,
year = {2018},
author = {Leles, D and Cascardo, P and Pucu, E and Brener, B and Sudré, A and Alves, E and Uchoa, F and Fajardo, P and Millar, P and Mattos, D and Chame, M and Cartelle, C},
title = {Methodological innovations for the study of irreplaceable samples reveal giardiasis in extinct animals (Nothrotherium maquinense and Palaeolama maior).},
journal = {Parasitology international},
volume = {67},
number = {6},
pages = {776-780},
doi = {10.1016/j.parint.2018.07.011},
pmid = {30053542},
issn = {1873-0329},
abstract = {The use of diagnostic methods that prevent irreplaceable samples (from museum collections, archaeological and paleontological samples) of being consumed or that increase their yield is relevant. For museum collections, archaeological and paleontological samples it is essential to conserve samples, subsamples or portions for future research. We are addressing methods for conservation of irreplaceable samples that could be fully consumed. Innovations in methodologies that are used in studies of Paleoparasitology and Paleomicrobiology will contribute to the preservation of collections. Therefore, to the development of archaeology and paleontology in the future, we evaluated whether the discarded material of the immunochromatography test could be used for molecular diagnosis and vice versa. We used a genotyped experimental coprolite positive for Giardia duodenalis. The diagnosis was positive for giardiasis in both cases. This methodology can be corroborated with the coprolite of a Paleolama maior (extinct llama) previously diagnosed for G. duodenalis with an immunoenzymatic test. The residue of the pre-digestion step of the DNA extraction before adding Proteinase K was confirmed positive with the immunochromatographic test. Also, the DNA extraction residue from a coprolite of Nothrotherium maquinense (ground sloth) was tested positive with immunochromatographic test for G. duodenalis. These are the oldest findings for G. duodenalis confirming that this intestinal parasite occurred among Northeastern Brazilian Megafauna animals from the late Pleistocene period, correlated to human occupation. The relevance of these results will allow the study by different methodological approaches from a small amount of material, reusing discarded materials.},
}

@article {pmid30051821,
year = {2018},
author = {Rodrigues, ASL and Charpentier, A and Bernal-Casasola, D and Gardeisen, A and Nores, C and Pis Millán, JA and McGrath, K and Speller, CF},
title = {Forgotten Mediterranean calving grounds of grey and North Atlantic right whales: evidence from Roman archaeological records.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {285},
number = {1882},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2018.0961},
pmid = {30051821},
issn = {1471-2954},
abstract = {Right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) were extirpated from the eastern North Atlantic by commercial whaling. Grey whales (Eschrichtius robustus) disappeared from the entire North Atlantic in still-mysterious circumstances. Here, we test the hypotheses that both species previously occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, an area not currently considered part of their historical range. We used ancient DNA barcoding and collagen fingerprinting methods to taxonomically identify a rare set of 10 presumed whale bones from Roman and pre-Roman archaeological sites in the Strait of Gibraltar region, plus an additional bone from the Asturian coast. We identified three right whales, and three grey whales, demonstrating that the ranges of both of these species historically encompassed the Gibraltar region, probably including the Mediterranean Sea as calving grounds. Our results significantly extend the known range of the Atlantic grey whale, and suggest that 2000 years ago, right and grey whales were common when compared with other whale species. The disappearance of right and grey whales from the Mediterranean region is likely to have been accompanied by broader ecosystem impacts, including the disappearance of their predators (killer whales) and a reduction in marine primary productivity. The evidence that these two coastal and highly accessible species were present along the shores of the Roman Empire raises the hypothesis that they may have formed the basis of a forgotten whaling industry.},
}

@article {pmid30047322,
year = {2017},
author = {Long, J},
title = {Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past, by David Reich.},
journal = {Human biology},
volume = {89},
number = {4},
pages = {303-304},
pmid = {30047322},
issn = {1534-6617},
}

@article {pmid30037043,
year = {2018},
author = {Honka, J and Heino, MT and Kvist, L and Askeyev, IV and Shaymuratova, DN and Askeyev, OV and Askeyev, AO and Heikkinen, ME and Searle, JB and Aspi, J},
title = {Over a Thousand Years of Evolutionary History of Domestic Geese from Russian Archaeological Sites, Analysed Using Ancient DNA.},
journal = {Genes},
volume = {9},
number = {7},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/genes9070367},
pmid = {30037043},
issn = {2073-4425},
abstract = {The European domestic goose is a widely farmed species known to have descended from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser). However, the evolutionary history of this domesticate is still poorly known. Ancient DNA studies have been useful for many species, but there has been little such work on geese. We have studied temporal genetic variation among domestic goose specimens excavated from Russian archaeological sites (4th⁻18th centuries) using a 204 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region. Specimens fell into three different genetic clades: the domestic D-haplogroup, the F-haplogroup that includes both wild and domestic geese, and a clade comprising another species, the taiga bean goose. Most of the subfossil geese carried typical domestic D-haplotypes. The domestication status of the geese carrying F-haplotypes is less certain, as the haplotypes identified were not present among modern domestic geese and could represent wild geese (misclassified as domestics), introgression from wild geese, or local domestication events. The bones of taiga bean goose were most probably misidentified as domestic goose but the domestication of bean goose or hybridization with domestic goose is also possible. Samples from the 4th to 10th century were clearly differentiated from the later time periods due to a haplotype that was found only in this early period, but otherwise no temporal or geographical variation in haplotype frequencies was apparent.},
}

@article {pmid30035382,
year = {2018},
author = {Kisand, V and Talas, L and Kisand, A and Stivrins, N and Reitalu, T and Alliksaar, T and Vassiljev, J and Liiv, M and Heinsalu, A and Seppä, H and Veski, S},
title = {From microbial eukaryotes to metazoan vertebrates: Wide spectrum paleo-diversity in sedimentary ancient DNA over the last ~14,500 years.},
journal = {Geobiology},
volume = {16},
number = {6},
pages = {628-639},
doi = {10.1111/gbi.12307},
pmid = {30035382},
issn = {1472-4669},
support = {//European Regional Development Fund through the Centre of Excellence in Chemical Biology/International ; //Biotieteiden ja Ympäristön Tutkimuksen Toimikunta/International ; IUT1-8//Eesti Teadusagentuur/International ; IUT21-2//Eesti Teadusagentuur/International ; PUT134//Eesti Teadusagentuur/International ; PUT1389//Eesti Teadusagentuur/International ; //EBOR project, Academy of Finland/International ; },
abstract = {Most studies that utilize ancient DNA have focused on specific groups of organisms or even single species. Instead, the whole biodiversity of eukaryotes can be described using universal phylogenetic marker genes found within well-preserved sediment cores that cover the post-glacial period. Sedimentary ancient DNA samples from Lake Lielais Svētiņu, eastern Latvia, at a core depth of 1,050 cm in ~150 year intervals were used to determine phylotaxonomy in domain Eukaryota. Phylotaxonomic affiliation of >1,200 eukaryotic phylotypes revealed high richness in all major eukaryotic groups-Alveolata, Stramenopiles, Cercozoa, Chlorophyta, Charophyta, Nucletmycea, and Holozoa. The share of organisms that originate from terrestrial ecosystems was about one third, of which the most abundant molecular operational taxonomic units were Fungi and tracheal/vascular plants, which demonstrates the usefulness of using lake sediments to reconstruct the terrestrial paleoecosystems that surround them. Phylotypes that originate from the lake ecosystem belonged to various planktonic organisms; phyto-, proto,- and macrozooplankton, and vascular aquatic plants. We observed greater richness of several planktonic organisms that can be associated with higher trophic status during the warm climate period between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago and an increase in eukaryotic richness possibly associated with moderate human impact over the last 2,000 years.},
}

