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Analyses of five treponemal genomes representing ancient relatives of Treponema pallidum suggest that this pathogen originated in the Americas.

New archaeological and ancient genomic data from humans in Papua New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago shed light on regional human admixture and genetic isolation over the past 2,500 years.

Information on the occurrence of aneuploidies in prehistory human populations are rare. Here, from a large screen of ancient human genomes and osteological examination, the authors find genetic evidence for six cases of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and one case of trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) in historic and prehistoric infants.

Preservation of oral microbiome ancient DNA from Oceania is much better than human ancient DNA. The authors leverage this to demonstrate that oral microbial community composition in Oceania is not only distinct from the rest of the world, but it may also be associated with patterns of ancient human migration in the region.

High-coverage and low-coverage genomic data for some of the earliest modern humans in Europe provide insights into recent admixture with Neanderthals and familial relationship links with distant communities approximately 45,000 years ago.

Genomic analysis of Plasmodium DNA from 36 ancient individuals provides insight into the global distribution and spread of malaria-causing species during around 5,500 years of human history.

A study presents archaeogenomic data for 131 individuals from 38 sites spanning 6,000 years, and details the demographic processes of the Caucasus and the surrounding steppe zone throughout the Bronze Age.

The authors sequence genome-wide data from multiple human individuals in southern Spain and find long-lasting genetic continuity. Here, in contrast to regions elsewhere in Europe, a 23,000-year-old individual from Malalmuerzo carries genetic ancestry that connects earlier Aurignacian-associated individuals with western European hunter-gatherers long after the Last Glacial Maximum.

Ancient genome-wide data of 722 individuals and interdisciplinary analysis of large seventh- to eighth-century ce neighbouring cemeteries near Vienna are used to address the impact of the encounter between Eastern Asian Avars and Europeans.

Analysis of Aboriginal Australian mitochondrial genomes shows geographic patterns and deep splits across the major haplogroups that indicate a single, rapid migration along the coasts around 49–45 ka, followed by longstanding persistence in discrete geographic areas.

Oakhurst rockshelter in South Africa documents marked cultural change during the Holocene, but genome-wide data from ancient human individuals at the site now demonstrate a remarkable degree of genetic continuity over the last 9,000 years: the contemporary ‡Khomani San and Karretjiemense from South Africa still show direct signs of relatedness to the Oakhurst hunter-gatherers.

Archaeogenetic analysis of 135 individuals from the zone between southeastern Europe and the northwestern Black Sea region indicates contacts between farming and pastoralist populations at the end of the Copper Age.

We present genome-wide data from 64 subadults interred in Chichén Itzá around ad 500–900 that gives insight into burial rituals, and shows that their genomic legacy is still present and has adapted to immune challenges post-1492.

Combined analysis of new genomic data from 116 ancient hunter-gatherer individuals together with previously published data provides insights into the genetic structure and demographic shifts of west Eurasian forager populations over a period of 30,000 years.

Large log coffins placed on stilts in natural caves characterize the Iron Age of northwestern Thailand. Here, the authors conduct archaeogenetic analyses of 33 individuals, identifying a large, well-connected community, where genetic relatedness played a significant role in the mortuary ritual.

Analysis of Bronze Age aDNA from cremation burial mound in northeastern Iberia suggest ancestry from Central Europe and Southeastern Iberian

The burial community at Gurgy ‘les Noisats’ (France) was genetically connected by two main pedigrees, spanning seven generations, that were patrilocal and patrilineal, with evidence for female exogamy and exchange with genetically close neighbouring groups.

The ancestry of the European bison (wisent) remains a mystery. Here, Cooper and colleagues examine ancient DNA from fossil remains of extinct bison, and reveal the wisent originated through the hybridization of the extinct Steppe bison and ancestors of modern cattle.

Through analyses of ancient and modern human genomes, the authors show that previously reported Holocene-era admixture has masked more than 50 historic hard sweeps in modern European genomes.

This study highlights Bronze Age northern Eurasia as a region of interaction between various groups sharing a Siberian ancestry component and the spread of languages and cultures.