Repeated plague infections across six generations of Neolithic Farmers
(2024) In Nature 632(8023). p.114-121- Abstract
In the period between 5,300 and 4,900 calibrated years before present (cal. bp), populations across large parts of Europe underwent a period of demographic decline1,2. However, the cause of this so-called Neolithic decline is still debated. Some argue for an agricultural crisis resulting in the decline3, others for the spread of an early form of plague4. Here we use population-scale ancient genomics to infer ancestry, social structure and pathogen infection in 108 Scandinavian Neolithic individuals from eight megalithic graves and a stone cist. We find that the Neolithic plague was widespread, detected in at least 17% of the sampled population and across large geographical distances. We demonstrate that... (More)
In the period between 5,300 and 4,900 calibrated years before present (cal. bp), populations across large parts of Europe underwent a period of demographic decline1,2. However, the cause of this so-called Neolithic decline is still debated. Some argue for an agricultural crisis resulting in the decline3, others for the spread of an early form of plague4. Here we use population-scale ancient genomics to infer ancestry, social structure and pathogen infection in 108 Scandinavian Neolithic individuals from eight megalithic graves and a stone cist. We find that the Neolithic plague was widespread, detected in at least 17% of the sampled population and across large geographical distances. We demonstrate that the disease spread within the Neolithic community in three distinct infection events within a period of around 120 years. Variant graph-based pan-genomics shows that the Neolithic plague genomes retained ancestral genomic variation present in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, including virulence factors associated with disease outcomes. In addition, we reconstruct four multigeneration pedigrees, the largest of which consists of 38 individuals spanning six generations, showing a patrilineal social organization. Lastly, we document direct genomic evidence for Neolithic female exogamy in a woman buried in a different megalithic tomb than her brothers. Taken together, our findings provide a detailed reconstruction of plague spread within a large patrilineal kinship group and identify multiple plague infections in a population dated to the beginning of the Neolithic decline.
(Less)
- author
- Seersholm, Frederik Valeur
; Sjögren, Karl Göran
; Koelman, Julia
; Blank, Malou
; Svensson, Emma M.
; Staring, Jacqueline
; Fraser, Magdalena
; Pinotti, Thomaz
; McColl, Hugh
; Gaunitz, Charleen
; Ruiz-Bedoya, Tatiana
; Granehäll, Lena
; Villegas-Ramirez, Berenice
; Fischer, Anders
; Price, T. Douglas
; Allentoft, Morten E.
; Iversen, Astrid K.N.
; Axelsson, Tony
; Ahlström, Torbjörn
LU
; Götherström, Anders
; Storå, Jan
; Kristiansen, Kristian
; Willerslev, Eske
; Jakobsson, Mattias
; Malmström, Helena
and Sikora, Martin
(Less) - organization
- publishing date
- 2024-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Nature
- volume
- 632
- issue
- 8023
- pages
- 8 pages
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85198139923
- pmid:38987589
- ISSN
- 0028-0836
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41586-024-07651-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 296c3ecd-1805-4ec4-b696-9aa152bebcb3
- date added to LUP
- 2024-09-23 15:33:53
- date last changed
- 2024-09-24 03:00:04
@article{296c3ecd-1805-4ec4-b696-9aa152bebcb3,
abstract = {{<p>In the period between 5,300 and 4,900 calibrated years before present (cal. bp), populations across large parts of Europe underwent a period of demographic decline<sup>1,2</sup>. However, the cause of this so-called Neolithic decline is still debated. Some argue for an agricultural crisis resulting in the decline<sup>3</sup>, others for the spread of an early form of plague<sup>4</sup>. Here we use population-scale ancient genomics to infer ancestry, social structure and pathogen infection in 108 Scandinavian Neolithic individuals from eight megalithic graves and a stone cist. We find that the Neolithic plague was widespread, detected in at least 17% of the sampled population and across large geographical distances. We demonstrate that the disease spread within the Neolithic community in three distinct infection events within a period of around 120 years. Variant graph-based pan-genomics shows that the Neolithic plague genomes retained ancestral genomic variation present in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, including virulence factors associated with disease outcomes. In addition, we reconstruct four multigeneration pedigrees, the largest of which consists of 38 individuals spanning six generations, showing a patrilineal social organization. Lastly, we document direct genomic evidence for Neolithic female exogamy in a woman buried in a different megalithic tomb than her brothers. Taken together, our findings provide a detailed reconstruction of plague spread within a large patrilineal kinship group and identify multiple plague infections in a population dated to the beginning of the Neolithic decline.</p>}},
author = {{Seersholm, Frederik Valeur and Sjögren, Karl Göran and Koelman, Julia and Blank, Malou and Svensson, Emma M. and Staring, Jacqueline and Fraser, Magdalena and Pinotti, Thomaz and McColl, Hugh and Gaunitz, Charleen and Ruiz-Bedoya, Tatiana and Granehäll, Lena and Villegas-Ramirez, Berenice and Fischer, Anders and Price, T. Douglas and Allentoft, Morten E. and Iversen, Astrid K.N. and Axelsson, Tony and Ahlström, Torbjörn and Götherström, Anders and Storå, Jan and Kristiansen, Kristian and Willerslev, Eske and Jakobsson, Mattias and Malmström, Helena and Sikora, Martin}},
issn = {{0028-0836}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{8023}},
pages = {{114--121}},
publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
series = {{Nature}},
title = {{Repeated plague infections across six generations of Neolithic Farmers}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07651-2}},
doi = {{10.1038/s41586-024-07651-2}},
volume = {{632}},
year = {{2024}},
}