Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NEOMATRIX (Mapping The Neolithic Expansion In The Mediterranean: A Scientific Collective To Promote Archaeogenomics And Evolutionary Biology Research In Turkey)
Période du rapport: 2022-04-01 au 2024-12-31
The production of scientific knowledge is highly unequally distributed across the globe, both in quality and quantity, and Europe is no exception. Developing research capacities in regions with currently weak research activity requires investment and measures on many fronts. One step that scientists themselves can realise is sharing knowhow and cross-national collaborations. Ancient DNA (aDNA), the study of genetic material from organisms that lived in the past, is a rapidly growing field where striking regional differences can be observed in research output today. Ancient DNA research can help address questions on human history, as well as evolutionary questions on diverse species from mammoths to bacteria. This research frequently involves material collected from across the world, but the experiments and analyses are conducted only in a few labs mostly in the Global North.
The aim of this 4-year NEOMATRIX project has been to create an expertise-sharing and joint research-oriented network among four European ancient DNA teams, in Ankara (Middle East Technical University and Hacettepe University), Heraklion (Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas), Paris (Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris - French National Centre for Scientific Research), and Stockholm (Stockholm University Centre for Palaeogenetics).
The joint research work conducted within NEOMATRIX has involved investigating Neolithic and later societies using aDNA and isotopes, especially in relation to the expansion of farming societies in the Mediterranean around 10,000-6,000 years ago, and interpreting the results in relation to current archaeological theory. The primary goal of NEOMATRIX has been to share know-how and expertise among the teams, to boost the development of the teams in Ankara and in Heraklion, which were both relatively young groups in 2020, while those in Paris and Stockholm are long-established and renowned labs in the field. A related objective was to train young researchers with state-of-the-art research skills and support their career development. A secondary goal is to develop novel approaches and solutions to research problems in archaeogenomics, such as improving DNA yields in lowly preserved ancient skeletal samples, or improving the accuracy of inferences made using ancient genomes, e.g. related to how much genetically related two ancient individuals are. Another objective was to seek ways to convey archaeogenomics results to the public most effectively and accurately, taking into consideration potential misunderstandings of the messages caused by genetic essentialist fallacies.
The aim of this 4-year NEOMATRIX project has been to create an expertise-sharing and joint research-oriented network among four European ancient DNA teams, in Ankara (Middle East Technical University and Hacettepe University), Heraklion (Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas), Paris (Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris - French National Centre for Scientific Research), and Stockholm (Stockholm University Centre for Palaeogenetics).
The joint research work conducted within NEOMATRIX has involved investigating Neolithic and later societies using aDNA and isotopes, especially in relation to the expansion of farming societies in the Mediterranean around 10,000-6,000 years ago, and interpreting the results in relation to current archaeological theory. The primary goal of NEOMATRIX has been to share know-how and expertise among the teams, to boost the development of the teams in Ankara and in Heraklion, which were both relatively young groups in 2020, while those in Paris and Stockholm are long-established and renowned labs in the field. A related objective was to train young researchers with state-of-the-art research skills and support their career development. A secondary goal is to develop novel approaches and solutions to research problems in archaeogenomics, such as improving DNA yields in lowly preserved ancient skeletal samples, or improving the accuracy of inferences made using ancient genomes, e.g. related to how much genetically related two ancient individuals are. Another objective was to seek ways to convey archaeogenomics results to the public most effectively and accurately, taking into consideration potential misunderstandings of the messages caused by genetic essentialist fallacies.
NEOMATRIX was realised collectively by four partners based in Ankara, Heraklion, Stockholm and Paris between 2021-2024, and involved about 50 researchers in ancient DNA and bioarchaeology.
Due to the pandemic, during the first 1.5 years, our activities mainly involved regular online meetings on technical issues related to ancient DNA and isotope analyses organised as cross-lab working groups. We also held joint online lab meetings across all four teams where ESRs shared unpublished results and received feedback; we continued to hold these across the 4 years of NEOMATRIX multiple times per year.
NEOMATRIX also saw three joint workshops on technical topics (e.g. inferring genetic relatedness from low coverage genomic data), two general meetings, five symposia organised within major academic conferences jointly with NEOMATRIX partners (SMBE, ESEB, EAAs), and multiple cross-lab visits.