@article {pmid30035235,
year = {2018},
author = {Velsko, IM and Frantz, LAF and Herbig, A and Larson, G and Warinner, C},
title = {Selection of Appropriate Metagenome Taxonomic Classifiers for Ancient Microbiome Research.},
journal = {mSystems},
volume = {3},
number = {4},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1128/mSystems.00080-18},
pmid = {30035235},
issn = {2379-5077},
support = {//Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 337574//European Research Council/International ; R01 GM089886/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; },
abstract = {Metagenomics enables the study of complex microbial communities from myriad sources, including the remains of oral and gut microbiota preserved in archaeological dental calculus and paleofeces, respectively. While accurate taxonomic assignment is essential to this process, DNA damage characteristic of ancient samples (e.g., reduction in fragment size and cytosine deamination) may reduce the accuracy of read taxonomic assignment. Using a set of in silico-generated metagenomic data sets, we investigated how the addition of ancient DNA (aDNA) damage patterns influences microbial taxonomic assignment by five widely used profilers: QIIME/UCLUST, MetaPhlAn2, MIDAS, CLARK-S, and MALT. In silico-generated data sets were designed to mimic dental plaque, consisting of 40, 100, and 200 microbial species/strains, both with and without simulated aDNA damage patterns. Following taxonomic assignment, the profiles were evaluated for species presence/absence, relative abundance, alpha diversity, beta diversity, and specific taxonomic assignment biases. Unifrac metrics indicated that both MIDAS and MetaPhlAn2 reconstructed the most accurate community structure. QIIME/UCLUST, CLARK-S, and MALT had the highest number of inaccurate taxonomic assignments; false-positive rates were highest by CLARK-S and QIIME/UCLUST. Filtering out species present at <0.1% abundance greatly increased the accuracy of CLARK-S and MALT. All programs except CLARK-S failed to detect some species from the input file that were in their databases. The addition of ancient DNA damage resulted in minimal differences in species detection and relative abundance between simulated ancient and modern data sets for most programs. Overall, taxonomic profiling biases are program specific rather than damage dependent, and the choice of taxonomic classification program should be tailored to specific research questions. IMPORTANCE Ancient biomolecules from oral and gut microbiome samples have been shown to be preserved in the archaeological record. Studying ancient microbiome communities using metagenomic techniques offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectories of microbial communities through time. DNA accumulates specific damage over time, which could potentially affect taxonomic classification and our ability to accurately reconstruct community assemblages. It is therefore necessary to assess whether ancient DNA (aDNA) damage patterns affect metagenomic taxonomic profiling. Here, we assessed biases in community structure, diversity, species detection, and relative abundance estimates by five popular metagenomic taxonomic classification programs using in silico-generated data sets with and without aDNA damage. Damage patterns had minimal impact on the taxonomic profiles produced by each program, while false-positive rates and biases were intrinsic to each program. Therefore, the most appropriate classification program is one that minimizes the biases related to the questions being addressed.},
}

@article {pmid30033331,
year = {2018},
author = {Zhou, Z and Lundstrøm, I and Tran-Dien, A and Duchêne, S and Alikhan, NF and Sergeant, MJ and Langridge, G and Fotakis, AK and Nair, S and Stenøien, HK and Hamre, SS and Casjens, S and Christophersen, A and Quince, C and Thomson, NR and Weill, FX and Ho, SYW and Gilbert, MTP and Achtman, M},
title = {Pan-genome Analysis of Ancient and Modern Salmonella enterica Demonstrates Genomic Stability of the Invasive Para C Lineage for Millennia.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {28},
number = {15},
pages = {2420-2428.e10},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.058},
pmid = {30033331},
issn = {1879-0445},
support = {//Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; MR/M50161X/1//Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; },
abstract = {Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi C causes enteric (paratyphoid) fever in humans. Its presentation can range from asymptomatic infections of the blood stream to gastrointestinal or urinary tract infection or even a fatal septicemia [1]. Paratyphi C is very rare in Europe and North America except for occasional travelers from South and East Asia or Africa, where the disease is more common [2, 3]. However, early 20th-century observations in Eastern Europe [3, 4] suggest that Paratyphi C enteric fever may once have had a wide-ranging impact on human societies. Here, we describe a draft Paratyphi C genome (Ragna) recovered from the 800-year-old skeleton (SK152) of a young woman in Trondheim, Norway. Paratyphi C sequences were recovered from her teeth and bones, suggesting that she died of enteric fever and demonstrating that these bacteria have long caused invasive salmonellosis in Europeans. Comparative analyses against modern Salmonella genome sequences revealed that Paratyphi C is a clade within the Para C lineage, which also includes serovars Choleraesuis, Typhisuis, and Lomita. Although Paratyphi C only infects humans, Choleraesuis causes septicemia in pigs and boar [5] (and occasionally humans), and Typhisuis causes epidemic swine salmonellosis (chronic paratyphoid) in domestic pigs [2, 3]. These different host specificities likely evolved in Europe over the last ∼4,000 years since the time of their most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) and are possibly associated with the differential acquisitions of two genomic islands, SPI-6 and SPI-7. The tMRCAs of these bacterial clades coincide with the timing of pig domestication in Europe [6].},
}

@article {pmid30027753,
year = {2018},
author = {Palomo-Díez, S and Esparza Arroyo, Á and Tirado-Vizcaíno, M and Velasco Vázquez, J and López-Parra, AM and Gomes, C and Baeza-Richer, C and Arroyo-Pardo, E},
title = {Kinship analysis and allelic dropout: a forensic approach on an archaeological case.},
journal = {Annals of human biology},
volume = {45},
number = {4},
pages = {365-368},
doi = {10.1080/03014460.2018.1484159},
pmid = {30027753},
issn = {1464-5033},
abstract = {BACKGROUND: This study relies on the discovery of two pit burials (LTA and LTB) of the Bronze Age Cogotas I archaeological culture (circa 3600-2950 BP) in Spain. LTA was a single burial and LTB contained three skeletal remains of two adults and a newborn or foetus at term.

AIM: The central question posed by this find was whether the LTB tomb constituted a traditional nuclear family (father, mother and son or daughter).

METHODS: Ancient and forensic DNA protocols were employed to obtain reliable results. Autosomal, X-STR markers and mitochondrial DNA were amplified. Subsequently, different kinship probabilities were estimated by means of LR values calculated using the Familias 3 software. Furthermore, an allelic dropout sensitivity test was developed in order to evaluate the influence of allelic dropout phenomena on the results.

RESULTS: It was possible to determine the molecular sex of all individuals and to establish a maternal relationship between the perinatal individual and one of the adults.

