Wild aurochs(Bos primigenius)were once widespread across Eurasia and North Africa but became extinct around the 17th century[1].Aurochs are considered the ancestor of modern taurine(B.taurus taurus)and indicine(B.t.in...Wild aurochs(Bos primigenius)were once widespread across Eurasia and North Africa but became extinct around the 17th century[1].Aurochs are considered the ancestor of modern taurine(B.taurus taurus)and indicine(B.t.indicus)cattle,which were independently domesticated within regions restricted to Southwest Asia and South Asia,respectively[2,3].Extensive gene flow from local aurochs to domestic cattle has been well documented in Southwest Asia,Europe,and Africa[3,4],raising questions about the mechanisms underlying both the domestication and dispersal of early cattle.展开更多
Traditional zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical methods based on morphological identification of the excavated faunal and floral remains have been broadly used in reconstructing ancient subsistence economies. Howev...Traditional zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical methods based on morphological identification of the excavated faunal and floral remains have been broadly used in reconstructing ancient subsistence economies. However, the accuracy and reliability of these methods rely heavily on the preservation state of the remains. By sequencing the ancient DNA of plants,animals, and microorganisms preserved in sediment, sedimentary ancient DNA(sedaDNA) now offers a novel approach for reconstructing the taxa composition dated back to hundreds of thousands of years. Yet, its application in open-air archaeological sites is rarely reported. In this study, we attempted to apply sedaDNA shotgun metagenomics on the archaeological deposits of the Khog Gzung site(an open-air site dated to 3160–2954 cal yr BP) on the Tibetan Plateau, and then compared the reconstructed taxonomic composition to the unearthed remains. Results showed that most of the crops and domestic animals identified by the two approaches, such as barley(Hordeum vulgare) and sheep(Ovis aries), are in general consistent. Some species, such as foxtail millet(Setaria italica), however, were only detected by sedaDNA. In addition, a variety of microorganisms were also detected by the sedaDNA. The two approaches combined revealed diversified food resources at the Khog Gzung site, which included crops such as millet, barley and wheat, domestic animals such as sheep and cattle, and likely also wild animals from fishing and hunting. Our data proves that sedaDNA has a great potential in reconstructing the faunal and floral compositions from archaeological deposits, therefore laying the foundation for its border applications.展开更多
BACKGROUND On October 3,2022,Svante Paabo,a Swedish evolutionary geneticist,was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.This breaking news brought paleogenomics,the interdisciplinary field of geology and bi...BACKGROUND On October 3,2022,Svante Paabo,a Swedish evolutionary geneticist,was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.This breaking news brought paleogenomics,the interdisciplinary field of geology and biology,to the forefront of public attention.By sequencing the genomes of the extinct Neanderthal and Denisovan,Prof.Paabo and his research team found that ancient gene flow events did happen between these extinct ancient humans and the ancestors of Homo sapiens(Prufer et al.,2017,2014;Fu et al.,2016;Meyer et al.,2012),which paved the way for the academic community for a new understanding of human evolutionary history.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41988101,32102523)。
文摘Wild aurochs(Bos primigenius)were once widespread across Eurasia and North Africa but became extinct around the 17th century[1].Aurochs are considered the ancestor of modern taurine(B.taurus taurus)and indicine(B.t.indicus)cattle,which were independently domesticated within regions restricted to Southwest Asia and South Asia,respectively[2,3].Extensive gene flow from local aurochs to domestic cattle has been well documented in Southwest Asia,Europe,and Africa[3,4],raising questions about the mechanisms underlying both the domestication and dispersal of early cattle.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41930323,41988101&42101150)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(Grant No.2019QZKK0601)+3 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA2004010103)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.2022068)the Open Research Fund of TPESER(Grant No.TPESER202202)Carlsberg Foundation(Grant No.CF18-0024)。
文摘Traditional zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical methods based on morphological identification of the excavated faunal and floral remains have been broadly used in reconstructing ancient subsistence economies. However, the accuracy and reliability of these methods rely heavily on the preservation state of the remains. By sequencing the ancient DNA of plants,animals, and microorganisms preserved in sediment, sedimentary ancient DNA(sedaDNA) now offers a novel approach for reconstructing the taxa composition dated back to hundreds of thousands of years. Yet, its application in open-air archaeological sites is rarely reported. In this study, we attempted to apply sedaDNA shotgun metagenomics on the archaeological deposits of the Khog Gzung site(an open-air site dated to 3160–2954 cal yr BP) on the Tibetan Plateau, and then compared the reconstructed taxonomic composition to the unearthed remains. Results showed that most of the crops and domestic animals identified by the two approaches, such as barley(Hordeum vulgare) and sheep(Ovis aries), are in general consistent. Some species, such as foxtail millet(Setaria italica), however, were only detected by sedaDNA. In addition, a variety of microorganisms were also detected by the sedaDNA. The two approaches combined revealed diversified food resources at the Khog Gzung site, which included crops such as millet, barley and wheat, domestic animals such as sheep and cattle, and likely also wild animals from fishing and hunting. Our data proves that sedaDNA has a great potential in reconstructing the faunal and floral compositions from archaeological deposits, therefore laying the foundation for its border applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42172027).
文摘BACKGROUND On October 3,2022,Svante Paabo,a Swedish evolutionary geneticist,was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.This breaking news brought paleogenomics,the interdisciplinary field of geology and biology,to the forefront of public attention.By sequencing the genomes of the extinct Neanderthal and Denisovan,Prof.Paabo and his research team found that ancient gene flow events did happen between these extinct ancient humans and the ancestors of Homo sapiens(Prufer et al.,2017,2014;Fu et al.,2016;Meyer et al.,2012),which paved the way for the academic community for a new understanding of human evolutionary history.
