The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes
Abstract Background Originating from the middle Yellow River, Yangshao culture is one of the most influential archaeological cultures in Neolithic China. It has long been debated whether there was a genetic substructure between the core Yangshao sites and those representing regional variants of the...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02286-9 |
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| author | Lei Sun Hao Ma Rui Wang Zhijiang Wu Limin Qiu Haodong Chen Chuan-Chao Wang |
| author_facet | Lei Sun Hao Ma Rui Wang Zhijiang Wu Limin Qiu Haodong Chen Chuan-Chao Wang |
| author_sort | Lei Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Originating from the middle Yellow River, Yangshao culture is one of the most influential archaeological cultures in Neolithic China. It has long been debated whether there was a genetic substructure between the core Yangshao sites and those representing regional variants of the Yangshao culture, such as the Qinwangzhai culture. The excavated human remains from the burials at the Zhanmatun site, which belonged to the Qinwangzhai culture, present ideal material for inferring the population dynamics accompanying the cultural expansion. Results In this study, we analyzed genome-wide data from 12 human remains obtained from the Zhanmatun site. The results indicated that Zhanmatun individuals were genetically homogeneous with all published Yangshao culture-related individuals from the core region of Yangshao and its periphery as well as Late Dawenkou culture-related Xixiahou people in the east, with no tracts of genetic influence from Neolithic Southern East Asian in the south. Conclusions Our findings support a demic diffusion model for Yangshao culture expansion, where human migration, rather than mere cultural diffusion, played a dominant role in spreading Yangshao-related ancestry across northern China. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d3ff9b0bd0b748d2a8314e3e5be5f7e8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1741-7007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d3ff9b0bd0b748d2a8314e3e5be5f7e82025-08-20T03:04:15ZengBMCBMC Biology1741-70072025-07-0123111110.1186/s12915-025-02286-9The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomesLei Sun0Hao Ma1Rui Wang2Zhijiang Wu3Limin Qiu4Haodong Chen5Chuan-Chao Wang6Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and ArchaeologyState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityHenan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and ArchaeologyState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityAbstract Background Originating from the middle Yellow River, Yangshao culture is one of the most influential archaeological cultures in Neolithic China. It has long been debated whether there was a genetic substructure between the core Yangshao sites and those representing regional variants of the Yangshao culture, such as the Qinwangzhai culture. The excavated human remains from the burials at the Zhanmatun site, which belonged to the Qinwangzhai culture, present ideal material for inferring the population dynamics accompanying the cultural expansion. Results In this study, we analyzed genome-wide data from 12 human remains obtained from the Zhanmatun site. The results indicated that Zhanmatun individuals were genetically homogeneous with all published Yangshao culture-related individuals from the core region of Yangshao and its periphery as well as Late Dawenkou culture-related Xixiahou people in the east, with no tracts of genetic influence from Neolithic Southern East Asian in the south. Conclusions Our findings support a demic diffusion model for Yangshao culture expansion, where human migration, rather than mere cultural diffusion, played a dominant role in spreading Yangshao-related ancestry across northern China.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02286-9Ancient genomeYangshao cultureDemic diffusionZhanmatun sitesQinwangzhai culture |
| spellingShingle | Lei Sun Hao Ma Rui Wang Zhijiang Wu Limin Qiu Haodong Chen Chuan-Chao Wang The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes BMC Biology Ancient genome Yangshao culture Demic diffusion Zhanmatun sites Qinwangzhai culture |
| title | The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| title_full | The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| title_fullStr | The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| title_short | The demic expansion of Yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| title_sort | demic expansion of yangshao culture inferred from ancient human genomes |
| topic | Ancient genome Yangshao culture Demic diffusion Zhanmatun sites Qinwangzhai culture |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02286-9 |
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