CONCLUSION: The remains in the LTB tomb were not a traditional nuclear family (father, mother and son/daughter) and it was probably a tomb where two women, one of them pregnant, were buried.},
}

@article {pmid30017480,
year = {2018},
author = {Maixner, F and Turaev, D and Cazenave-Gassiot, A and Janko, M and Krause-Kyora, B and Hoopmann, MR and Kusebauch, U and Sartain, M and Guerriero, G and O'Sullivan, N and Teasdale, M and Cipollini, G and Paladin, A and Mattiangeli, V and Samadelli, M and Tecchiati, U and Putzer, A and Palazoglu, M and Meissen, J and Lösch, S and Rausch, P and Baines, JF and Kim, BJ and An, HJ and Gostner, P and Egarter-Vigl, E and Malfertheiner, P and Keller, A and Stark, RW and Wenk, M and Bishop, D and Bradley, DG and Fiehn, O and Engstrand, L and Moritz, RL and Doble, P and Franke, A and Nebel, A and Oeggl, K and Rattei, T and Grimm, R and Zink, A},
title = {The Iceman's Last Meal Consisted of Fat, Wild Meat, and Cereals.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {28},
number = {14},
pages = {2348-2355.e9},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.067},
pmid = {30017480},
issn = {1879-0445},
support = {P50 GM076547/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM087221/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; S10 RR027584/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/United States ; },
abstract = {The history of humankind is marked by the constant adoption of new dietary habits affecting human physiology, metabolism, and even the development of nutrition-related disorders. Despite clear archaeological evidence for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture in Neolithic Europe [1], very little information exists on the daily dietary habits of our ancestors. By undertaking a complementary -omics approach combined with microscopy, we analyzed the stomach content of the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old European glacier mummy [2, 3]. He seems to have had a remarkably high proportion of fat in his diet, supplemented with fresh or dried wild meat, cereals, and traces of toxic bracken. Our multipronged approach provides unprecedented analytical depth, deciphering the nutritional habit, meal composition, and food-processing methods of this Copper Age individual.},
}

@article {pmid30002235,
year = {2018},
author = {Pennisi, E and Price, M},
title = {Molecular 'barcodes' reveal lost whale hunts.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6398},
pages = {119},
doi = {10.1126/science.361.6398.119},
pmid = {30002235},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {Animals ; *Biodiversity ; Bone and Bones ; *DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Ancient ; Phylogeny ; Whales/*classification/*genetics ; },
}

Animals
*Biodiversity
Bone and Bones
*DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic
DNA, Ancient
Phylogeny
Whales/*classification/*genetics

@article {pmid29993816,
year = {2018},
author = {Luhmann, N and Chauve, C and Stoye, J and Wittler, R},
title = {Scaffolding of Ancient Contigs and Ancestral Reconstruction in a Phylogenetic Framework.},
journal = {IEEE/ACM transactions on computational biology and bioinformatics},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1109/TCBB.2018.2816034},
pmid = {29993816},
issn = {1557-9964},
abstract = {Ancestral genome reconstruction is an important task to analyze the evolution of genomes. Recent progress in sequencing ancient DNA led to the publication of so-called paleogenomes and allows the integration of this sequencing data in genome evolution analysis. However, the de novo assembly of ancient genomes is usually fragmented due to DNA degradation over time among others. Integrated phylogenetic assembly addresses the issue of genome fragmentation in the ancient DNA assembly while aiming to improve the reconstruction of all ancient genomes in the phylogeny simultaneously. The fragmented assembly of the ancient genome can be represented as an assembly graph, indicating contradicting ordering information of contigs. In this setting, our approach is to compare the ancient data with extant finished genomes. We generalize a reconstruction approach minimizing the Single-Cut-or-Join rearrangement distance towards multifurcating trees and include edge lengths to improve the reconstruction in practice. This results in a polynomial time algorithm that includes additional ancient DNA data at one node in the tree, resulting in consistent reconstructions of ancestral genomes.},
}

@article {pmid29987016,
year = {2018},
author = {Seersholm, FV and Cole, TL and Grealy, A and Rawlence, NJ and Greig, K and Knapp, M and Stat, M and Hansen, AJ and Easton, LJ and Shepherd, L and Tennyson, AJD and Scofield, RP and Walter, R and Bunce, M},
title = {Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {30},
pages = {7771-7776},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1803573115},
pmid = {29987016},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Animals ; *Biodiversity ; *Bone and Bones ; DNA/chemistry/*genetics/isolation & purification ; *Fossils ; *Gene Pool ; New Zealand ; },
abstract = {New Zealand's geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and Gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. However, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated 49% of the terrestrial avifauna is extinct. Current efforts to conserve the remaining fauna rely on a better understanding of the composition of past ecosystems, as well as the causes and timing of past extinctions. The exact temporal and spatial dynamics of New Zealand's extinct fauna, however, can be difficult to interpret, as only a small proportion of animals are preserved as morphologically identifiable fossils. Here, we conduct a large-scale genetic survey of subfossil bone assemblages to elucidate the impact of humans on the environment in New Zealand. By genetically identifying more than 5,000 nondiagnostic bone fragments from archaeological and paleontological sites, we reconstruct a rich faunal record of 110 species of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and marine mammals. We report evidence of five whale species rarely reported from New Zealand archaeological middens and characterize extinct lineages of leiopelmatid frog (Leiopelma sp.) and kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) haplotypes lost from the gene pool. Taken together, this molecular audit of New Zealand's subfossil record not only contributes to our understanding of past biodiversity and precontact Māori subsistence practices but also provides a more nuanced snapshot of anthropogenic impacts on native fauna after first human arrival.},
}

Animals
*Biodiversity
*Bone and Bones
DNA/chemistry/*genetics/isolation & purification
*Fossils
*Gene Pool
New Zealand

@article {pmid29977605,
year = {2018},
author = {Larsen, BB and Cole, KL and Worobey, M},
title = {Ancient DNA provides evidence of 27,000-year-old papillomavirus infection and long-term codivergence with rodents.},
journal = {Virus evolution},
volume = {4},
number = {1},
pages = {vey014},
doi = {10.1093/ve/vey014},
pmid = {29977605},
issn = {2057-1577},
abstract = {The long-term evolutionary history of many viral lineages is poorly understood. Novel sources of ancient DNA combined with phylogenetic analyses can provide insight into the time scale of virus evolution. Here we report viral sequences from ancient North American packrat middens. We screened samples up to 27,000-years old and found evidence of papillomavirus (PV) infection in Neotoma cinerea (Bushy-tailed packrat). Phylogenetic analysis placed the PV sequences in a clade with other previously published PV sequences isolated from rodents. Concordance between the host and virus tree topologies along with a correlation in branch lengths suggests a shared evolutionary history between rodents and PVs. Based on host divergence times, PVs have likely been circulating in rodents for at least 17 million years. These results have implications for our understanding of PV evolution and for further research with ancient DNA from Neotoma middens.},
}

