A groundbreaking paleogenomic study published in Nature Genetics has analyzed the DNA of 45 individuals from the southern Levant, dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period. The research identifies a specific genetic shift that occurred as hunter-gatherer groups in the Jordan Valley transitioned to sedentary farming, revealing that this demographic expansion was driven by internal population growth rather than external migration from the north.
The study utilized high-resolution sequencing to identify alleles associated with metabolic adaptations to a cereal-based diet. This research provides the most detailed map to date of how early agriculturalists in the Near East moved through the Rift Valley, establishing the genetic foundation for the subsequent spread of farming into the Mediterranean basin and beyond.