On the science dissemination front, in 2024, NEOMATRIX partners organised an exhibition in Paris on the findings of archaeology and ancient DNA research about agricultural societies expanding from Anatolia to France. We held an ancient DNA symposium in Ankara for university students in 2022, and participated in European Researchers Night events across multiple years. NEOMATRIX researchers also held internal ethical discussions on topics such as the reflections of inequalities in science and scientific colonialism.
Due to the pandemic, during the first 1.5 years, our activities mainly involved regular online meetings on technical issues related to ancient DNA and isotope analyses organised as cross-lab working groups. We also held joint online lab meetings across all four teams where ESRs shared unpublished results and received feedback; we continued to hold these across the 4 years of NEOMATRIX multiple times per year.
NEOMATRIX also saw three joint workshops on technical topics (e.g. inferring genetic relatedness from low coverage genomic data), two general meetings, five symposia organised within major academic conferences jointly with NEOMATRIX partners (SMBE, ESEB, EAAs), and multiple cross-lab visits.
On the science dissemination front, in 2024, NEOMATRIX partners organised an exhibition in Paris on the findings of archaeology and ancient DNA research about agricultural societies expanding from Anatolia to France. We held an ancient DNA symposium in Ankara for university students in 2022, and participated in European Researchers Night events across multiple years. NEOMATRIX researchers also held internal ethical discussions on topics such as the reflections of inequalities in science and scientific colonialism.
Our collaborative work resulted in eight highly visible publications led by the Ankara team and which involved NEOMATRIX partners published between 2021 and 2025.
The most visible highlights were two studies published in 2025 led by the Ankara team. In one, we described archaeogenetic evidence for female-centred practices in the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük using a 100+ individual ancient DNA dataset of burials within buildings, the oldest such case yet. In another study, we showed the diversity of social interactions that were involved in the spread of Neolithic lifeways westward "out-of-Anatolia", using quantitative co-analyses of archaeological and genetic data for the first time.
Our published work covered various further topics, including method development in ancient DNA, such as the first application of deep learning in genetic relatedness estimation, and the first global study on the sheep using ancient DNA. The collaborations developed within NEOMATRIX are expected to finalise into an additional 10+ joint publications in the coming years.
In summary, the collaborative culture and expertise sharing realised within NEOMATRIX significantly boosted the performance of the METU/Hacettepe team over the project's course, as well as promoting the work of all four partners. This is major progress beyond the current situation, where most work is conducted by a few rich labs.
NEOMATRIX further supported dozens of ESRs across all partners in their professional development, helping to develop healthier and more equitable research cultures.
Finally, by effectively sharing this body of information with the public, we hope to have contributed to an improved understanding of human history and the diversity of past social traditions and dynamics, and thereby to have helped overcome misconceptions about who we are today and how society may change.
The most visible highlights were two studies published in 2025 led by the Ankara team. In one, we described archaeogenetic evidence for female-centred practices in the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük using a 100+ individual ancient DNA dataset of burials within buildings, the oldest such case yet. In another study, we showed the diversity of social interactions that were involved in the spread of Neolithic lifeways westward "out-of-Anatolia", using quantitative co-analyses of archaeological and genetic data for the first time.
Our published work covered various further topics, including method development in ancient DNA, such as the first application of deep learning in genetic relatedness estimation, and the first global study on the sheep using ancient DNA. The collaborations developed within NEOMATRIX are expected to finalise into an additional 10+ joint publications in the coming years.
In summary, the collaborative culture and expertise sharing realised within NEOMATRIX significantly boosted the performance of the METU/Hacettepe team over the project's course, as well as promoting the work of all four partners. This is major progress beyond the current situation, where most work is conducted by a few rich labs.
NEOMATRIX further supported dozens of ESRs across all partners in their professional development, helping to develop healthier and more equitable research cultures.
Finally, by effectively sharing this body of information with the public, we hope to have contributed to an improved understanding of human history and the diversity of past social traditions and dynamics, and thereby to have helped overcome misconceptions about who we are today and how society may change.