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Acknowledgements: The authors thank G. Marciani and O. Jöris for comments on archaeology; C. Jeong, M. Spyrou and K. Prüfer for comments on genetics; M. O’Reilly for graphical support for Fig. 5 and Extended Data Fig. 9; the entire IT and laboratory teams at the Department of Archaeogenetics of MPI-SHH for technical assistance; M. Meyer and S. Nagel for support with single-stranded library preparation; K. Post, P. van Es, J. Glimmerveen, M. Medendorp, M. Sier, S. Dikstra, M. Dikstra, R. van Eerden, D. Duineveld and A. Hoekman for providing access to human specimens from the North Sea (The Netherlands); M. D. Garralda and A. Estalrrich for providing access to human specimens from La Riera (Spain); J. Górski and M. Zając for providing access to human specimens from Maszycka cave; C. Di Patti for providing access to human specimens from San Teodoro 2 (Italy); P. Blaževičius for providing access to the Donkalnis human remains and the new radiocarbon dates; the Italian Ministry of Culture and Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Provinces of Verona, Rovigo, and Vicenza for granting access to the human remains of Tagliente 2; F. Fontana, who carries out investigations of the Riparo Tagliente site (Italy); the Friuli Venezia Giulia Superintendency for providing access to the human tooth Pradis 1; and the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Provinces of Barletta-Andria-Trani and Foggia for providing access to the Paglicci human remains. This project has received funding by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements no. 803147-RESOLUTION (to S.T.), no. 771234-PALEoRIDER (to W.H.), no. 864358 (to K.M.), no. 724703 and no. 101019659 (to K.H.). K.H. is also supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG FOR 2237). E.A. has received funding from the Van de Kamp fonds. PACEA co-authors of this research benefited from the scientific framework of the University of Bordeaux’s IdEx Investments for the Future programme/GPR Human Past. A.G.-O. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). L. Sineo, M.L. and D.C. have received funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) PRIN 2017 grants 20177PJ9XF and 20174BTC4R_002. H. Rougier received support from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences of CSUN and the CSUN Competition for RSCA Awards. C.L.S. and T. Saupe received support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (project no. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0030) and C.L.S. received support from the Estonian Research Council grant PUT (PRG243). S. Shnaider received support from the Russian Science Foundation (no. 19-78-10053)., Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.

The site of Groß Fredenwalde was discovered in 1962 and has been known as a Mesolithic multiple burial since 14C-dates verified an early Atlantic age in the early 1990s. New research since 2012 reconstructed the situation of the poorly documented rescue excavation in 1962 and identified six individuals from at least two separate burials. The new excavations uncovered more burials and Groß Fredenwalde stands out as the largest Mesolithic cemetery in North Central Europe and the oldest cemetery in Germany. In this paper the known burial evidence from this site is presented and the location of the cemetery, mortuary practices, and grave goods are discussed in a broader European context. Northern and Eastern connections appear especially tangible in Groß Fredenwalde and it is suggested that the community associated with the Groß Fredenwalde Mesolithic cemetery was integrated into wider cultural networks connected to the North and East. Keywords: Mesolithic burials, Mesolithic networks, East-West contacts, mortuary practices, grave goods.