A breakthrough paleogenetic study conducted on Neolithic remains from a cave in Andalusia has identified specific genetic adaptations related to the metabolism of oleic acid. The findings suggest that the local population was already consuming significant quantities of wild olive oil as early as 3000 BCE, nearly a millennium earlier than previously estimated.
The study also revealed a unique genetic cluster that suggests a stable, non-migratory community that domesticated the olive tree independently. This research reshapes the history of the Mediterranean diet and the socio-economic evolution of prehistoric Spain.