Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06865-0)
These scientists wanted to learn more about the people who lived in different parts of Europe and Asia a long time ago. They studied the DNA of ancient humans by looking at their genetic information. They collected DNA samples from more than 1,600 ancient humans who lived during the Stone Age and the time when farming started.
The scientists found that there was a big difference in the DNA of people who lived in the west and the east of a certain area, which went from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. The people who lived in the east were more similar to each other, while the people in the west were more different from each other.
When farming started, it had a bigger impact on the people in the west. Many of the hunter-gatherers in the west were replaced by farmers. But in the east, the hunter-gatherer groups stayed more similar to each other.
Later on, a group of people called the Yamnaya moved across Europe and Asia, and they mixed with other groups of people. This caused another big change in the DNA of the people in Europe.
The scientists also studied the DNA of people who lived in Siberia, and they found similar changes in their genetic information too.
Overall, these migrations of people a long time ago had a big effect on the genetic diversity of the people who live in Europe and Asia today.
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