Life history and ancestry of the late Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura, Italy

Owen Alexander Higgins (), Alessandra Modi (), Costanza Cannariato, Maria Angela Diroma, Federico Lugli, Stefano Ricci, Valentina Zaro, Stefania Vai, Antonino Vazzana, Matteo Romandini, He Yu, Francesco Boschin, Luigi Magnone, Matteo Rossini, Giovanni Di Domenico, Fabio Baruffaldi, Gregorio Oxilia, Eugenio Bortolini, Elena Dellù, Adriana Moroni, Annamaria Ronchitelli, Sahra Talamo, Wolfgang Müller, Mauro Calattini, Alessia Nava, Cosimo Posth, Martina Lari, Luca Bondioli, Stefano Benazzi and David Caramelli
Additional contact information
Owen Alexander Higgins: University of Bologna
Alessandra Modi: University of Florence
Costanza Cannariato: University of Florence
Maria Angela Diroma: University of Florence
Federico Lugli: University of Bologna
Stefano Ricci: University of Siena
Valentina Zaro: University of Florence
Stefania Vai: University of Florence
Antonino Vazzana: University of Bologna
Matteo Romandini: University of Bologna
He Yu: Peking University
Francesco Boschin: University of Siena
Luigi Magnone: University of Siena
Matteo Rossini: University of Siena
Giovanni Di Domenico: University of Ferrara
Fabio Baruffaldi: IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli
Gregorio Oxilia: University of Ferrara
Eugenio Bortolini: University of Bologna
Elena Dellù: Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Bari - Ministry of Culture
Adriana Moroni: University of Siena
Annamaria Ronchitelli: University of Siena
Sahra Talamo: University of Bologna
Wolfgang Müller: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Mauro Calattini: University of Siena
Alessia Nava: Sapienza University of Rome
Cosimo Posth: University of Tübingen
Martina Lari: University of Florence
Luca Bondioli: University of Bologna
Stefano Benazzi: University of Bologna
David Caramelli: University of Florence

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract The biological aspects of infancy within late Upper Palaeolithic populations and the role of southern refugia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum are not yet fully understood. This study presents a multidisciplinary, high temporal resolution investigation of an Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura (Apulia, southern Italy) combining palaeogenomics, dental palaeohistology, spatially-resolved geochemical analyses, direct radiocarbon dating, and traditional anthropological studies. The skeletal remains of the infant – Le Mura 1 – were directly dated to 17,320-16,910 cal BP. The results portray a biological history of the infant’s development, early life, health and death (estimated at ~72 weeks). They identify, several phenotypic traits and a potential congenital disease in the infant, the mother’s low mobility during gestation, and a high level of endogamy. Furthermore, the genomic data indicates an early spread of the Villabruna-like components along the Italian peninsula, confirming a population turnover around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, and highlighting a general reduction in genetic variability from northern to southern Italy. Overall, Le Mura 1 contributes to our better understanding of the early stages of life and the genetic puzzle in the Italian peninsula at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51150-x

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