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ellie_ancient

@elenaessel.bsky.social
454 followers 167 following 11 posts

Living in Leipzig. Molecular biologists in the field of ancient DNA based at the MPI EVA. ☠️ Labperson. 🥼 Love challenges in the lab. 👩‍🔬 Love adventures.🏞️

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Reposted by ellie_ancient
Arev P. Sümer @arevsumer.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Our new study with @benmpeter.bsky.social is now on biorxiv! Here we present a new computational tool which makes it possible to conduct population genetic analyses from very contaminated and very low quality archaic human genomes. (1/7)
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Oleg Sobchuk 🇺🇦 @sobchuk.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
📣 I'm hiring! Two positions (PhD student & Postdoc) in my ERC project Macroevolution of European Literature. Let's study the cultural evolution of literature using massive data 📚📈 📍Frankfurt | Apply by August 15 Details: www.aesthetics.mpg.de/en/career/jo... Please repost to help spread the word!
Job announcement of two positions at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt: postdoc (Macroevolution of European Literature) and PhD student (Computational Literary Studies). Successful candidates will be affiliated with the research group Cultural Evolution of the Arts.
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Mateja Hajdinjak @matejahajdi.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Our late Neandertal paper is officially out! 💀❤️🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41... It was years in the making, a tremendous feat spearheaded by our PhD student Alba Bossoms Mesa and co-led by @janetk.bsky.social and @benmpeter.bsky.social
nature.com
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MU-Peter Shimon 🀄 @mu-peter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Genetic diversity of late Neanderthals in northwestern Europe🏺🧪 Alba Bossoms Mesa, @elenaessel.bsky.social, @mariesoressi.bsky.social, @janetk.bsky.social, @matejahajdi.bsky.social et al www.nature.com/articles/s41... Finds load did not accumulate, arguing against progressive genetic deterioration.
Temporal and geographical overview of the analysed Neanderthal remains.
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MU-Peter Shimon 🀄 @mu-peter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art🏺🧪 Alba Bossoms Mesa @elenaessel.bsky.social, @janetk.bsky.social, @matejahajdi.bsky.social et al www.nature.com/articles/s41... Shows traces of human mtDNA and nuclear DNA can persist on cave walls for thousands of years.
Palaeolithic rock art figures sampled in this study.
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Mateja Hajdinjak @matejahajdi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Ancient human DNA from the cave walls! 🤯 Wonderful new paper led by Alba Bossoms Mesa and a great team of people that made this work possible.
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Dr Geoff M Smith @geoffreymsmith.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Amazing new paper with 🧬 from walls and cave paintings 🦣🏺🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-74234-2
nature.com
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature Communications
Ancient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA ...
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Merlin Szymanski @merszym.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Ancient DNA preserves on cave walls over thousands of years! Amazing (and complex) study lead by Alba Bossoms Mesa as part of the FirstArt project. Very proud to see it published in @natcomms.nature.com :) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature Communications
Ancient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA ...
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
So happy and proud to see this paper out in @natcomms.nature.com today! We show that traces of human DNA can persist on cave walls for thousands of years. Absolutely fantastic work by the wonderful Alba Bossoms Mesa at @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social and a great team! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature Communications
Ancient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA ...
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Seth Chagi (World of Paleoanthropology🏺) @sethchagi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Ancient DNA survives on cave walls! Scientists recovered human genetic info & nuclear DNA from calcite at Escoural Cave. This opens a new way to identify who made rock art, including Neanderthals. How will paleogenetics change rock art study? doi.org/10.1038/s414... My pros and colleagues!
doi.org
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature Communications
Ancient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA ...
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Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
@merszym.bsky.social @janetk.bsky.social et al. develop quicksand, an open-source Nextflow pipeline designed for rapid and accurate taxonomic classification of mammalian mitochondrial DNA in sedimentary ancient DNA samples. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf305 #evobio #molbio #compbio #aDNA
doi.org
Quick Analysis of Sedimentary Ancient DNA Using quicksand
Abstract. Ancient DNA extracted from the sediments of archaeological sites (sedaDNA) can provide fine-grained information about the composition of past eco
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Merlin Szymanski @merszym.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
I am very excited to present this work to the (sed)aDNA community - and I am looking forward to some cool applications! If you want to use quicksand, I recommend following supplementary section 8, which demonstrates several use-cases :) see github.com/mpieva/quicksand for more details
github.com
GitHub - mpieva/quicksand: A pipeline for the analysis of sedimentary ancient mtDNA.