@article {pmid29976827,
year = {2018},
author = {McColl, H and Racimo, F and Vinner, L and Demeter, F and Gakuhari, T and Moreno-Mayar, JV and van Driem, G and Gram Wilken, U and Seguin-Orlando, A and de la Fuente Castro, C and Wasef, S and Shoocongdej, R and Souksavatdy, V and Sayavongkhamdy, T and Saidin, MM and Allentoft, ME and Sato, T and Malaspinas, AS and Aghakhanian, FA and Korneliussen, T and Prohaska, A and Margaryan, A and de Barros Damgaard, P and Kaewsutthi, S and Lertrit, P and Nguyen, TMH and Hung, HC and Minh Tran, T and Nghia Truong, H and Nguyen, GH and Shahidan, S and Wiradnyana, K and Matsumae, H and Shigehara, N and Yoneda, M and Ishida, H and Masuyama, T and Yamada, Y and Tajima, A and Shibata, H and Toyoda, A and Hanihara, T and Nakagome, S and Deviese, T and Bacon, AM and Duringer, P and Ponche, JL and Shackelford, L and Patole-Edoumba, E and Nguyen, AT and Bellina-Pryce, B and Galipaud, JC and Kinaston, R and Buckley, H and Pottier, C and Rasmussen, S and Higham, T and Foley, RA and Lahr, MM and Orlando, L and Sikora, M and Phipps, ME and Oota, H and Higham, C and Lambert, DM and Willerslev, E},
title = {The prehistoric peopling of Southeast Asia.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6397},
pages = {88-92},
doi = {10.1126/science.aat3628},
pmid = {29976827},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {Asia, Southeastern ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics ; DNA, Ancient ; Genetic Variation ; *Genome, Human ; History, Ancient ; Human Migration/*history ; Humans ; Population/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; },
abstract = {The human occupation history of Southeast Asia (SEA) remains heavily debated. Current evidence suggests that SEA was occupied by Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers until ~4000 years ago, when farming economies developed and expanded, restricting foraging groups to remote habitats. Some argue that agricultural development was indigenous; others favor the "two-layer" hypothesis that posits a southward expansion of farmers giving rise to present-day Southeast Asian genetic diversity. By sequencing 26 ancient human genomes (25 from SEA, 1 Japanese Jōmon), we show that neither interpretation fits the complexity of Southeast Asian history: Both Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers and East Asian farmers contributed to current Southeast Asian diversity, with further migrations affecting island SEA and Vietnam. Our results help resolve one of the long-standing controversies in Southeast Asian prehistory.},
}

Asia, Southeastern
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics
DNA, Ancient
Genetic Variation
*Genome, Human
History, Ancient
Human Migration/*history
Humans
Population/genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA

@article {pmid29976826,
year = {2018},
author = {Daly, KG and Maisano Delser, P and Mullin, VE and Scheu, A and Mattiangeli, V and Teasdale, MD and Hare, AJ and Burger, J and Verdugo, MP and Collins, MJ and Kehati, R and Erek, CM and Bar-Oz, G and Pompanon, F and Cumer, T and Çakırlar, C and Mohaseb, AF and Decruyenaere, D and Davoudi, H and Çevik, Ö and Rollefson, G and Vigne, JD and Khazaeli, R and Fathi, H and Doost, SB and Rahimi Sorkhani, R and Vahdati, AA and Sauer, EW and Azizi Kharanaghi, H and Maziar, S and Gasparian, B and Pinhasi, R and Martin, L and Orton, D and Arbuckle, BS and Benecke, N and Manica, A and Horwitz, LK and Mashkour, M and Bradley, DG},
title = {Ancient goat genomes reveal mosaic domestication in the Fertile Crescent.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6397},
pages = {85-88},
doi = {10.1126/science.aas9411},
pmid = {29976826},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {Africa ; Animals ; Animals, Domestic/classification/genetics ; Asia ; DNA, Ancient ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; *Domestication ; Europe ; Follistatin/genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Genome ; Goats/classification/*genetics ; *Mosaicism ; Phylogeny ; },
abstract = {Current genetic data are equivocal as to whether goat domestication occurred multiple times or was a singular process. We generated genomic data from 83 ancient goats (51 with genome-wide coverage) from Paleolithic to Medieval contexts throughout the Near East. Our findings demonstrate that multiple divergent ancient wild goat sources were domesticated in a dispersed process that resulted in genetically and geographically distinct Neolithic goat populations, echoing contemporaneous human divergence across the region. These early goat populations contributed differently to modern goats in Asia, Africa, and Europe. We also detect early selection for pigmentation, stature, reproduction, milking, and response to dietary change, providing 8000-year-old evidence for human agency in molding genome variation within a partner species.},
}

Africa
Animals
Animals, Domestic/classification/genetics
Asia
DNA, Ancient
DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics
*Domestication
Europe
Follistatin/genetics
Genetic Variation
Genome
Goats/classification/*genetics
*Mosaicism
Phylogeny

@article {pmid29976814,
year = {2018},
author = {Bellwood, P},
title = {The search for ancient DNA heads east.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6397},
pages = {31-32},
doi = {10.1126/science.aat8662},
pmid = {29976814},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {*DNA, Ancient ; *DNA, Mitochondrial ; History, Ancient ; Phylogeny ; },
}

*DNA, Ancient
*DNA, Mitochondrial
History, Ancient
Phylogeny

@article {pmid29967156,
year = {2018},
author = {Mühlemann, B and Margaryan, A and Damgaard, PB and Allentoft, ME and Vinner, L and Hansen, AJ and Weber, A and Bazaliiskii, VI and Molak, M and Arneborg, J and Bogdanowicz, W and Falys, C and Sablin, M and Smrčka, V and Sten, S and Tashbaeva, K and Lynnerup, N and Sikora, M and Smith, DJ and Fouchier, RAM and Drosten, C and Sjögren, KG and Kristiansen, K and Willerslev, E and Jones, TC},
title = {Ancient human parvovirus B19 in Eurasia reveals its long-term association with humans.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {29},
pages = {7557-7562},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1804921115},
pmid = {29967156},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Erythema Infectiosum/*genetics/history ; *Evolution, Molecular ; *Genome, Viral ; *Genotype ; History, 19th Century ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Parvovirus B19, Human/*genetics ; *Phylogeny ; *Sequence Analysis, DNA ; },
abstract = {Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a ubiquitous human pathogen associated with a number of conditions, such as fifth disease in children and arthritis and arthralgias in adults. B19V is thought to evolve exceptionally rapidly among DNA viruses, with substitution rates previously estimated to be closer to those typical of RNA viruses. On the basis of genetic sequences up to ∼70 years of age, the most recent common ancestor of all B19V has been dated to the early 1800s, and it has been suggested that genotype 1, the most common B19V genotype, only started circulating in the 1960s. Here we present 10 genomes (63.9-99.7% genome coverage) of B19V from dental and skeletal remains of individuals who lived in Eurasia and Greenland from ∼0.5 to ∼6.9 thousand years ago (kya). In a phylogenetic analysis, five of the ancient B19V sequences fall within or basal to the modern genotype 1, and five fall basal to genotype 2, showing a long-term association of B19V with humans. The most recent common ancestor of all B19V is placed ∼12.6 kya, and we find a substitution rate that is an order of magnitude lower than inferred previously. Further, we are able to date the recombination event between genotypes 1 and 3 that formed genotype 2 to ∼5.0-6.8 kya. This study emphasizes the importance of ancient viral sequences for our understanding of virus evolution and phylogenetics.},
}

Erythema Infectiosum/*genetics/history
*Evolution, Molecular
*Genome, Viral
*Genotype
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Humans
Parvovirus B19, Human/*genetics
*Phylogeny
*Sequence Analysis, DNA

@article {pmid29960127,
year = {2018},
author = {Lazaridis, I},
title = {The evolutionary history of human populations in Europe.},
journal = {Current opinion in genetics & development},
volume = {53},
number = {},
pages = {21-27},
doi = {10.1016/j.gde.2018.06.007},
pmid = {29960127},
issn = {1879-0380},
abstract = {I review the evolutionary history of human populations in Europe with an emphasis on what has been learned in recent years through the study of ancient DNA. Human populations in Europe ∼430-39kya (archaic Europeans) included Neandertals and their ancestors, who were genetically differentiated from other archaic Eurasians (such as the Denisovans of Siberia), as well as modern humans. Modern humans arrived to Europe by ∼45kya, and are first genetically attested by ∼39kya when they were still mixing with Neandertals. The first Europeans who were recognizably genetically related to modern ones appeared in the genetic record shortly thereafter at ∼37kya. At ∼15kya a largely homogeneous set of hunter-gatherers became dominant in most of Europe, but with some admixture from Siberian hunter-gatherers in the eastern part of the continent. These hunter-gatherers were joined by migrants from the Near East beginning at ∼8-9kya: Anatolian farmers settled most of mainland Europe, and migrants from the Caucasus reached eastern Europe, forming steppe populations. After ∼5kya there was migration from the steppe into mainland Europe and vice versa. Present-day Europeans (ignoring the long-distance migrations of the modern era) are largely the product of this Bronze Age collision of steppe pastoralists with Neolithic farmers.},
}

