Study Finds 42 Jomon Genomes Preserved Ice Age Cold-Adaptation Genes
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Aug 15
Study Finds 42 Jomon Genomes Preserved Ice Age Cold-Adaptation Genes
1 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Aug 15
Summary
Researchers analyzed 42 Jomon genomes and found genetic signatures tied to surviving extreme cold, including variants linked to nonshivering heat production and fat metabolism.
One brown-fat heat-production variant appeared in about 73% of Jomon samples versus 17% in present-day East Asians, pointing to strong past natural selection.
Using DNA from 25 newly sequenced remains and 17 earlier genomes, the team reconstructed allele changes over time and concluded selection was stronger during the last glacial period than after it.
The data suggest cold adaptation accumulated gradually as Jomon ancestors moved north, while a fatty-acid-processing region showed convergence with Greenlandic Inuit rather than modern East Asians.
The authors say the findings, published in Science Advances, offer a rare paleogenomic window into Upper Paleolithic East Eurasia, though physiological interpretations remain partly speculative.