Papers by cristina valdiosera
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2015
ABSTRACT The Iberian lynx, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, is the most threatened carnivore in ... more ABSTRACT The Iberian lynx, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, is the most threatened carnivore in Europe and the most endangered felid in the world. Widely distributed throughout Iberia during the Pleistocene and Holocene it is now confined to two small populations in southern Spain. Lynx species differentiation, based solely on morphological analysis from skeletal traits, is a difficult task and can potentially lead to misidentification. In order to verify whether Iberian lynx had a wider geographical distribution in the past, we successfully sequenced 152 base pairs (bp) of the cytochrome b gene and 183 bp of the mitochondrial control region in 20 Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil remains of Lynx sp. from southern Europe. Our results confirm the presence of Iberian lynx outside the Iberian Peninsula demonstrating that this is a palaeoendemic species that had a wider distribution range in southern Europe during the Holocene and the Late Pleistocene. In addition, we documented the presence of both Palaearctic extant lynx species in the Arene Candide (north Italy) site during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Open Archaeology
The presence of scattered prehistoric human bones in caves and sinkholes is common in many region... more The presence of scattered prehistoric human bones in caves and sinkholes is common in many regions of Iberia. These are usually interpreted as erratic elements coming from burial contexts, usually collective associations. These burial contexts are very frequent in karst areas of the Iberian Peninsula since the Early Neolithic, mostly in the Late Neolithic, and Copper Age, while findings from earlier chronologies are much more unusual. In this work, we present partial remains of a human skull from the Mesolithic period, recovered from a cave in the Strait of Gibraltar area. Although there is no conclusive evidence pointing to a dismantled burial context, this constitutes an isolated find, where its final location appears to be consistent with gravitational fall followed by water transportation.
Biological Anthropology [Working Title], 2020
The main object of this paper is to reconstruct the presence of the knights of the Teutonic Order... more The main object of this paper is to reconstruct the presence of the knights of the Teutonic Order in the archeological site of Torre Alemanna (Foggia, Italy), one of the best preserved Teutonic production sites. This is an interdisciplinary study that includes archeological and anthropological research combined with the paleonutritional results and radiocarbon dating. Specifically, for this study, the area 5 of the complex has been investigated. The cemetery is located in the northwest corner of the complex, and the burials are probably dated at the beginning of the Teutonic settlement. In order to draw conclusions about their presence, attention has been focused primarily on ergonomics activities, injuries, morphological and metric characters, diet, and dating.
The Middle East plays a central role in human history harbouring a vast diversity of ethnic, cult... more The Middle East plays a central role in human history harbouring a vast diversity of ethnic, cultural and religious groups. However, much remains to be understood about past and present genomic diversity in this region. Here, we present for the first time, a multidisciplinary bioarchaeological analysis of two individuals dated to late 7th and early 8th centuries from Tell Qarassa, an open-air site in modern-day Syria. Radiocarbon dates, religious and cultural burial evidence indicate that this site represents one of the earliest Islamic Arab burials in the Levant during the Late Antiquity period. Interestingly, we found genomic similarity to a genotyped group of modern-day Bedouins and Saudi rather than to most neighbouring Levantine groups. This is highlighted through substantial Neolithic Levant ancestry in our samples, inviting an alternative scenario of long-term continuity in this region. This raises questions about the influence of ancient populations and historical migrations...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019
Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the presen... more Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local European wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more ...
Ecology and Evolution, 2019
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
PLoS biology, 2018
Scandinavia was one of the last geographic areas in Europe to become habitable for humans after t... more Scandinavia was one of the last geographic areas in Europe to become habitable for humans after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, the routes and genetic composition of these postglacial migrants remain unclear. We sequenced the genomes, up to 57× coverage, of seven hunter-gatherers excavated across Scandinavia and dated from 9,500-6,000 years before present (BP). Surprisingly, among the Scandinavian Mesolithic individuals, the genetic data display an east-west genetic gradient that opposes the pattern seen in other parts of Mesolithic Europe. Our results suggest two different early postglacial migrations into Scandinavia: initially from the south, and later, from the northeast. The latter followed the ice-free Norwegian north Atlantic coast, along which novel and advanced pressure-blade stone-tool techniques may have spread. These two groups met and mixed in Scandinavia, creating a genetically diverse population, which shows patterns of genetic adaptation to high latitude env...
Current biology : CB, Jan 6, 2017
The origins and genetic affinity of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands, commonly kn... more The origins and genetic affinity of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands, commonly known as Guanches, are poorly understood. Though radiocarbon dates on archaeological remains such as charcoal, seeds, and domestic animal bones suggest that people have inhabited the islands since the 5th century BCE [1-3], it remains unclear how many times, and by whom, the islands were first settled [4, 5]. Previously published ancient DNA analyses of uniparental genetic markers have shown that the Guanches carried common North African Y chromosome markers (E-M81, E-M78, and J-M267) and mitochondrial lineages such as U6b, in addition to common Eurasian haplogroups [6-8]. These results are in agreement with some linguistic, archaeological, and anthropological data indicating an origin from a North African Berber-like population [1, 4, 9]. However, to date there are no published Guanche autosomal genomes to help elucidate and directly test this hypothesis. To resolve this, we generated the...
