Unprecedented Precision: Ancient DNA Unveils Distant Relatives

Researchers have developed a new tool called "ancIBD" that can extract Identity by Descent (IBD) segments from ancient genomes, allowing them to detect biological relatives in ancient DNA. By filling in gaps in degraded ancient genomes using modern reference DNA panels, the researchers were able to identify hundreds of previously undetected pairs of relatives in a dataset of 4,248 ancient genomes. The tool also revealed connections between ancient cultures and provided insights into the mobility of past populations. This advancement in screening ancient DNA for parental relatedness will contribute to a better understanding of our ancestors' lives and large-scale cultural-historical events.