An international study led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF) in Barcelona, the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona, Harvard University and the University of the Basque Country (EHU) has reconstructed the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula between the 1st and 8th centuries CE using 243 ancient genomes from 31 archaeological sites. By combining genetic and archaeological evidence, the new study published in Cell has concluded that the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula produced a large-scale demographic change. In contrast, the Suebi, Vandal, Alan and Visigoth migrations in Late Antiquity had a more limited impact on the genetic makeup of Hispania.

Traces of eland proteins were detected from a 60,000-year-old ochre surface in South Africa. The discovery opens a new window into the lives of our ancestors through evidence long hidden from the archaeological record.

The identity of a mysterious skeleton found in a Roman sarcophagus in the grounds of Westminster Abbey more than 150 years ago appears closer to being solved.

Archaeologists working with Aboriginal custodians have used drone-mounted LiDAR to identify three previously unregistered rock shelters containing Aboriginal rock art and stone artefacts in Australia’s Blue Mountains. The technology maps terrain using laser pulses, helping researchers detect potential sites beneath dense vegetation. With much of the region still unsurveyed because of its difficult terrain, the approach could help Indigenous communities and archaeologists locate, document and protect cultural heritage more efficiently.

A circular hole in a 75,000-year-old scapula suggests lethal conflict involving sharpened wooden spears among Neanderthals in the Middle East. The remains also show evidence of brutal facial injury at least a year before death, meaning this Neanderthal was likely cared for prior to dying violently.

A new international study led by Lund University examines what happened to population levels after the Kikai-Akahoya volcanic eruption in prehistoric Japan. The results paint a more complex picture than what has previously been believed.