A large-scale paleogenomic project has successfully sequenced the DNA of 14 individuals from the Zagros-Indus transition zone, dating to approximately 7000 BCE. The study, appearing in Cell Reports, identifies the specific genetic markers associated with the metabolism of complex carbohydrates, indicating that these populations had already adapted to a diet heavy in processed cereals before the full adoption of sedentary agriculture.
The research provides critical evidence of a 'genetic bridge' between the early foragers of the Iranian Plateau and the pioneers of the Indus Valley Civilization. This genetic continuity suggests that the knowledge of plant domestication and processing was carried by a specific lineage that expanded eastward, carrying the biological adaptations necessary for the transition to a starch-based economy.