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Genomics of Mesolithic Scandinavia reveal colonization routes and high-latitude adaptation

View ORCID ProfileTorsten Günther, View ORCID ProfileHelena Malmström, View ORCID ProfileEmma Svensson, Ayça Omrak, View ORCID ProfileFederico Sánchez-Quinto, Gülşah M. Kılınç, Maja Krzewińska, View ORCID ProfileGunilla Eriksson, Magdalena Fraser, Hanna Edlund, Arielle R. Munters, Alexandra Coutinho, Luciana G. Simões, Mário Vicente, Anders Sjölander, Berit Jansen Sellevold, Roger Jørgensen, View ORCID ProfilePeter Claes, View ORCID ProfileMark D. Shriver, View ORCID ProfileCristina Valdiosera, View ORCID ProfileMihai G. Netea, Jan Apel, Kerstin Lidén, Birgitte Skar, Jan Storå, View ORCID ProfileAnders Götherström, View ORCID ProfileMattias Jakobsson
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/164400
Torsten Günther
Uppsala University;
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  • For correspondence: torsten.guenther@ebc.uu.se
Helena Malmström
Uppsala University;
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Emma Svensson
Uppsala University;
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Ayça Omrak
Stockholm University;
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Federico Sánchez-Quinto
Uppsala University;
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Gülşah M. Kılınç
Middle East Technical University;
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Maja Krzewińska
Stockholm University;
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Gunilla Eriksson
Stockholm University;
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Magdalena Fraser
Uppsala University-Campus Gotland;
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Hanna Edlund
Uppsala University;
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Arielle R. Munters
Uppsala University;
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Alexandra Coutinho
Uppsala University;
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Luciana G. Simões
Uppsala University;
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Mário Vicente
Uppsala University;
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Anders Sjölander
Uppsala University;
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Berit Jansen Sellevold
Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research;
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Roger Jørgensen
Tromsø University Museum;
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Peter Claes
KU Leuven;
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Mark D. Shriver
Penn State University;
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Cristina Valdiosera
La Trobe University;
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Mihai G. Netea
Radboud University;
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Jan Apel
Lund University;
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Kerstin Lidén
Stockholm University;
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Birgitte Skar
NTNU University Museum;
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Jan Storå
Stockholm University;
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Anders Götherström
Stockholm University;
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Mattias Jakobsson
Uppsala Universitet
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Abstract

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. These adaptations include high frequencies of low pigmentation variants and a gene-region associated with physical performance, which shows strong continuity into modern-day northern Europeans.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license.
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  • Posted July 30, 2017.

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Genomics of Mesolithic Scandinavia reveal colonization routes and high-latitude adaptation
Torsten Günther, Helena Malmström, Emma Svensson, Ayça Omrak, Federico Sánchez-Quinto, Gülşah M. Kılınç, Maja Krzewińska, Gunilla Eriksson, Magdalena Fraser, Hanna Edlund, Arielle R. Munters, Alexandra Coutinho, Luciana G. Simões, Mário Vicente, Anders Sjölander, Berit Jansen Sellevold, Roger Jørgensen, Peter Claes, Mark D. Shriver, Cristina Valdiosera, Mihai G. Netea, Jan Apel, Kerstin Lidén, Birgitte Skar, Jan Storå, Anders Götherström, Mattias Jakobsson
bioRxiv 164400; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/164400
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Genomics of Mesolithic Scandinavia reveal colonization routes and high-latitude adaptation
Torsten Günther, Helena Malmström, Emma Svensson, Ayça Omrak, Federico Sánchez-Quinto, Gülşah M. Kılınç, Maja Krzewińska, Gunilla Eriksson, Magdalena Fraser, Hanna Edlund, Arielle R. Munters, Alexandra Coutinho, Luciana G. Simões, Mário Vicente, Anders Sjölander, Berit Jansen Sellevold, Roger Jørgensen, Peter Claes, Mark D. Shriver, Cristina Valdiosera, Mihai G. Netea, Jan Apel, Kerstin Lidén, Birgitte Skar, Jan Storå, Anders Götherström, Mattias Jakobsson
bioRxiv 164400; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/164400

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