Scandinavia was one of the last geographic areas in Europe to become habitable for humans after t... more Scandinavia was one of the last geographic areas in Europe to become habitable for humans after the last glaciation. However, the origin(s) of the first colonizers and their migration routes remain unclear. We sequenced the genomes, up to 57x coverage, of seven hunter-gatherers excavated across Scandinavia and dated to 9,500-6,000 years before present. Surprisingly, among the Scandinavian Mesolithic individuals, the genetic data display an east-west genetic gradient that opposes the pattern seen in other parts of Mesolithic Europe. This result suggests that Scandinavia was initially colonized following two different routes: one from the south, the other from the northeast. The latter followed the ice-free Norwegian north Atlantic coast, along which novel and advanced pressure-blade stone-tool techniques may have spread. These two groups met and mixed in Scandinavia, creating a genetically diverse population, which shows patterns of genetic adaptation to high latitude environments. T...
Recent genome-wide studies of both ancient and modern indigenous people of the Americas have shed... more Recent genome-wide studies of both ancient and modern indigenous people of the Americas have shed light on the demographic processes involved during the first peopling. The Pacific northwest coast proves an intriguing focus for these studies due to its association with coastal migration models and genetic ancestral patterns that are difficult to reconcile with modern DNA alone. Here we report the genome-wide sequence of an ancient individual known as "Shuká Káa" ("Man Ahead of Us") recovered from the On Your Knees Cave (OYKC) in southeastern Alaska (archaeological site 49-PET-408). The human remains date to approximately 10,300 cal years before present (BP). We also analyze low coverage genomes of three more recent individuals from the nearby coast of British Columbia dating from approximately 6075 to 1750 cal years BP. From the resulting time series of genetic data, we show that the Pacific Northwest Coast exhibits genetic continuity for at least the past 10,300...
Journal of Proteomics, 2017
Ancient DNA (aDNA) is the most informative biomolecule extracted from skeletal remains at archaeo... more Ancient DNA (aDNA) is the most informative biomolecule extracted from skeletal remains at archaeological sites, but its survival is unpredictable and its extraction and analysis is time consuming, expensive and often fails. Several proposed methods for better understanding aDNA survival are based upon the characterisation of some aspect of protein survival, but these are typically non-specific; proteomic analyses may offer an attractive method for understanding preservation processes. In this study, in-depth proteomic (LC-Orbitrap-MS/MS) analyses were carried out on 69 archaeological bovine bone and dentine samples from multiple European archaeological sites and compared with mitochondrial aDNA and amino acid racemisation (AAR) data. Comparisons of these data, including estimations of the relative abundances for seven selected non-collagenous proteins, indicate that the survival of aDNA in bone or dentine may correlate with the survival of some proteins, and that proteome complexity is a more useful predictor of aDNA survival than protein abundance or AAR. The lack of a strong correlation between the recovery of aDNA and the proteome abundance may indicate that the survival of aDNA is more closely linked to its ability to associate with bone hydroxyapatite crystals rather than to associate with proteins. Significance: Ancient biomolecule survival remains poorly understood, even with great advancements in 'omics' technologies, both in genomics and proteomics. This study investigates the survival of ancient DNA in relation to that of proteins, taking into account proteome complexity and the relative protein abundances to improve our understanding of survival mechanisms. The results show that although protein abundance is not necessarily directly related to aDNA survival, proteome complexity appears to be.
Science advances, 2016
The exact timing, route, and process of the initial peopling of the Americas remains uncertain de... more The exact timing, route, and process of the initial peopling of the Americas remains uncertain despite much research. Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of humans as far as southern Chile by 14.6 thousand years ago (ka), shortly after the Pleistocene ice sheets blocking access from eastern Beringia began to retreat. Genetic estimates of the timing and route of entry have been constrained by the lack of suitable calibration points and low genetic diversity of Native Americans. We sequenced 92 whole mitochondrial genomes from pre-Columbian South American skeletons dating from 8.6 to 0.5 ka, allowing a detailed, temporally calibrated reconstruction of the peopling of the Americas in a Bayesian coalescent analysis. The data suggest that a small population entered the Americas via a coastal route around 16.0 ka, following previous isolation in eastern Beringia for ~2.4 to 9 thousand years after separation from eastern Siberian populations. Following a rapid movement throughou...
