An analysis of DNA from a 5,700-year-old tomb has revealed the world’s oldest family tree, shedding “extraordinary” light on the importance of family and descent among people who were some of Britain’s first farmers. A research team has examined the bones and teeth of 35 people in one of Britain’s best preserved neolithic tombs, near the village of Hazleton in the Cotswolds. The researchers have discovered that 27 were biological relatives from five continuous generations of a single extended family. The latest research shows that family ties also mattered to them. Fowler said the task now was to look at other neolithic tombs to see if a similar pattern existed.

Source: The Guardian December 23, 2021 03:49 UTC