Mark Thomas

Lethal Plague Outbreaks in Lake Baikal Hunter-gatherers 5500 Years Ago

This study identifies the oldest known plague strains in Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers 5500 years ago, showing early outbreaks were lethal and challenged the idea that agriculture was necessary for plague epidemics.

Cultural affiliation accounts for most of the spatiotemporal variation in burial rite practices

The paper analyzes the relationship between spatiotemporal cultural variation and genomic data to determine how cultural affiliation influences burial practices.

Genomic history and selection in Roman and early medieval Britain

This study analyzes ancient genomes from Roman and early medieval Britain to uncover population history, ancestry shifts, and selection patterns shaping modern genetic diversity.

Gaps in archaeological metadata reporting: a meta-analysis of human paleogenomic studies in Western Eurasia

This paper analyzes metadata reporting in 30 paleogenomic studies, finding inconsistent reporting of archaeological data and proposing a minimum information checklist for future studies.

Historic Genomes Uncover Demographic Shifts and Kinship Structures in Post-Roman Central Europe

The paper analyzes 248 historic genomes from Late Roman and Early Medieval sites in southern Germany, revealing demographic shifts, kinship structures, and genetic continuity with modern populations.

North Pontic crossroads: Mobility in Ukraine from the Bronze Age to the early modern period

This study uses genomic data from 91 individuals in Ukraine to analyze migration patterns from the Bronze Age to the early modern period, revealing complex ancestry changes and continuity.

Postglacial genomes from foragers across Northern Eurasia reveal prehistoric mobility associated with the spread of the Uralic and Yeniseian languages

Ancient DNA from 181 North Eurasian foragers traces a stable west-to-east ancestry gradient and ties Yakutia_LNBA ancestry, with Y-haplogroup N, to Uralic speakers and Seima-Turbino metallurgy.

A benchmarking of human Y-chromosomal haplogroup classifiers from whole-genome and whole-exome sequence data

The paper benchmarks five Y-chromosomal haplogroup classifiers using whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data, finding YLeaf performs best for both and handles third-generation sequencing data effectively.

The genetic landscape of Ethiopia: diversity, intermixing and the association with culture

This study examines the genetic structure of Ethiopians, linking cultural and geographic factors to genetic diversity and intermixing across 68 ethnic groups.

Genetic diversity of CHC22 clathrin impacts its function in glucose metabolism

The paper examines the genetic diversity of CHC22 clathrin and its impact on glucose metabolism, finding that a variant is less effective at controlling GLUT4 traffic and is more common in farming populations.

The genetic legacy of Zoroastrianism in Iran and India: Insights into population structure, gene flow and selection.

This study analyzes genetic data from Zoroastrians in Iran and India to explore population structure, gene flow, and selection, revealing patterns of endogamy, admixture timing, and disease-related selection.