Kurt W. Alt

Effects of ancestry, agriculture, and lactase persistence on the stature of prehistoric Europeans

The paper integrates ancient genomic and phenotypic data to analyze stature in prehistoric Europeans, finding that lactase persistence alleles positively affect stature in ancient populations but not in modern ones.

Evolutionary history and recurrent host adaptation in ancient Salmonella enterica

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of ancient Salmonella enterica using 53 new genomes, revealing host adaptation events and convergent evolution in pathogenic lineages.

Unveiling the complexity of post-Roman polity formation using ancient DNA

This study uses ancient DNA to analyze post-Roman polity formation in the Little Hungarian Plain, revealing genetic changes and social organization patterns.

Socio-cultural practices may have affected sexual dimorphism in stature in Early Neolithic Europe

The paper examines how socio-cultural practices influenced sexual dimorphism in stature among Early Neolithic European populations, finding that cultural factors, not environment or genetics, primarily drove height disparities.

The genetic prehistory of the Greater Caucasus

The paper analyzes genetic data from prehistoric individuals in the North Caucasus to explore the origins of Eurasian steppe ancestry and its relationship to cultural innovations.

The Beaker Phenomenon And The Genomic Transformation Of Northwest Europe

This study uses ancient DNA data to show that the spread of the Beaker Complex to Britain was primarily due to migration, replacing most Neolithic gene pool and introducing Steppe ancestry.

The Genomic History Of Southeastern Europe

Ancient DNA from 223 people (12,000-500 BCE) reveals a west-east hunter-gatherer cline, largely unadmixed farmers, Caucasus-shifted Aegean farmers, and Balkan steppe ancestry almost 2,000 years early.

The maternal genetic make-up of the Iberian Peninsula between the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age

The paper analyzes ancient mitochondrial DNA from the Iberian Peninsula to study maternal genetic changes from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, finding regional continuity and distinct population history compared to Central Europe.

Parallel paleogenomic transects reveal complex genetic history of early European farmers

The paper analyzes ancient DNA data from Neolithic and Chalcolithic Europe to study population dynamics and admixture patterns across different regions and time periods.

Eight thousand years of natural selection in Europe

This study uses ancient DNA to identify genetic selection signatures in European populations over 8,000 years, finding loci related to diet, pigmentation, immunity, and height.