Metabolic adaptations reflect increased dependence on an aquatic diet in the Mesolithic Neolithic transition of Eastern Europe

Abstract

Changes in environment and lifestyle have shaped the evolution of human metabolism in unknown ways. In this thesis, genetic information from human remains (aDNA) was combined with estimates of the effect of genetic variants on selected metabolic traits from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in order to calculate polygenic scores (PGS) that could be compared between populations in different environments and time periods. Analysis of ancient populations showed evident signs of selection among hunter-gatherers. A hypothesis is proposed about its connection with changes in lifestyle based on archaeological and biochemical evidence.