Columbus, Sephardic Jewish DNA, and What the Evidence Shows
A 2024 documentary revived the debate over Columbus’s origins. Here is what DNA can, and cannot, tell us about Sephardic ancestry, migration, and birthplace.
Cagot DNA Study Reveals a Local Basque Origin
A new genome-wide study sheds light on the Cagots and Agotes, showing a local Basque genetic profile and challenging old origin myths.
Atlantic Facade DNA: Britain, Basques, and Iberia
Ancient DNA reveals a shifting Atlantic coast, with Bronze Age and Iron Age migration patterns linking Britain, France, and Iberia in unexpected ways.
Tollense Battle DNA: Who Were Europe’s Bronze Age Warriors?
Ancient DNA from the Tollense battlefield reveals Bronze Age ancestry patterns, migration clues, and what the warriors may have shared across Europe.
First Ancient Egyptian Genome Reveals Old Kingdom DNA
A new ancient DNA study from an Old Kingdom Egyptian pot burial reveals a mixed ancestry profile, reshaping debates about Egypt, migration, and population genetics.
Roopkund DNA Mystery: Pilgrims, Greeks, and Migration
Ancient DNA from Roopkund Lake reveals three distinct groups, South Asian pilgrims, Aegean travelers, and a Southeast Asian individual, reshaping a Himalayan mystery.
Who Were the Huns? DNA Reveals a Mixed Empire
Ancient DNA shows Attila's realm was mostly local and European, while a small elite trace links back to the Xiongnu nobility of Mongolia.
Paraguay DNA and Guarani: The Genetics Behind a Living Language
Why does Paraguay speak Guarani? Explore the DNA, migration history, and sex-biased ancestry that made this Indigenous language endure.
Guanche DNA: What Ancient Canaries Reveal About Origins
Ancient DNA shows the Guanches were North African Berbers, isolated for centuries in the Canaries, and still leave a genetic legacy in modern Canarians.
Avar DNA in Hungary, A Woman Who Pointed East
Ancient DNA from an elite Avar woman and five men reveals how fast the first Avars reached Hungary, and why their genomes matter for ancestry.
The Lady of Vix and Iron Age DNA in Celtic Europe
Ancient DNA from Vix helps reveal whether the richest woman in Iron Age Europe was local or foreign, and what her tomb says about Celtic ancestry.
Ancient DNA From Pompeii Reveals Roman Mediterranean Roots
A first Pompeii genome shows how ancient DNA, haplogroups, and population genetics reveal a cosmopolitan Roman city with eastern Mediterranean ties.