@article {pmid29939091,
year = {2018},
author = {Gondek, AT and Boessenkool, S and Star, B},
title = {A stainless-steel mortar, pestle and sleeve design for the efficient fragmentation of ancient bone.},
journal = {BioTechniques},
volume = {64},
number = {6},
pages = {266-269},
doi = {10.2144/btn-2018-0008},
pmid = {29939091},
issn = {1940-9818},
abstract = {Different types of milling equipment - such as oscillating ball mills, freezer mills, mortar and pestle - can be used to fragment ancient bone prior to DNA extraction. However, each of these tools is associated with practical drawbacks. Here, we present the design for a stainless-steel mortar and pestle, with a removable sleeve to contain bone material. The tool is easy to clean, practical and its simplicity allows university workshops equipped with a lathe, boring tools and a milling machine to make these components at local expense. This design allows for the efficient fragmentation of ancient bone and improves sample throughput. This design is recommended as a useful, economical addition to existing laboratory equipment for the handling of ancient bone.},
}

@article {pmid29931305,
year = {2018},
author = {Prüfer, K},
title = {snpAD: An ancient DNA genotype caller.},
journal = {Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/bioinformatics/bty507},
pmid = {29931305},
issn = {1367-4811},
abstract = {Motivation: The study of ancient genomes can elucidate the evolutionary past. However, analyses are complicated by base-modifications in ancient DNA molecules that result in errors in DNA sequences. These errors are particularly common near the ends of sequences and pose a challenge for genotype calling.

Results: I describe an iterative method that estimates genotype frequencies and errors along sequences to allow for accurate genotype calling from ancient sequences. The implementation of this method, called snpAD, performs well on high-coverage ancient data, as shown by simulations and by subsampling the data of a high-coverage Neandertal genome. Although estimates for low-coverage genomes are less accurate, I am able to derive approximate estimates of heterozygosity from several low-coverage Neandertals. These estimates show that low heterozygosity, compared to modern humans, was common among Neandertals.

Availability: The C ++ code of snpAD is freely available at http://bioinf.eva.mpg.de/snpAD/.

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.},
}

@article {pmid29924800,
year = {2018},
author = {Tams, KW and Jensen Søe, M and Merkyte, I and Valeur Seersholm, F and Henriksen, PS and Klingenberg, S and Willerslev, E and Kjær, KH and Hansen, AJ and Kapel, CMO},
title = {Parasitic infections and resource economy of Danish Iron Age settlement through ancient DNA sequencing.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {13},
number = {6},
pages = {e0197399},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0197399},
pmid = {29924800},
issn = {1932-6203},
abstract = {In this study, we screen archaeological soil samples by microscopy and analyse the samples by next generation sequencing to obtain results with parasites at species level and untargeted findings of plant and animal DNA. Three separate sediment layers of an ancient man-made pond in Hoby, Denmark, ranging from 100 BC to 200 AD, were analysed by microscopy for presence of intestinal worm eggs and DNA analysis were performed to identify intestinal worms and dietary components. Ancient DNA of parasites, domestic animals and edible plants revealed a change in use of the pond over time reflecting the household practice in the adjacent Iron Age settlement. The most abundant parasite found belonged to the Ascaris genus, which was not possible to type at species level. For all sediment layers the presence of eggs of the human whipworm Trichuris trichiura and the beef tapeworm Taenia saginata suggests continuous disposal of human faeces in the pond. Moreover, the continuous findings of T. saginata further imply beef consumption and may suggest that cattle were living in the immediate surrounding of the site throughout the period. Findings of additional host-specific parasites suggest fluctuating presence of other domestic animals over time: Trichuris suis (pig), Parascaris univalens (horse), Taenia hydatigena (dog and sheep). Likewise, alternating occurrence of aDNA of edible plants may suggest changes in agricultural practices. Moreover, the composition of aDNA of parasites, plants and vertebrates suggests a significant change in the use of the ancient pond over a period of three centuries.},
}

@article {pmid29921229,
year = {2018},
author = {Cabrera, VM and Marrero, P and Abu-Amero, KK and Larruga, JM},
title = {Carriers of mitochondrial DNA macrohaplogroup L3 basal lineages migrated back to Africa from Asia around 70,000 years ago.},
journal = {BMC evolutionary biology},
volume = {18},
number = {1},
pages = {98},
doi = {10.1186/s12862-018-1211-4},
pmid = {29921229},
issn = {1471-2148},
support = {CGL2010-16195//Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/International ; },
mesh = {Africa ; Asia ; Base Sequence ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics ; Cluster Analysis ; DNA, Mitochondrial/*genetics ; Female ; Genetics, Population ; Haplotypes/*genetics ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; *Phylogeny ; Phylogeography ; Time Factors ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: The main unequivocal conclusion after three decades of phylogeographic mtDNA studies is the African origin of all extant modern humans. In addition, a southern coastal route has been argued for to explain the Eurasian colonization of these African pioneers. Based on the age of macrohaplogroup L3, from which all maternal Eurasian and the majority of African lineages originated, the out-of-Africa event has been dated around 60-70 kya. On the opposite side, we have proposed a northern route through Central Asia across the Levant for that expansion and, consistent with the fossil record, we have dated it around 125 kya. To help bridge differences between the molecular and fossil record ages, in this article we assess the possibility that mtDNA macrohaplogroup L3 matured in Eurasia and returned to Africa as basal L3 lineages around 70 kya.

RESULTS: The coalescence ages of all Eurasian (M,N) and African (L3) lineages, both around 71 kya, are not significantly different. The oldest M and N Eurasian clades are found in southeastern Asia instead near of Africa as expected by the southern route hypothesis. The split of the Y-chromosome composite DE haplogroup is very similar to the age of mtDNA L3. An Eurasian origin and back migration to Africa has been proposed for the African Y-chromosome haplogroup E. Inside Africa, frequency distributions of maternal L3 and paternal E lineages are positively correlated. This correlation is not fully explained by geographic or ethnic affinities. This correlation rather seems to be the result of a joint and global replacement of the old autochthonous male and female African lineages by the new Eurasian incomers.

