Cave of Isturitz, the cavity in which the bone of a Gravettian woman was found.
Photo Credit: © Severine Dabadie
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Gravettian Population Dynamics in Ice Age Europe
The Core Concept: More than 30,000 years ago, Paleolithic human populations in Europe, specifically those of the Gravettian culture, engaged in extensive long-distance genetic exchange between eastern and western regions. This challenges prior models of strict regional isolation by demonstrating a highly interconnected continental network operating alongside localized population continuity.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: While earlier genetic data suggested stable, isolated eastern and western ancestry groups during the Gravettian period, the integration of new genome-wide datasets with sedimentary DNA reveals active East-West gene flow. The mechanism demonstrates that regional population stability (e.g., using the Iberian Peninsula as an Ice Age refuge) could coexist with vast genetic exchange, characterized by mating practices designed to avoid high levels of inbreeding.
Origin/History: The Gravettian culture spanned Europe between 34,000 and 25,000 years ago. The pivotal findings—published in Science Advances in October 2026 by an international team led by Pere Gelabert and Ron Pinhasi at the University of Vienna—stem from the 30,000-year-old remains of a woman in France's Isturitz Cave and 22,000-year-old cave sediment in Spain's El Mirón Cave.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Genome-Wide Sequencing: The extraction and sequencing of nuclear DNA from rare skeletal remains, such as a Gravettian female from France and a male fetus from southern Italy, to map continental ancestry and localized mating practices.
- Sedimentary DNA Analysis: The recovery of human nuclear DNA directly from ancient cave sediments, enabling researchers to determine genetic ancestry and connect archaeological layers even in the complete absence of human bones or teeth.
- Genetic Modeling: Advanced demographic modeling used to track gene flow timelines, pinpointing the specific era of East-West genetic mixing to approximately 32,500 to 31,500 years ago.
- Proteomic Integration: The future integration of sedimentary DNA with advanced protein analysis to investigate trans-European human expansions and interactions with local fauna in environments lacking organic remains.
Branch of Science: Evolutionary Anthropology, Paleogenetics, Archaeology, Molecular Biology
Future Application: The refined methods for recovering and analyzing sedimentary DNA and ancient proteins can be deployed at archaeological sites globally, allowing scientists to reconstruct human evolutionary history and migration patterns in harsh climates where skeletal preservation is impossible.
Why It Matters: This research fundamentally rewrites the demographic history of Ice Age Europe, proving that early modern humans maintained expansive social and mating networks across the continent to ensure genetic diversity, while simultaneously establishing stable, long-term communities in glacial refuges.
More than 30,000 years ago, people associated with one of Europe’s major Paleolithic cultures (the Gravettian) were more interconnected than previously thought. An international research team led by the University of Vienna has uncovered new genetic evidence of long-distance connections between these populations. Published in Science Advances, the study combines genomic data from rare human remains with human DNA preserved in cave sediments.
The Gravettian culture was widespread across Europe around 34,000 to 25,000 years ago. While archaeological finds have long suggested extensive contacts across the continent, genetic data pointed to relatively stable eastern and western ancestry groups. By analyzing new and previously published genomic data alongside human DNA from cave sediments, the researchers found evidence of east-west genetic exchange and long-term population continuity in southwestern Europe.
A woman's genome links east and west
The remains of a woman from Isturitz Cave in southwestern France, who lived around 30,000 years ago, yielded the oldest genome-wide dataset to date of a modern human from southwestern Europe. Her genetic data provide key evidence of east-west exchange: most of her ancestry was related to the western European lineage, but she also carried ancestry related to populations from central and eastern Europe. Genetic modeling dates this gene flow to around 32,500 to 31,500 years ago. "Our results show that eastern and western European populations were not as genetically isolated as previously assumed," says first author Pere Gelabert, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna. "Gene flow across such large distances adds a new dimension to our understanding of how Gravettian populations were connected." A similar signal was found in a previously studied individual from Ormesson, France. Together with archaeological evidence, the new findings also support the idea that Isturitz may have been a meeting place for different groups.
Human DNA from cave sediment
At the same time, the researchers found evidence for long-term population continuity in southwestern Europe. Genomic data from Chufín Cave in northern Spain indicate that western European ancestry persisted in the region over thousands of years. The team also analyzed ancient human DNA preserved directly in cave sediment. At El Mirón Cave in Cantabria, they recovered enough human nuclear DNA from a 22,000-year-old layer to determine its genetic ancestry—despite the absence of human bones or teeth. "Sedimentary DNA allows us to recover genetic information from periods where human remains are missing," says senior author Ron Pinhasi, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna, whose team led this study. "This gives us a way to connect archaeological layers with the genetic ancestry of the people who occupied a site." The El Mirón DNA shows that this ancestry persisted through the Last Glacial Maximum, supporting the idea of the Iberian Peninsula as an Ice Age refuge.
What mother and son reveal about mating
In southern Italy, the team analyzed Ostuni1b, a male fetus and most likely the son of the previously studied woman Ostuni1. His father probably came from the same genetic population, yet the parents were not closely related—suggesting mating practices that helped avoid high levels of inbreeding. Together, the findings show that regional population continuity could coexist with genetic exchange over large distances. Gelabert's team is now combining sedimentary DNA with advanced proteomic analyses to investigate the first trans-European expansions of modern humans and their interactions with carnivores where organic remains are scarce.
Published in journal: Science Advances
Title: Early Gravettian genomic data from Western Europe reveal population movements before the LGM
Authors: Pere Gelabert, Susanna Sawyer, Vanessa Villalba-Mouco, Olivia Cheronet, Victoria Oberreiter, Diego Gárate, Christian Normand, Lawrence G. Straus, Manuel R. González Morales, Igor Gutiérrez-Zugasti, David Cuenca-Solana, Joëlle Darricau, Henry de Lumley, José-Miguel Tejero, Mareike Stahlschmidt, Thomas Higham, Maddalena Giannì, Laura G. van der Sluis, Carla Gómez-Montes, Miriam Ibáñez-Herranz, Michelle Hämmerle, Brina Zagorc, Florian Exler, Florian Brück, Stefan Franz, Fernanda Tenorio Cano, Kristin Stewardson, Lijun Qiu, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo, Michaela Lucci, Alessia Nava, Francesco Genchi, Donato Coppola, Chiara La Marca, Alfredo Coppa, David Reich, and Ron Pinhasi
Source/Credit: Universität Wien
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: anth102426_01
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