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The prevalence of glaucoma is particularly high in rural regions of Tanzania. Poverty and an inadequate ophthalmic infrastructure increase the difficulty of glaucoma treatment.Due to the limited access to eye drops or surgical therapy, the effectiveness of transscleral cyclophotocoagulation in micropulse technology (CPC-M) in advanced glaucoma was investigated in the present study.We included n = 50 eyes of 35 adult patients with advanced glaucoma and a glaucoma-typical papillary excavation with cupdisc ratio (CDR) ≥ 0.9, regardless of the glaucoma entity. The mean intraocular pressure (IOP) prior to treatment was 34 mm Hg (± 14 mm Hg). The operation was performed under retrobulbar anesthesia with the A.R.C. FOX 810 diode laser (A.R.C. Laser, Nuremberg, Germany; mean energy 127 J ± 10 J).An IOP between 6 and 21 mm Hg or an IOP reduction by at least 20% of the initial value was defined as success. The success criteria were met by 71% of reevaluated eyes (n = 21) 3 months after treatment, and mean IOP was 19 mm Hg (± 13 mm Hg). Mean IOP 9 months postoperatively (n = 20) was 18 mm Hg (± 10 mm Hg) and the success criteria were met in 65% of cases. Seven eyes did not meet the success criteria: six eyes had a further increase in IOP and one eye showed intraocular hypotension.The CPC‑M represents a good, inexpensive, and easily accessible treatment option for advanced glaucoma in order to reduce the likelihood of blindness in a low-income setting.HINTERGRUND: Weltweit gehört das Glaukom zu der häufigsten Ursache von irreversibler Blindheit. In den ländlichen Regionen Tansanias liegt eine besonders hohe Prävalenz des Glaukoms vor. Armut und eine ungenügende augenmedizinische Infrastruktur erschweren eine konsequente Glaukombehandlung.Aufgrund des eingeschränkten Zugangs zu Augentropfen oder chirurgischen Therapiemöglichkeiten wurde die Effektivität der transskleralen Zyklophotokoagulation in Mikropulstechnik (CPC-M) bei fortgeschrittenen Glaukomen in der vorliegenden Arbeit untersucht.Eingeschlossen wurden n = 50 Augen von 35 erwachsenen Patienten mit fortgeschrittener, glaukomtypischer Papillenexkavation mit einer cup-disc ratio (CDR) ≥ 0,9 unabhängig der Glaukomentität. Der Intraokulardruck (IOD) betrug vor Therapie im Mittel 34 mm Hg (± 14 mm Hg). Der Eingriff erfolgte in Retrobulbäranästhesie mit dem FOX-810-nm-Diodenlaser (Fa. A.R.C. Laser GmbH, Nürnberg, Deutschland; mittlere Energie 127 J ± 10 J).Als Erfolgskriterium wurde ein Zieldruck zwischen 6 und 21 mm Hg bzw. eine Drucksenkung um mindestens 20 % des Ausgangswerts definiert. Die Erfolgskriterien erfüllten 71 % der 3 Monate nach der Behandlung erneut untersuchten Augen (n = 21). Der IOD betrug hier im Mittel 19 mm Hg (± 13 mm Hg); 9 Monate postoperativ (n = 20) im Mittel 18 mm Hg (± 10 mm Hg), und die Erfolgskriterien wurden von 65 % der Fälle erreicht. Bei 7 Augen wurden die Erfolgskriterien nicht erreicht; 6 Augen wiesen eine erneute IOD-Erhöhung auf, ein Auge eine okuläre Hypotonie.Die CPC‑M stellt eine gute, kostengünstige und leicht zugängliche Behandlungsmöglichkeit fortgeschrittener Glaukome dar, um so die Wahrscheinlichkeit für eine Erblindung in einem „low-income setting“ zu reduzieren.

Artificial illumination is a fundamental human need. Burning wood and other materials usually in hearths and fireplaces extended daylight hours, whilst the use of flammable substances in torches offered light on the move. It is increasingly understood that pottery played a role in light production. In this study, we focus on ceramic oval bowls, made and used primarily by hunter-gatherer-fishers of the circum-Baltic over a c. 2000 year period beginning in the mid-6th millennium cal bc. Oval bowls commonly occur alongside larger (cooking) vessels. Their function as ‘oil lamps’ for illumination has been proposed on many occasions but only limited direct evidence has been secured to test this functional association. This study presents the results of molecular and isotopic analysis of preserved organic residues obtained from 115 oval bowls from 25 archaeological sites representing a wide range of environmental settings. Our findings confirm that the oval bowls of the circum-Baltic were used primarily for burning fats and oils, predominantly for the purposes of illumination. The fats derive from the tissues of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms. Bulk isotope data of charred surface deposits show a consistently different pattern of use when oval bowls are compared to other pottery vessels within the same assemblage. It is suggested that hunter-gatherer-fishers around the 55th parallel commonly deployed material culture for artificial light production but the evidence is restricted to times and places where more durable technologies were employed, including the circum-Baltic.