CONCLUSIONS: These results are congruent with a model proposing an out-of-Africa migration into Asia, following a northern route, of early anatomically modern humans carrying pre-L3 mtDNA lineages around 125 kya, subsequent diversification of pre-L3 into the basal lineages of L3, a return to Africa of Eurasian fully modern humans around 70 kya carrying the basal L3 lineages and the subsequent diversification of Eurasian-remaining L3 lineages into the M and N lineages in the outside-of-Africa context, and a second Eurasian global expansion by 60 kya, most probably, out of southeast Asia. Climatic conditions and the presence of Neanderthals and other hominins might have played significant roles in these human movements. Moreover, recent studies based on ancient DNA and whole-genome sequencing are also compatible with this hypothesis.},
}

Africa
Asia
Base Sequence
Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics
Cluster Analysis
DNA, Mitochondrial/*genetics
Female
Genetics, Population
Haplotypes/*genetics
Heterozygote
Humans
Male
*Phylogeny
Phylogeography
Time Factors

@article {pmid29920259,
year = {2018},
author = {Min-Shan Ko, A and Zhang, Y and Yang, MA and Hu, Y and Cao, P and Feng, X and Zhang, L and Wei, F and Fu, Q},
title = {Mitochondrial genome of a 22,000-year-old giant panda from southern China reveals a new panda lineage.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {28},
number = {12},
pages = {R693-R694},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.008},
pmid = {29920259},
issn = {1879-0445},
abstract = {Present-day giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are estimated to have diverged from their closest relatives, all other bears, ∼20 million years ago, based on molecular data [1]. With fewer than 2,500 individuals living today [2], it is unclear how well genetic data from extant and historical giant pandas [3] reflect the past [3]. To date, there has been no complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequenced from an ancient giant panda. Here, we use ancient DNA capture techniques [4] to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of a ∼22,000-year-old giant panda specimen (radiocarbon date of 21,910-21,495 cal BP with ± 2σ at 95.4% probability; Lab.no Beta-473743) from the Cizhutuo Cave, in Leye County, Guangxi Province, China (Figure 1A). Its date and location in Guangxi, where no wild giant pandas live today, as well as the difficulty of DNA preservation in a hot and humid region, place it as a unique specimen to learn about ancient giant pandas from the last glacial maximum. We find that the mtDNA lineage of the Cizhutuo panda coalesced with present-day pandas ∼183 thousand years ago (kya, 95% HPD, 227-144 kya), earlier than the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of mtDNA lineages shared by present-day pandas (∼72 kya, 95% HPD, 94-55 kya, Supplemental Information). Furthermore, the Cizhutuo panda possessed 18 non-synonymous mutations across six mitochondrial genes. Our results show that the Cizhutuo mtDNA lineage underwent a distinct history from that of present-day populations.},
}

@article {pmid29915330,
year = {2018},
author = {Estrada, O and Breen, J and Richards, SM and Cooper, A},
title = {Ancient plant DNA in the genomic era.},
journal = {Nature plants},
volume = {4},
number = {7},
pages = {394-396},
doi = {10.1038/s41477-018-0187-9},
pmid = {29915330},
issn = {2055-0278},
}

@article {pmid29902423,
year = {2018},
author = {Fugassa, MH and Petrigh, RS and Fernández, PM and Carballido Catalayud, M and Belleli, C},
title = {Fox parasites in pre-Columbian times: Evidence from the past to understand the current helminth assemblages.},
journal = {Acta tropica},
volume = {185},
number = {},
pages = {380-384},
doi = {10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.06.007},
pmid = {29902423},
issn = {1873-6254},
abstract = {This work aims to increase the information on the entero-parasitism in Holocene carnivores, by examining coprolites found in Patagonia. Molecular analysis was conducted following the Authenticity Criteria to Determine Ancient DNA sequences. The nucleotide sequences showed 99% of identity with the Control Region sequences of Lycalopex culpaeus (culpeo fox). Coprolites were positive for gastrointestinal parasites. The presence of Alaria sp. and Clonorchis sp. represents the first record for pre-Columbian America. The parasitological findings suggest the importance of these carnivores for the dissemination of their own parasites and those to their prey in rockshelters, areas with high re-use of space.},
}

@article {pmid29900529,
year = {2018},
author = {Hollard, C and Zvénigorosky, V and Kovalev, A and Kiryushin, Y and Tishkin, A and Lazaretov, I and Crubézy, E and Ludes, B and Keyser, C},
title = {New genetic evidence of affinities and discontinuities between bronze age Siberian populations.},
journal = {American journal of physical anthropology},
volume = {167},
number = {1},
pages = {97-107},
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23607},
pmid = {29900529},
issn = {1096-8644},
support = {//French Ministry for Research and Education (MESR)/ ; 14.Z50.31.0010//Altai State University/ ; },
abstract = {OBJECTIVES: This work focuses on the populations of South Siberia during the Eneolithic and Bronze Age and specifically on the contribution of uniparental lineage and phenotypical data to the question of the genetic affinities and discontinuities between western and eastern populations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed molecular analyses on the remains of 28 ancient humans (10 Afanasievo (3600-2500 BC) and 18 Okunevo (2500-1800 BC) individuals). For each sample, two uniparentally inherited systems (mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA) were studied, in order to trace back maternal and paternal lineages. Phenotype-informative SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were also analyzed, along with autosomal STRs (Short Tandem Repeats).

RESULTS: Most of the Afanasievo men submitted to analysis belonged to a single sub-haplogroup, R1b1a1a, which reveals the predominance of this haplogroup in these early Bronze Age populations. Conversely, Okunevo individuals carried more diverse paternal lineages that mostly belonged to Asian/Siberian haplogroups. These differences are also apparent, although less strongly, in mitochondrial lineage composition and phenotype marker variant frequencies.

DISCUSSION: This study provides new elements that contribute to our understanding of the genetic interactions between populations in Eneolithic and Bronze Age southern Siberia. Our results support the hypothesis of a genetic link between Afanasievo and Yamnaya (in western Eurasia), as suggested by previous studies of other markers. However, we found no Y-chromosome lineage evidence of a possible Afanasievo migration to the Tarim Basin. Moreover, the presence of Y-haplogroup Q in Okunevo individuals links them to Native American populations, as was suggested by whole-genome sequencing.},
}

@article {pmid29895688,
year = {2018},
author = {Fregel, R and Méndez, FL and Bokbot, Y and Martín-Socas, D and Camalich-Massieu, MD and Santana, J and Morales, J and Ávila-Arcos, MC and Underhill, PA and Shapiro, B and Wojcik, G and Rasmussen, M and Soares, AER and Kapp, J and Sockell, A and Rodríguez-Santos, FJ and Mikdad, A and Trujillo-Mederos, A and Bustamante, CD},
title = {Ancient genomes from North Africa evidence prehistoric migrations to the Maghreb from both the Levant and Europe.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {26},
pages = {6774-6779},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1800851115},
pmid = {29895688},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Africa, Northern ; Agriculture/history ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Ethnic Groups/*genetics/history ; Europe ; Gene Flow ; Gene Library ; Genetics, Population ; *Genome, Human ; History, Ancient ; Human Migration/*history ; Humans ; Middle East ; Morocco ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Spain/ethnology ; },
abstract = {The extent to which prehistoric migrations of farmers influenced the genetic pool of western North Africans remains unclear. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Neolithization process may have happened through the adoption of innovations by local Epipaleolithic communities or by demic diffusion from the Eastern Mediterranean shores or Iberia. Here, we present an analysis of individuals' genome sequences from Early and Late Neolithic sites in Morocco and from Early Neolithic individuals from southern Iberia. We show that Early Neolithic Moroccans (∼5,000 BCE) are similar to Later Stone Age individuals from the same region and possess an endemic element retained in present-day Maghrebi populations, confirming a long-term genetic continuity in the region. This scenario is consistent with Early Neolithic traditions in North Africa deriving from Epipaleolithic communities that adopted certain agricultural techniques from neighboring populations. Among Eurasian ancient populations, Early Neolithic Moroccans are distantly related to Levantine Natufian hunter-gatherers (∼9,000 BCE) and Pre-Pottery Neolithic farmers (∼6,500 BCE). Late Neolithic (∼3,000 BCE) Moroccans, in contrast, share an Iberian component, supporting theories of trans-Gibraltar gene flow and indicating that Neolithization of North Africa involved both the movement of ideas and people. Lastly, the southern Iberian Early Neolithic samples share the same genetic composition as the Cardial Mediterranean Neolithic culture that reached Iberia ∼5,500 BCE. The cultural and genetic similarities between Iberian and North African Neolithic traditions further reinforce the model of an Iberian migration into the Maghreb.},
}

