Tracing the genetic origin of Europe's first farmers reveals insights into their social organization

Abstract Farming was established in Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK), a well-investigated archaeological horizon, which emerged in the Carpathian Basin, in today's Hungary. However, the genetic background of the LBK genesis is yet unclear. Here we present 9 Y chromosomal and 84 mitochondrial DNA profiles from Mesolithic, Neolithic Starčevo and LBK sites (seventh/sixth millennia BC) from the Carpathian Basin and southeastern Europe. We detect genetic continuity of both maternal and paternal elements during the initial spread of agriculture, and confirm the substantial genetic impact of early southeastern European and Carpathian Basin farming cultures on Central European populations of the sixth–fourth millennia BC. Comprehensive Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA population genetic analyses demonstrate a clear affinity of the early farmers to the modern Near East and Caucasus, tracing the expansion from that region through southeastern Europe and the Carpathian Basin into Central Europe. However, our results also reveal contrasting patterns for male and female genetic diversity in the European Neolithic, suggesting a system of patrilineal descent and patrilocal residential rules among the early farmers

Mathematical approximation of fibular malleolus curvature

While there are several manuscripts describing the articular surfaces of the ankle joint and the fibula itself, there is no study describing the outer surface and the degree of curvature of the fibular malleolus. This paper aims to approximate the sagital curvature of the outer surface of the lateral malleolus mathematically. Such data would facilitate the design of the anatomic plate that can be used for the ostheosynthesis of the fibular malleolus fracture. 30 males who were examined in the emergency department due to ankle sprains, where they underwent a standard anteroposterior x-ray of the ankle in the neutral position were recruited. The radiographs which revealed no bony injury were digitized and statistically processed. A mathematical function for each separate fibula was obtained through the processing of the digitized x-rays. When all the functions were applied to one graph, common traits of all fibulas were noted. The mean value of all functions was obtained and it corresponds to the polynomial function of degree 6. Mathematical approximation of the curvature is a simple and reliable method that can be applied to other ellipsoid human bone structures besides the ankle, thus being a valuable method in anthropometric, radiological and virtual geometric calculations

A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom’s northern provinces. Anatolia exhibited extraordinary continuity down to the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its people serving as the demographic core of much of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome itself. During medieval times, migrations associated with Slavic and Turkic speakers profoundly affected the region