Biology subjects

Gurun, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Gurun, K..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Ancient DNA analyses of two Early Chalcolithic Individuals from the West Mound

In this chapter, we investigate the genetics of two Early Chalcolithic Catalhoyuk individuals, U.18333 and U.16835, the only two burials yet recovered from the West Mound. These were two neonates buried within the same building. Using shotgun-sequenced partial genomes (0.06x and 0.02x coverage) we identify both as females. Despite being recovered from the same building, we find no close genetic kinship between them, in line with previously published kinship results from Catalhoyuk. We also find that the two West Mound neonates shared the same gene pool with Neolithic Catalhoyuk and other Central and West Anatolian Neolithic populations, and they did not carry the Caucasus-related "eastern" gene flow signature observed in later-coming Chalcolithic Anatolian genomes. This indicates no large-scale admixture between East and West Mound Catalhoyuk, and possibly that the post-Neolithic "eastern" gene flow event into Anatolia may have initiated only by the mid-6th millennium BCE.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2024

Female lineages and changing kinship patterns in Neolithic Catalhöyük

Arguments have long suggested that the advent of early farming in the Near East and Anatolia was linked to a Mother Goddess cult. However, evidence for a dominant female role in these societies has been scarce. We studied social organisation, mobility patterns and gendered practices in Neolithic Southwest Asia using 131 paleogenomes from Catalhoyuk East Mound (7100-5950 BCE), a major settlement in Central Anatolia with an uninterrupted occupation and an apparent egalitarian structure. In contrast to widespread genetic evidence for patrilocality in Neolithic Europe, the Catalhoyuk individuals revealed no indication of patrilocal mobility. Analysing genetic kin ties among individuals buried in the same house (co-burials) across 35 Catalhoyuk buildings, we identified close ties concentrated within buildings and among neighbours in Catalhoyuks Early period, akin to those in the preceding Pre-Pottery Neolithic in Southwest Asia. This pattern weakened over time: by the late 7th millennium BCE, subadults buried in the same building were rarely closely genetically related, despite sharing similar diets. Still, throughout the sites occupation, genetic connections within Catalhoyuk buildings were much more frequently connected via the maternal than the paternal line. We also identified differential funerary treatment of female subadults compared to those of males, with a higher frequency of grave goods associated with females. Our results reveal how kinship practices changed while key female roles persisted over one thousand years in a large Neolithic community in western Eurasia.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

A genomic snapshot of demographic and cultural dynamism in Upper Mesopotamia during the Neolithic Transition

Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and foodways. We present thirteen ancient genomes (c.8500-7500 calBCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Cayonu in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data. Our findings reveal that Cayonu was a genetically diverse population, carrying a mixed ancestry from western and eastern Fertile Crescent, and that the community received immigrants. Our results further suggest that the community was organised along biological family lines. We document bodily interventions such as head-shaping and cauterization among the individuals examined, reflecting Cayonus cultural ingenuity. Finally, we identify Upper Mesopotamia as the likely source of eastern gene flow into Neolithic Anatolia, in line with material culture evidence. We hypothesise that Upper Mesopotamias cultural dynamism during the Neolithic Transition was the product not only of its fertile lands but also of its interregional demographic connections.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

Human inbreeding has decreased in time through the Holocene

The history of human inbreeding is controversial. The development of sedentary agricultural societies may have had opposite influences on inbreeding levels. On the one hand, agriculture and food surplus may have diminished inbreeding by increasing population sizes and lowering endogamy, i.e. inbreeding due to population isolation. On the other hand, increased sedentism, as well as the advent of private property may have promoted inbreeding through the emergence of consanguineous marriage customs or via ethnic and caste endogamy. The net impact is unknown, and to date, no systematic study on the temporal frequency of inbreeding in human societies has been conducted. Here we present a new approach for reliable estimation of runs of homozygosity (ROH) in genomes with [≥]3x mean coverage across >1 million SNPs, and apply this to 440 ancient Eurasian genomes from the last 15,000 years. We show that the frequency of inbreeding, as measured by ROH, has decreased over time. The strongest effect is associated with the Neolithic transition, but the trend has since continued, indicating a population size effect on inbreeding prevalence. We further show that most inbreeding in our historical sample can be attributed to endogamy, although singular cases of high consanguinity can also be found in the archaeogenomic record. HighlightsA study of 440 ancient genomes shows inbreeding decreased over time. The decrease appears linked with population size increase due to farming. Extreme consanguineous matings did occur among farmers, but rarely.

genomics↗