Africa, Northern
Agriculture/history
Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics
DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics
Ethnic Groups/*genetics/history
Europe
Gene Flow
Gene Library
Genetics, Population
*Genome, Human
History, Ancient
Human Migration/*history
Humans
Middle East
Morocco
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Spain/ethnology

@article {pmid29894925,
year = {2018},
author = {Dannemann, M and Racimo, F},
title = {Something old, something borrowed: admixture and adaptation in human evolution.},
journal = {Current opinion in genetics & development},
volume = {53},
number = {},
pages = {1-8},
doi = {10.1016/j.gde.2018.05.009},
pmid = {29894925},
issn = {1879-0380},
abstract = {The sequencing of ancient DNA from archaic humans-Neanderthals and Denisovans-has revealed that modern and archaic humans interbred at least twice during the Pleistocene. The field of human paleogenomics has now turned its attention towards understanding the nature of this genetic legacy in the gene pool of present-day humans. What exactly did modern humans obtain from interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans? Was the introgressed genetic material beneficial, neutral or maladaptive? Can differences in phenotypes among present-day human populations be explained by archaic human introgression? These questions are of prime importance for our understanding of recent human evolution, but will require careful computational modeling and extensive functional assays before they can be answered in full. Here, we review the recent literature characterizing introgressed DNA and the likely biological consequences for their modern human carriers. We focus particularly on archaic human haplotypes that were beneficial to modern humans as they expanded across the globe, and on ways to understand how populations harboring these haplotypes evolved over time.},
}

@article {pmid29877032,
year = {2018},
author = {Alberti, F and Gonzalez, J and Paijmans, JLA and Basler, N and Preick, M and Henneberger, K and Trinks, A and Rabeder, G and Conard, NJ and Münzel, SC and Joger, U and Fritsch, G and Hildebrandt, T and Hofreiter, M and Barlow, A},
title = {Optimized DNA sampling of ancient bones using Computed Tomography scans.},
journal = {Molecular ecology resources},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.12911},
pmid = {29877032},
issn = {1755-0998},
abstract = {The prevalence of contaminant microbial DNA in ancient bone samples represents the principal limiting factor for palaeogenomic studies, as it may comprise more than 99% of DNA molecules obtained. Efforts to exclude or reduce this contaminant fraction have been numerous but also variable in their success. Here, we present a simple but highly effective method to increase the relative proportion of endogenous molecules obtained from ancient bones. Using computed tomography (CT) scanning, we identify the densest region of a bone as optimal for sampling. This approach accurately identifies the densest internal regions of petrous bones, which are known to be a source of high-purity ancient DNA. For ancient long bones, CT scans reveal a high-density outermost layer, which has been routinely removed and discarded prior to DNA extraction. For almost all long bones investigated, we find that targeted sampling of this outermost layer provides an increase in endogenous DNA content over that obtained from softer, trabecular bone. This targeted sampling can produce as much as 50-fold increase in the proportion of endogenous DNA, providing a directly proportional reduction in sequencing costs for shotgun sequencing experiments. The observed increases in endogenous DNA proportion are not associated with any reduction in absolute endogenous molecule recovery. Although sampling the outermost layer can result in higher levels of human contamination, some bones were found to have more contamination associated with the internal bone structures. Our method is highly consistent, reproducible and applicable across a wide range of bone types, ages and species. We predict that this discovery will greatly extend the potential to study ancient populations and species in the genomics era.},
}

@article {pmid29866821,
year = {2018},
author = {Ayuso-Fernández, I and Ruiz-Dueñas, FJ and Martínez, AT},
title = {Evolutionary convergence in lignin-degrading enzymes.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {115},
number = {25},
pages = {6428-6433},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1802555115},
pmid = {29866821},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Biological Evolution ; Carbon Cycle/physiology ; Fungal Proteins/metabolism ; Fungi/metabolism ; Lignin/*metabolism ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Peroxidases/*metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Polymers/metabolism ; Polyporales/metabolism ; },
abstract = {The resurrection of ancestral enzymes of now-extinct organisms (paleogenetics) is a developing field that allows the study of evolutionary hypotheses otherwise impossible to be tested. In the present study, we target fungal peroxidases that play a key role in lignin degradation, an essential process in the carbon cycle and often a limiting step in biobased industries. Ligninolytic peroxidases are secreted by wood-rotting fungi, the origin of which was recently established in the Carboniferous period associated with the appearance of these enzymes. These first peroxidases were not able to degrade lignin directly and used diffusible metal cations to attack its phenolic moiety. The phylogenetic analysis of the peroxidases of Polyporales, the order in which most extant wood-rotting fungi are included, suggests that later in evolution these enzymes would have acquired the ability to degrade nonphenolic lignin using a tryptophanyl radical interacting with the bulky polymer at the surface of the enzyme. Here, we track this powerful strategy for lignin degradation as a phenotypic trait in fungi and show that it is not an isolated event in the evolution of Polyporales. Using ancestral enzyme resurrection, we study the molecular changes that led to the appearance of the same surface oxidation site in two distant peroxidase lineages. By characterization of the resurrected enzymes, we demonstrate convergent evolution at the amino acid level during the evolution of these fungi and track the different changes leading to phylogenetically distant ligninolytic peroxidases from ancestors lacking the ability to degrade nonphenolic lignin.},
}

Biological Evolution
Carbon Cycle/physiology
Fungal Proteins/metabolism
Fungi/metabolism
Lignin/*metabolism
Oxidation-Reduction
Peroxidases/*metabolism
Phylogeny
Polymers/metabolism
Polyporales/metabolism

@article {pmid29854947,
year = {2018},
author = {Lesnek, AJ and Briner, JP and Lindqvist, C and Baichtal, JF and Heaton, TH},
title = {Deglaciation of the Pacific coastal corridor directly preceded the human colonization of the Americas.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {4},
number = {5},
pages = {eaar5040},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aar5040},
pmid = {29854947},
issn = {2375-2548},
abstract = {The route and timing of early human migration to the Americas have been a contentious topic for decades. Recent paleogenetic analyses suggest that the initial colonization from Beringia took place as early as 16 thousand years (ka) ago via a deglaciated corridor along the North Pacific coast. However, the feasibility of such a migration depends on the extent of the western Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) and the available resources along the hypothesized coastal route during this timeframe. We date the culmination of maximum CIS conditions in southeastern Alaska, a potential bottleneck region for human migration, to ~20 to 17 ka ago with cosmogenic 10Be exposure dating and 14C dating of bones from an ice-overrun cave. We also show that productive marine and terrestrial ecosystems were established almost immediately following deglaciation. We conclude that CIS retreat ensured that an open and ecologically viable pathway through southeastern Alaska was available after 17 ka ago, which may have been traversed by early humans as they colonized the Americas.},
}

