A groundbreaking paleogenomic study published in Nature Communications has analyzed the genomes of skeletal remains from the Taurus Mountains, dating back 11,000 years. The research identifies a previously unknown genetic divergence among early Anatolian foragers, suggesting that these populations developed specific metabolic adaptations to high-altitude environments and diverse plant-based diets long before the full transition to sedentary agriculture.
Using high-resolution sequencing, the international team of researchers mapped the genetic transition between the Epipaleolithic and the early Neolithic periods. The findings reveal that these mountain-dwelling groups possessed unique genetic markers for starch metabolism, which likely facilitated the early exploitation of wild cereal grains that would later become the staple crops of the Fertile Crescent.