HEAS members So Jung Han and Martin Kuhlwilm publish study of the evolutionary history of bonobos
More On Article
- µCT scanning effects on aDNA and a multi-step workflow for archaeological petrous portions.
- Ancient DNA reveals pervasive directional selection across West Eurasia.
- HEAS Member awarded Spanish Consolidator Research Grant for project “PHUMA”
- HEAS Members Interviewed for Nature
- HEAS Workshop on "The Long History of Inequality: Resources, Control, and Social Power", to be held in Vienna on 7–8 May.
In a new study in Current Biology, HEAS members So Jung Han and Martin Kuhlwilm together with an international team, improve our understanding of bonobos. Bonobos are, together with chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, but the genetic structure of their population was so far not well understood. They show that three genetically distinct bonobo groups of inferred Central, Western and Far-Western geographic origin exist within the bonobo range. Their split times are up to ~145,000 years ago, which similar to that of some chimpanzee subspecies. This highlights the need of attention to bonobo substructure, which is fundamental both to understand their evolutionary past and preserve their future.