@article {pmid29853688,
year = {2018},
author = {Ebenesersdóttir, SS and Sandoval-Velasco, M and Gunnarsdóttir, ED and Jagadeesan, A and Guðmundsdóttir, VB and Thordardóttir, EL and Einarsdóttir, MS and Moore, KHS and Sigurðsson, Á and Magnúsdóttir, DN and Jónsson, H and Snorradóttir, S and Hovig, E and Møller, P and Kockum, I and Olsson, T and Alfredsson, L and Hansen, TF and Werge, T and Cavalleri, GL and Gilbert, E and Lalueza-Fox, C and Walser, JW and Kristjánsdóttir, S and Gopalakrishnan, S and Árnadóttir, L and Magnússon, ÓÞ and Gilbert, MTP and Stefánsson, K and Helgason, A},
title = {Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {360},
number = {6392},
pages = {1028-1032},
doi = {10.1126/science.aar2625},
pmid = {29853688},
issn = {1095-9203},
mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; DNA, Ancient ; Female ; Founder Effect ; Gene Pool ; *Genetic Drift ; *Genome, Human ; Genotype ; Humans ; Iceland ; Male ; Phenotype ; Population/*genetics ; },
abstract = {Opportunities to directly study the founding of a human population and its subsequent evolutionary history are rare. Using genome sequence data from 27 ancient Icelanders, we demonstrate that they are a combination of Norse, Gaelic, and admixed individuals. We further show that these ancient Icelanders are markedly more similar to their source populations in Scandinavia and the British-Irish Isles than to contemporary Icelanders, who have been shaped by 1100 years of extensive genetic drift. Finally, we report evidence of unequal contributions from the ancient founders to the contemporary Icelandic gene pool. These results provide detailed insights into the making of a human population that has proven extraordinarily useful for the discovery of genotype-phenotype associations.},
}

*Biological Evolution
DNA, Ancient
Female
Founder Effect
Gene Pool
*Genetic Drift
*Genome, Human
Genotype
Humans
Iceland
Male
Phenotype
Population/*genetics

@article {pmid29782156,
year = {2018},
author = {Tse, TJ and Doig, LE and Tang, S and Zhang, X and Sun, W and Wiseman, SB and Feng, CX and Liu, H and Giesy, JP and Hecker, M and Jones, PD},
title = {Combining High-Throughput Sequencing of sedaDNA and Traditional Paleolimnological Techniques To Infer Historical Trends in Cyanobacterial Communities.},
journal = {Environmental science & technology},
volume = {52},
number = {12},
pages = {6842-6853},
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.7b06386},
pmid = {29782156},
issn = {1520-5851},
abstract = {Freshwaters worldwide are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities and changing climate. Unfortunately, many inland waters lack sufficient long-term monitoring to assess environmental trends. Analysis of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) is emerging as a means to reconstruct the past occurrence of microbial communities of inland waters. The purpose of this study was to assess a combination of high-throughput sequencing (16S rRNA) of sedaDNA and traditional paleolimnological analyses to explore multidecadal relationships among cyanobacterial community composition, the potential for cyanotoxin production, and paleoenvironmental proxies. DNA was extracted from two sediment cores collected from a northern Canadian Great Plains reservoir. Diversity indices illustrated significant community-level changes since reservoir formation. Furthermore, higher relative abundances in more recent years were observed for potentially toxic cyanobacterial genera including Dolichospermum. Correlation-based network analysis revealed this trend significantly and positively correlated to abundances of the microcystin synthetase gene (mcyA) and other paleoproxies (nutrients, pigments, stanols, sterols, and certain diatom species), demonstrating synchrony between molecular and more standard proxies. These findings demonstrate a novel approach to infer long-term dynamics of cyanobacterial diversity in inland waters and highlight the power of high-throughput sequencing to reconstruct trends in environmental quality and inform lake and reservoir management and monitoring program design.},
}

@article {pmid29773666,
year = {2018},
author = {Lipson, M and Cheronet, O and Mallick, S and Rohland, N and Oxenham, M and Pietrusewsky, M and Pryce, TO and Willis, A and Matsumura, H and Buckley, H and Domett, K and Nguyen, GH and Trinh, HH and Kyaw, AA and Win, TT and Pradier, B and Broomandkhoshbacht, N and Candilio, F and Changmai, P and Fernandes, D and Ferry, M and Gamarra, B and Harney, E and Kampuansai, J and Kutanan, W and Michel, M and Novak, M and Oppenheimer, J and Sirak, K and Stewardson, K and Zhang, Z and Flegontov, P and Pinhasi, R and Reich, D},
title = {Ancient genomes document multiple waves of migration in Southeast Asian prehistory.},
journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
volume = {361},
number = {6397},
pages = {92-95},
doi = {10.1126/science.aat3188},
pmid = {29773666},
issn = {1095-9203},
support = {R01 GM100233/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; /HHMI/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/United States ; },
mesh = {Agriculture/history ; Asia, Southeastern ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics ; DNA, Ancient ; Genetic Variation ; *Genome, Human ; History, Ancient ; Human Migration/*history ; Humans ; Language/*history ; Radiometric Dating ; },
abstract = {Southeast Asia is home to rich human genetic and linguistic diversity, but the details of past population movements in the region are not well known. Here, we report genome-wide ancient DNA data from 18 Southeast Asian individuals spanning from the Neolithic period through the Iron Age (4100 to 1700 years ago). Early farmers from Man Bac in Vietnam exhibit a mixture of East Asian (southern Chinese agriculturalist) and deeply diverged eastern Eurasian (hunter-gatherer) ancestry characteristic of Austroasiatic speakers, with similar ancestry as far south as Indonesia providing evidence for an expansive initial spread of Austroasiatic languages. By the Bronze Age, in a parallel pattern to Europe, sites in Vietnam and Myanmar show close connections to present-day majority groups, reflecting substantial additional influxes of migrants.},
}

Agriculture/history
Asia, Southeastern
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics
DNA, Ancient
Genetic Variation
*Genome, Human
History, Ancient
Human Migration/*history
Humans
Language/*history
Radiometric Dating

@article {pmid29769358,
year = {2018},
author = {Delsuc, F and Kuch, M and Gibb, GC and Hughes, J and Szpak, P and Southon, J and Enk, J and Duggan, AT and Poinar, HN},
title = {Resolving the phylogenetic position of Darwin's extinct ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii) using mitogenomic and nuclear exon data.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {285},
number = {1878},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2018.0214},
pmid = {29769358},
issn = {1471-2954},
abstract = {Mylodon darwinii is the extinct giant ground sloth named after Charles Darwin, who first collected its remains in South America. We have successfully obtained a high-quality mitochondrial genome at 99-fold coverage using an Illumina shotgun sequencing of a 12 880-year-old bone fragment from Mylodon Cave in Chile. Low level of DNA damage showed that this sample was exceptionally well preserved for an ancient subfossil, probably the result of the dry and cold conditions prevailing within the cave. Accordingly, taxonomic assessment of our shotgun metagenomic data showed a very high percentage of endogenous DNA with 22% of the assembled metagenomic contigs assigned to Xenarthra. Additionally, we enriched over 15 kb of sequence data from seven nuclear exons, using target sequence capture designed against a wide xenarthran dataset. Phylogenetic and dating analyses of the mitogenomic dataset including all extant species of xenarthrans and the assembled nuclear supermatrix unambiguously place Mylodon darwinii as the sister-group of modern two-fingered sloths, from which it diverged around 22 million years ago. These congruent results from both the mitochondrial and nuclear data support the diphyly of the two modern sloth lineages, implying the convergent evolution of their unique suspensory behaviour as an adaption to arboreality. Our results offer promising perspectives for whole-genome sequencing of this emblematic extinct taxon.},
}