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People living across Europe more than 30,000 years ago were more genetically connected than scientists previously believed, with new evidence showing interactions between populations separated by vast distances.
An international research team led by the University of Vienna analysed ancient DNA from human remains and cave sediments, uncovering previously unknown links between eastern and western European populations.
Published in Science Advances, the study focused on the Gravettian culture, which flourished across Europe between approximately 34,000 and 25,000 years ago.
One key discovery came from the remains of a woman who lived around 30,000 years ago in Isturitz Cave in southwestern France. Her DNA revealed a mixture of western European ancestry and genetic links to populations in central and eastern Europe.
Researchers estimated that the genetic mixing occurred around 32,500 to 31,500 years ago, suggesting that prehistoric communities maintained long-distance connections much earlier than previously established.
The team also recovered human DNA from cave sediments at El Mirón in northern Spain, dating back approximately 22,000 years, despite finding no human remains in the layer.
The findings suggest that western European ancestry persisted in southwestern Europe through the Last Glacial Maximum, when ice sheets reached their greatest extent during the last Ice Age.
Researchers said the Iberian Peninsula, covering present-day Spain and Portugal, likely served as an important refuge for prehistoric human populations during the extreme cold.