A pipeline for the analysis of sedimentary ancient mtDNA. - mpieva/quicksand
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alexgilardet.bsky.social @alexgilardet.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Our manuscript on bovine deep-time paleogenomics at Denisova Cave and in the broader mid-latitude Asia is online! doi.org/10.1093/gbe/... 🦬🦴🧬 Main findings in the 🧵 below ⬇️ @cpgsthlm.bsky.social @genomebiolevol.bsky.social #aDNA
doi.org
Paleogenomics Reveals a Loss of Bovine Lineages in Mid-latitude Asia Over the Last 200,000 Years
Abstract. Bovines have a complex yet poorly understood evolutionary history that is characterized by admixture and diversity loss during the Late Pleistoce
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Cool work from my colleagues @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social just dropped! Merlin Szymanski, @janetk.bsky.social et al. developed quicksand, a fast, accurate and beautifully designed Nextflow pipeline for taxonomic classification of mammalian mtDNA from ancient sediment DNA. doi.org/10.1093/molb...
doi.org
quick analysis of sedimentary ancient DNA using quicksand
Abstract. Ancient DNA extracted from the sediments of archaeological sites (sedaDNA) can provide fine-grained information about the composition of past eco
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Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 21/01/2025
You know who are not confused, or uncertain, or mealy-mouthed about this? The Germans. Who might have some insight into this matter.
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Back in beautiful Leiden and @naturalis.bsky.social today! 🦴💀✨ Wrapped up work and finally got to explore the exhibition—what an incredible spot to dive into the wonders of evolution! 🧬🌿 Feeling inspired
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Way too excited about this! Just packed my MTG LOTR Jumpstart decks into their new home. How cool are these 3D-printed deck sleeves? #mtg #lotr #3Dprint
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Eleanor Scerri @elliescerri.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
First seminar for our series 'Human Palaeosystems in Focus' for the new year! Join us tomorrow at 14.00 CET! www.gea.mpg.de/115578/mille...
gea.mpg.de
Millennial evolution of the Mediterranean sea-level: a story of mud, archeology and geophysical modelling.
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Jürgen Kasek @jkasek.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Laut CDU ist es blauäugig in Sachsen einen Abgeordnetenausweis hochzuhalten und bei einer Demonstration darauf zu hoffen nicht zusammengeschlagen zu werden. Damit ist dann aber wirklich alles gesagt #Riesa
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
During a weekend winter walk, I stumbled upon this cool phenomenon—hair ice! It looks like frozen cotton candy, but it’s actually delicate ice strands growing on dead wood when temperatures dip just below freezing. A little fungus is the genius behind this frosty art! #fungifriends
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Mark Coupe Photography @mcoupephotography.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
When you foolishly tell the Northern Pygmy Owl that it's Monday morning before they've had their coffee. #owls #birds #canada #nature #wildlife #photography #wildlifephotography #birding #nikon #monday
Grumpy northern pygmy owl on a curved branch with a brown and blue background.
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lukelukeluke @lukelukeluke.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Here are some nice mushrooms
A colony of robust splitgill mushrooms with gills which flow like the tributaries of a river grow on the bottom of an upturned branch above the forest floor 

All photos by me
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Jens Notroff @jensnotroff.com · 14/12/2024
Spannend! Neue #aDNA 🏺🧬 Analytik an Altfunden: Knochenfragmente aus der Ilsenhöhle bei #Ranis (Thüringen) geben älteste Genome moderner Menschen preis - und zeigen #Neandertaler Genomsegmente eines einzigen Vermischungsereignisses vor 45.000-49.000 Jahren: nachrichten.idw-online.de/2024/12/12/w...
nachrichten.idw-online.de
Wann vermischten sich moderne Menschen und Neandertaler? Bislang älteste Genome moderner Menschen geben Auskunft
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Andrew Curry @andrewcurry.com · 13/12/2024
New studies out yesterday show when modern humans last mated w/Neanderthals, but it's the details in this paper by @arevsumer.bsky.social @kaypruefer.bsky.social & co. that got me–like a mother and daughter found together after 45K years, or their close relative identified in a distant Czech cave.
science.org
Mystery woman’s DNA reveals close family ties between Europe’s earliest people
Pair of studies shines light on how modern humans and Neanderthals settled the continent together
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Arev P. Sümer @arevsumer.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
I am very happy to share our new paper on the genetics of some of the first modern humans who ever lived in Europe! We sequenced nuclear DNA from 13 specimens from Ranis in Germany, and found that they belonged to at least 6 individuals. www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/n)
nature.com
Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture - Nature
Nature - Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture
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Mateja Hajdinjak @matejahajdi.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
So incredibly proud of and happy for @arevsumer.bsky.social , @leonardoiasi.bsky.social and @mchintalapati.bsky.social, and their two papers that just came out yesterday! 💀❤️🧬 And so incredibly grateful to be able to work with such an amazing group of people. :) A great 🧵 by @arevsumer.bsky.social👇
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Marcel Weiss @marcel-weiss.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
I am very happy and excited that our finds from Ranis along with those from the 1930s excavations (now stored at the Museum for Prehistory at Halle(Saale) led to these incredible results! A big Thank You to @arevsumer.bsky.social and the entire team for this amazing work!
