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DNA tracks ancient Mediterranean farmers to Scandinavia

Mixing with native foragers led to modern genetic signature, study suggests

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

Modern Europeans’ genetic profile may have been partly cultivated by early Mediterranean farmers who moved to what’s now Scandinavia, where they paired up with resident hunter-gatherers.

DIGGING FARMERS Hunter-gatherer skeletons excavated in Sweden, including these remains of a young woman, have provided genetic evidence that these groups mated with nearby farmers who arrived from southern Europe around 5,000 years ago.