Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Human evolution

Ancient DNA steps into the language debate

Nature volume 522, pages 164–165 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Two studies of ancient human DNA reveal expansions of Bronze Age populations that shed light on the long-running debate about the origins and spread of Indo-European languages. See Article p.167 & Letter p.207

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The spread of Indo-European languages.

Notes

  1. See all news & views

References

  1. Haak, W. et al. Nature 522, 207–211 (2015).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Allentoft, M. E. et al. Nature 522, 167–172 (2015).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Anthony, D. W. The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders From the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World (Princeton Univ. Press, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bouckaert, R. et al. Science 337, 957–960 (2012).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gimbutas, M. The Prehistory of Eastern Europe Part 1 (Peabody Museum, 1956).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brandt, G., Szécsényi-Nagy, A., Roth, C., Alt, K. W. & Haak, W. J. Hum. Evol. 79, 73–92 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lazaridis, I. et al. Nature 513, 409–413 (2014).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Patterson, N. et al. Genetics 192, 1065–1093 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Raghavan, M. et al. Nature 505, 87–91 (2014).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Moorjani, P. et al. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 93, 422–438 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Mathieson, I. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/016477 (2015).

  12. Wang, C., Zöllner, S. & Rosenberg, N. A. PLoS Genet. 8, e1002886 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Novembre is in the Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.,

    John Novembre

Authors
  1. John Novembre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Novembre.

Related audio

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Novembre, J. Ancient DNA steps into the language debate. Nature 522, 164–165 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/522164a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/522164a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research