Ancient Jomon DNA Reveals Genetic Adaptations for Cold Survival and High-Fat Diets
A recent study published in Science Advances, based on DNA extracted from 42 ancient Jomon individuals, has provided insights into how Upper Paleolithic populations in East Eurasia adapted to extreme cold during the Last Glacial Maximum. The research, conducted by Yusuke Watanabe and Hiroki Oota of The University of Tokyo, indicates that the Jomon people, who inhabited the Japanese archipelago from approximately 16,000 to 3,000 years ago, possessed unusually high frequencies of genes linked to burning fat for heat. Specifically, genetic variants in APOA5 and ALDH1A2-LIPC were favored, contributing to higher blood triglyceride levels that provided fuel for heat production. These fat-processing genes closely resemble those found in modern Greenlandic Inuit, suggesting an adaptation to a high-fat marine diet. The study also found that these genetic changes accelerated during the coldest period of the Ice Age, before 10,000 years ago, and decelerated as the climate warmed. The Jomon genetic lineage separated f... 
