Ancient European Skulls Reveal When Humans First Began Drinking Milk

When did we first begin being able to drink milk? That's a good question--and you may be surprised by the answer. Scientists have found that ancient Europeans remained intolerant to lactose for 5,000 years after they adopted agricultural practices, and 4,000 years after the onset of cheese-making among Central European Neolithic farmers.

In order to better understand the dietary requirements of these ancient people, the scientists examined nuclear ancient DNA extracted from 13 individuals from burials from archaeological sites located in the Great Hungarian Plain. This region was known to have been a major crossroads of cultural transformations that shaped European history. The skeletons were dated between 5,700 BC to 800 BC.

By extracting ancient DNA in the inner ear region of the petrous bone of the skull, the scientists were able to come up with a high percentage DNA yield that ranged anywhere between 12 and almost 90 percent human DNA in the samples. These high percentage DNA yields made it possible for the researchers to systematically analyze the series of skeletons from the same region to check for known genetic markers, including lactose intolerance.

"Our findings show progression towards lighter skin pigmentation as hunter and gatherers and non-local farmers intermarried, but surprisingly no presence of increased lactose persistence or tolerance to lactose," said Ron Pinhasi, one of the researchers, in a news release. This means that these ancient Europeans would have had domesticated animals like cows, goats and sheep, but they would not yet have genetically developed a tolerance for drinking large quantities of milk from mammals."

The findings reveal the changes in prehistoric technology, including the adoption of farming, were associated with the substantial influx of new people. This means that it's no longer possible to assume that these fundamental innovations were simply absorbed by existing populations.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.