COEXIST-Maximising data from fragmented bone to understand the coexistence of late Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens in central and southeast Europe

共存——最大化来自碎片骨骼的数据，以了解中欧和东南欧晚期尼安德特人和早期智人的共存

• 批准号: EP/Y037448/1
• 负责人: Karen Ruebens
• 金额: $ 161.65万
• 依托单位: University of Reading
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FY037448%2F1
• 关键词: COEXIST; Maximising; data; fragmented; bone

While recent studies of ancient DNA have been revolutionary in demonstrating we interbred with Neanderthals, the chronological and geographic extent of these interactions, as well as any behavioural variations, remain poorly understood. In COEXIST, I will apply the latest technical advances from archaeological science, proteomics and genetics to reconstruct Neanderthal-Homo sapiens coexistence, which is essential to understand how we became the only human species in the world. Small bone fragments make up 70-90% of archaeological bone collections but are often excluded from analyses, as it is not known what type of animal or human they belonged to. The method of Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) can now identify these fragments through variations in their collagen, allowing insights into human behaviour, as well as discoveries of new human remains.In this project, I will apply ZooMS to 14,000 bone samples, dated to 55,000-45,000 years old, from central and southeast Europe, a region with recent evidence for an early presence of Homo sapiens. First, with these ZooMS identifications, I will reconstruct how late Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens used a site, what animals they ate, and how they selected, acquired, and butchered them. I can then test if differences in subsistence played a role in Neanderthal disappearance. Second, any human remains identified through ZooMS will be analysed using the latest proteomic and DNA methods to assess their genetic histories, including episodes of interbreeding. Finally, applying the latest advances in sample selection for radiocarbon dating, I will establish a new chronology for Neanderthal-Homo sapiens coexistence in the study region. Through its ambitious, large-scale and multidisciplinary approach COEXIST will have a significant impact on current hypotheses on Neanderthal-Homo sapiens coexistence and shift current views on the behavioural dynamics of population interactions and replacements in our deep past.

虽然最近对古代 DNA 的研究在证明我们与尼安德特人杂交方面取得了革命性的进展，但这些相互作用的时间顺序和地理范围以及任何行为差异仍然知之甚少。在《共存》中，我将应用考古学、蛋白质组学和遗传学的最新技术进步来重建尼安德特人和智人的共存，这对于理解我们如何成为世界上唯一的人类物种至关重要。小骨头碎片占考古骨头收藏的 70-90%，但经常被排除在分析之外，因为不知道它们属于哪种类型的动物或人类。动物考古学质谱 (ZooMS) 方法现在可以通过胶原蛋白的变化来识别这些碎片，从而深入了解人类行为，以及发现新的人类遗骸。在这个项目中，我将应用 ZooMS 来分析 14,000 个骨头样本，这些样本均已注明日期距今 55,000-45,000 年前，来自中欧和东南欧，该地区最近有证据表明智人早期存在。首先，通过这些 ZooMS 识别，我将重建晚期尼安德特人和早期智人如何使用一个地点，他们吃什么动物，以及他们如何选择、获取和屠宰它们。然后我可以测试生存差异是否在尼安德特人的消失中发挥了作用。其次，通过 ZooMS 鉴定的任何人类遗骸都将使用最新的蛋白质组学和 DNA 方法进行分析，以评估其遗传历史，包括杂交事件。最后，我将应用放射性碳测年样本选择的最新进展，为研究区域的尼安德特人和智人共存建立一个新的年表。通过其雄心勃勃、大规模和多学科的方法，共存将对当前关于尼安德特人与智人共存的假设产生重大影响，并改变当前对我们遥远的过去人口相互作用和更替的行为动态的看法。