Current Biology, 2016
Highlights d Kum6 shows a strong population continuity with present-day Sardinia d Kum6 expresses... more Highlights d Kum6 shows a strong population continuity with present-day Sardinia d Kum6 expresses connections to the central Eurasian gene pool d Kum6 shares notable affinity with the Iceman, a 5,300-yearold southern European d Genetic affinities to both East and West suggest continuous contact with Anatolia
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 8, 2015
The consequences of the Neolithic transition in Europe-one of the most important cultural changes... more The consequences of the Neolithic transition in Europe-one of the most important cultural changes in human prehistory-is a subject of great interest. However, its effect on prehistoric and modern-day people in Iberia, the westernmost frontier of the European continent, remains unresolved. We present, to our knowledge, the first genome-wide sequence data from eight human remains, dated to between 5,500 and 3,500 years before present, excavated in the El Portalón cave at Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain. We show that these individuals emerged from the same ancestral gene pool as early farmers in other parts of Europe, suggesting that migration was the dominant mode of transferring farming practices throughout western Eurasia. In contrast to central and northern early European farmers, the Chalcolithic El Portalón individuals additionally mixed with local southwestern hunter-gatherers. The proportion of hunter-gatherer-related admixture into early farmers also increased over the course of tw...
Quaternary International, 2017
This work presents the results from the excavation of a multiple burial in a pseudo-tumular struc... more This work presents the results from the excavation of a multiple burial in a pseudo-tumular structure constructed in the Cueva Mayor cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos), specifically focusing on the entrance of this cave in an area known as El Portal on archaeological site. We recovered the skeletal remains of a minimum of eight individuals from several altered primary burials with bones showing different levels of associated grave goods and faunal remains. A series of radiocarbon dates obtained from seeds, human and animal bones, place these burials at the end of the fifth millennium BP. The domestic animals and ceramics suggest a complex and symbolic humaneanimal relationship. The information obtained from the site of El Portal on significantly broadens our understanding of funerary rituals during the Chalcolithic period.
Science (New York, N.Y.), Jan 21, 2015
How and when the Americas were populated remains contentious. Using ancient and modern genome-wid... more How and when the Americas were populated remains contentious. Using ancient and modern genome-wide data, we find that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans, including Athabascans and Amerindians, entered the Americas as a single migration wave from Siberia no earlier than 23 thousand years ago (KYA), and after no more than 8,000-year isolation period in Beringia. Following their arrival to the Americas, ancestral Native Americans diversified into two basal genetic branches around 13 KYA, one that is now dispersed across North and South America and the other is restricted to North America. Subsequent gene flow resulted in some Native Americans sharing ancestry with present-day East Asians (including Siberians) and, more distantly, Australo-Melanesians. Putative…
Nature, Jan 18, 2015
Kennewick Man, referred to as the Ancient One by Native Americans, is a male human skeleton disco... more Kennewick Man, referred to as the Ancient One by Native Americans, is a male human skeleton discovered in Washington state (USA) in 1996 and initially radiocarbon-dated to 8,340-9,200 calibrated years before present (bp). His population affinities have been the subject of scientific debate and legal controversy. Based on an initial study of cranial morphology it was asserted that Kennewick Man was neither Native American nor closely related to the claimant Plateau tribes of the Pacific Northwest, who claimed ancestral relationship and requested repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The morphological analysis was important to judicial decisions that Kennewick Man was not Native American and that therefore NAGPRA did not apply. Instead of repatriation, additional studies of the remains were permitted. Subsequent craniometric analysis affirmed Kennewick Man to be more closely related to circumpacific groups such as the Ainu and Polynesi...
Boletín de la Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural. Sección biológica
Resumen La cabra montesa ibérica (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838) es un endemismo de la Península I... more Resumen La cabra montesa ibérica (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838) es un endemismo de la Península Ibérica que en los últimos siglos ha sufrido la pérdida de dos de sus cuatro subespecies (C .pyrenaica pyrenaica y C. pyrenaica lusitanica, actualmente extintas, C. pyrenaica hispanica y C. pyrenaica victoriae). La taxonomía para esta especie, al igual que para el género Capra, plantea un debate ya que la taxonomía habitualmente empleada se basa en caracteres morfológicos, tales como la morfología de los cuernos o el pelaje, que muchos autores sugieren que no son suficientes para definir una especie o subespecie. Los distintos problemas de conservación que plantea esta especie, así como su valor añadido por ser la pieza de caza mayor más importante de la Península, hacen que la gestión de esta especie sea una prioridad tanto desde el punto de vista biológico como socioeconómico. En este trabajo, se aplican las técnicas moleculares utilizadas en los estudios de ADN antiguo para investigar ...
Appropiate identification of goat remains at an archaeological site provides important informatio... more Appropiate identification of goat remains at an archaeological site provides important information about the structure and behaviour (subsistence strategies) of ancient human societies. Traditionally, Iberian wild goats (Capra pyrenaica) and domestic goats (Capra hircus) have been differentiated using biometric criteria whereas morphological identification of these species has remained poorly studied. We tested the biometric and morphological criteria for goat species identification in a set of 35 anatomical elements. From these, 20 bones belonged to modern domestic goats obtained from comparative anatomical collections of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology of the University of Haifa, the National Natural History Collections of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Department of Archaeology of the University of Sheffield. The remaining 15 bones correspond to fossil material of wild and domestic goat from Paleolithic and Neolithic levels from the site of Chaves in Huesca, Spai...
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Papers by cristina valdiosera