Ancient DNA reveals human migration patterns during the first millennium
Advancements in genetic research have shed new light on the complex migrations and interactions that shaped Europe’s history during the first millennium CE. Using a groundbreaking method known as Twigstats, researchers have untangled the genetic threads of ancient populations, revealing details previously obscured by the genetic similarity of historical groups. Published in the journal, Nature, this revolutionary technique has reshaped our understanding of Europe’s genetic past, offering new clarity on how ancient peoples moved and mingled. At the core of this new approach is the analysis of genealogical relationships through f-statistics, which measure how mutations are shared between individuals. Twigstats refines these calculations by focusing on recent coalescences—points where genetic lineages converge. This time-restricted approach eliminates noise from older genetic events, offering a clearer view of recent ancestry without bias. F-statistics traditionally relied on observed mutations to map ancestry, but Twigstats leverages inferred genealogies, reconstructing the genetic tree with unprecedented precision. By examining the “twigs” of these trees, researchers can isolate recent genetic interactions, even when they occur between closely related groups. Simulations show that …