Goleta Coast, 4800 BP
A coastal foothold of early California life seen through bones, shells and DNA
Ancient and historical cultures
DNA Spotlights
Explore the places, time periods, and published research behind ancient DNA samples and the cultures associated with them.
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Culture collection
1,261–1,272 of 1,627 spotlights
Malibu Coast Foragers (c.3400 BP)
Coastal lifeways at Paradise Cove seen through archaeology and ancient DNA
Voices from San Nicolas Shore
Ancient islanders of San Nicolas Island, seen through archaeology and DNA
Salt and Bone: Santa Rosa Island Chumash
Late precontact islanders whose shells, bones and DNA whisper of coastal lives and layered ancestry
San Clemente Island Coastal Community
A maritime forager society (1000–1250 CE) glimpsed through shells, bones and DNA
Tecolote Point: Santa Rosa 7400 BP
Early maritime foragers on Santa Rosa Island revealed by archaeology and ancient DNA
Santa Rosa Island — 3,000 BP Seafarers
Fragmentary remains from CA-SRI-41 reveal maritime lifeways and maternal lineages tied to ancient North Pacific routes.
Latte Age Saipan: Stones and Seafarers
Archaeology and DNA illuminate late precontact Chamorro communities at Garapan.
Chaco Canyon: Pueblo Bonito Lineages
A glimpse into 9th–12th century social life and maternal continuity at Pueblo Bonito
Lovelock Cave Peoples — 1,850 Years Ago
A marshland enclave in Nevada where archaeology and ancient DNA meet
Kartal Horizon — Cernavoda I Echoes
A Black Sea window into late 5th–4th millennium BCE life, seen through graves and genomes
Echoes of the Ukrainian Steppe
Early Bronze Age Yamnaya burials from Ukraine seen through archaeology and DNA