Ancient Jomon DNA reveals a hidden Ice Age survival genetic toolkit
Between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, the planet experienced some of its coldest temperatures and drastic landscape changes at the peak of the Ice Age, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the period of most extensive global ice cover. Humans, despite being unaccustomed to such icy temperatures and surroundings, survived through the age.
During the Last Glacial Maximum, which occurred between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, humans faced extreme cold and drastic environmental changes as glaciers covered much of the planet. Despite this, Homo sapiens managed to survive and spread across Eurasia, including reaching the Japanese archipelago, where they developed the Jomon culture.
Researchers have now analyzed the DNA of 42 Jomon individuals to uncover how these ancient hunter-gatherers adapted to the harsh conditions of the Ice Age. By comparing the Jomon genomes to those of other populations, scientists discovered that the Jomon separated from mainland East Eurasians around 27,000 to 19,000 years ago. Later, the population of the Jomon declined before recovering, and the Hokkaido and Hondo Jomon lineages diverged about 10,000 to 8,800 years ago.
One of the most intriguing findings is the high frequency of certain genes in the Jomon, such as UCP1, FTO, and APOA5, which are involved in fat metabolism. These genetic variants may have helped the Jomon stay warm by converting fat into heat, allowing them to survive in the cold without shivering. Interestingly, the Jomon also carried genes related to a high-fat marine diet, similar to those of modern Greenlandic Inuit.
The researchers suggest that these adaptations might still be influencing health-related traits in people today, and that understanding paleogenomics could provide insights into the genetic basis of energy storage and fat metabolism.
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