Browsing by Author "Olalde, Iñigo"

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    Ancient genomes indicate population replacement in Early Neolithic Britain
    (Springer Nature, 2019-05) Brace, Selina; Diekmann, Yoan; Booth, Thomas J.; van Dorp, Lucy; Faltyskova, Zuzana; Rohland, Nadin; Mallick, Swapan; Olalde, Iñigo; Ferry, Matthew; Michel, Megan; Oppenheimer, Jonas; Broomandkhoshbacht, Nasreen; Stewardson, Kristin; Martiniano, Rui; Walsh, Susan; Kayser, Manfred; Charlton, Sophy; Hellenthal, Garrett; Armit, Ian; Schulting, Rick; Craig, Oliver E.; Sheridan, Alison; Parker Pearson, Mike; Stringer, Chris; Reich, David; Thomas, Mark G.; Barnes, Ian; Biology, School of Science
    The roles of migration, admixture and acculturation in the European transition to farming have been debated for over 100 years. Genome-wide ancient DNA studies indicate predominantly Aegean ancestry for continental Neolithic farmers, but also variable admixture with local Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Neolithic cultures first appear in Britain circa 4000 BC, a millennium after they appeared in adjacent areas of continental Europe. The pattern and process of this delayed British Neolithic transition remain unclear. We assembled genome-wide data from 6 Mesolithic and 67 Neolithic individuals found in Britain, dating 8500-2500 BC. Our analyses reveal persistent genetic affinities between Mesolithic British and Western European hunter-gatherers. We find overwhelming support for agriculture being introduced to Britain by incoming continental farmers, with small, geographically structured levels of hunter-gatherer ancestry. Unlike other European Neolithic populations, we detect no resurgence of hunter-gatherer ancestry at any time during the Neolithic in Britain. Genetic affinities with Iberian Neolithic individuals indicate that British Neolithic people were mostly descended from Aegean farmers who followed the Mediterranean route of dispersal. We also infer considerable variation in pigmentation levels in Europe by circa 6000 BC.
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    Exploring the association between SNPs and facial morphology in a Spanish population
    (Springer Nature, 2025-04-22) Navarro-López, Belén; Wilke, Franziska; Suárez-Ulloa, Victoria; Baeta, Miriam; Martos-Fernández, Rubén; Moreno-López, Olatz; Olalde, Iñigo; Martínez-Jarreta, Begoña; Jiménez, Susana; Walsh, Susan; de Pancorbo, Marian M.; Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine
    Understanding and predicting human external phenotypes, particularly facial shape, is of great value for individual identification. However, facial morphology is a highly complex trait. Despite its complexity, recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have shed light on potential SNPs associated with facial features, offering a first glimpse into the likely genetic background of individual appearance. In this paper we have selected a set of 116 candidate SNPs and studied their association with facial phenotypes in a Spanish population of 412 individuals, highlighting a wide spectrum of facial morphologies worthy of investigation. We performed canonical correlation analysis (CCA) between each SNP and the observed spacial variation in facial shape, from its representation by a dense mesh of 7160 quasi-landmarks, revealing significant associations within different facial segments. In particular, ten SNPs are highlighted for their strong association within this Spanish population, some of them uncovering correlations with novel facial regions. These findings underline the importance and usefulness of conducting candidate SNP studies, not only to validate existing associations but also to unveil novel correlations within subpopulations.