UK’s Oldest Human DNA Obtained, Revealing Two Distinct Paleolithic Populations

The first genetic data from Paleolithic human individuals in the UK--the oldest human DNA obtained from the British Isles so far--indicates the presence of two distinct groups that migrated to Britain at the end of the last ice age, according to new research. Published on October 24, 2022 in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the new study by researchers at the University College-London (UCL) Institute of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum, and the Francis Crick Institute researchers, and colleagues reveals for the first time that the recolonization of Britain consisted of at least two groups with distinct origins and cultures. The article is titled “Dual Ancestries and Ecologies of the Late Glacial Palaeolithic In Britain.”