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Stefan Milosavljevich @stefanmilo.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Two super interesting papers out today about Neanderthal admixture. Showing it happened less than 49kya. So any modern human remains outside Africa before that date must have belonged to other populations which we presumably don’t descend from??? (I might be wrong though)
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Chris Stringer @chrisbstringer.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
‘Mystery woman’s DNA reveals close family ties between Europe’s earliest [sic] people’
science.org
Mystery woman’s DNA reveals close family ties between Europe’s earliest people
Pair of studies shines light on how modern humans and Neanderthals settled the continent together
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Excited to share the groundbreaking work by @arevsumer.bsky.social, who successfully sequenced the oldest modern human genomes ever! 💀 A scientifically thrilling and deeply rewarding project to be part of!
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Leonardo Iasi @leonardoiasi.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Out today in @sciencemagazine, we've journeyed into our shared history with Neandertals by analyzing over 300 present-day and ancient modern humans, including 59 individuals who lived between 2,000 and 45,000 years ago. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Neanderthal ancestry through time: Insights from genomes of ancient and present-day humans
Gene flow from Neanderthals has shaped genetic and phenotypic variation in modern humans. We generated a catalog of Neanderthal ancestry segments in more than 300 genomes spanning the past 50,000 year...
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Elena Zavala @elenairene.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Wonderful to see so many new people here! :-) Interested in sedaDNA, aDNA, or forensic genetics? Join me in Copenhagen! I'm hiring a PhD and a Postdoc to start in 2025. Application deadline 28 November employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=16... employment.ku.dk/all-vacancie...
employment.ku.dk
PhD fellowship in Sediment DNA at the Department of Forensic Medicine
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Laurits Skov @lauritsskov.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Very excited (and a bit nervous) to announce that I will be hiring two Postdocs for my new group(!) in Copenhagen to study the Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA which survives in present-day humans. Retweet will be much appreciated :) Link for application: candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
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Dr. E Grace Veatch @egveatch.bsky.social · 26/10/2023
📢 Check out my newest paper published in JAS @ElsevierArchaeo ! “Prey body size generates bias for human and avian agents: Cautions for interpreting small game assemblages” #Ethnoarchaeology #experimental #taphonomy #smallgame #rats #butchery authors.elsevier.com/a/1h%7EJA15S...
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Pete Heintzman @palaeopete.bsky.social · 20/10/2023
🚨 PhD position 🚨 Excited to be recruiting a PhD student on using #ancientDNA 🧬 from bones and sediments to understand the impacts of human dispersal on faunal biodiversity. Deadline: 10th Nov. 2023. Based at the Centre for Palaeogenetics & Stockholm University. Come join us! su.se/english/abou...
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Oleg Sobchuk 🇺🇦 @sobchuk.bsky.social · 01/10/2023
Finally, after 2 years at MPI-EVA, visited our DNA sequencing lab! Lots of cool machines. One of them is called Hamilton: an appropriate name for a robot that kills you at the end of the movie 🔴. Jokes aside, huge thanks to @arevsumer.bsky.social & @elenaessel.bsky.social for the tour!
At DNA sequencing facilities of MPI-EVAAt DNA sequencing facilities of MPI-EVAAt DNA sequencing facilities of MPI-EVA
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ellie_ancient @elenaessel.bsky.social · 22/09/2023
Great to see archeology and genetics coming together on the stage at @ESHE_society 💀🧬 So glad to be part of this team working on artefacts led by @MarieSoressi and @MatthiasMeyer. #eshe2023 #aarhus
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Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 18/09/2023
Check out my charismatic colleagues Dr Elena Essel and Dr Matthias Meyer spitting facts about molecular archaeology - the visit to our institute starts around 18m50s mark 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz2R...
youtube.com
Using DNA to uncover the secrets of our earliest ancestors
A new method to extract DNA from ancient objects could reveal secrets about the lives of humanity's earliest ancestors. A team of archaeologists and genetici...
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