Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42082727›Full record

ArticleNature human behaviour2026

Ancient DNA evidence for the history of the Albanians.

Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, Alban Lauka, Aris Aristodemou, Zoltán Maróti, Gjergj Bojaxhi, Ardian Muhaj, Ilia Mikerezi, David Wesolowski, Brian D Joseph, Alexandros Heraclides

Abstract readHistorical Article
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature human behaviour, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou *The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. leonidasdav@tauex.tau.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3447-4242
Alban Lauka *Independent researcher, Tirana, Albania.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1495-537X
Aris Aristodemou *Independent researcher, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3266-4499
Zoltán MarótiUniversity of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0515-117X
Gjergj BojaxhiIndependent researcher, Tirana, Albania.
Ardian MuhajAcademy of Sciences of Albania, Tirana, Albania.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0062-0379
Ilia MikereziAcademy of Sciences of Albania, Tirana, Albania.
David WesolowskiIndependent researcher, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Brian D JosephDepartment of Linguistics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Alexandros HeraclidesSchool of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1304-3275

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The history of the Albanian people has long been debated, as they first appear in historical records in the eleventh century CE and their language is not closely related to any surviving Indo-European branches. Here, to reconstruct their history, we analysed over 6,000 ancient West Eurasian genomes and 74 newly sequenced present-day ethnic Albanians. Using a range of population genetics methods, including an enhanced protocol to detect identity-by-descent segments between ancient and present-day individuals, we detect continuity of West Balkan Late Bronze and Iron Age ancestry in Early Medieval Albania, to a greater degree than in neighbouring Balkan regions. We find that present-day Albanians predominantly descend from this remnant palaeo-Balkan group, which by at least 800-900 CE already exhibited a genetic profile suggesting that they are ancestral to many modern Albanians. In addition, we observe geographically structured admixture with Medieval East European-related groups, averaging 10-20% across present-day Albanians. Our findings provide insight into the demographic processes shaping Albanian ancestry and help locate the origin area of the Albanian language.

Indexed as

DNA, AncientGenetics, PopulationAlbaniaEastern European PeopleHistory, AncientHistory, MedievalHumansDNA, Ancient

Identifiers

PMID42082727

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.