Biology subjects

Rambaldi Migliore, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Rambaldi Migliore, N..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

From prehistory to present-day: How isolation shaped the distinct genomic makeup of Italian Alpine valleys

Historically, the eastern Italian Alps have provided crucial geographic corridors for cultural and genetic exchange between the Mediterranean region and Central and Northern Europe. Although recent archaeogenomic data suggest a strong regional persistence of Anatolian Neolithic ancestry followed by the arrival of Yamnaya-related components during the Bronze Age, the genomic landscape of modern Alpine populations remains largely unmapped. In this study, we verified the persistence of these signals in the present-day Rendena and Ledro Valleys by integrating novel complete mitochondrial genomes (N=185) and genome-wide SNP data (N=96), the latter combined with a novel Italian genomic dataset (N=139). Our findings show that the Rendena and Ledro populations form a distinct "modern Alpine" genomic group, which retains a significant proportion of early European Neolithic ancestry, aligning with ancient eastern Italian Alpine individuals and modern Sardinians. More recently, geographic isolation and localized genetic drift appear to have shaped the two valleys differently. Demographic reconstructions reveal asynchronous population declines over the past two millennia, followed by a sharp, synchronized bottleneck 200-300 years ago, which coincided with historical plague outbreaks. Remarkably, this structured drift persisted at an extremely fine microgeographic scale within the valleys, resulting in internal genetic subclusters that directly correlate with local topography. This micro-differentiation was likely maintained by steep geographic barriers and/or local endogamous practices. This study ultimately underscores how geographic barriers and isolation can preserve ancient genomic components and shape highly localized genetic structures over centuries even to the modern day.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2026

DNA Traces on the Shroud of Turin: Metagenomics of the 1978 Official Sample Collection

This research provides original insights into the diversity of DNA extracted from samples collected in 1978 from the Turin Shroud, revealing its biological complexity through rigorous DNA and metagenomic analyses. Our findings highlight its preservation conditions and environmental interactions, offering valuable perspectives into the identified genetic variants, which originated from multiple biological sources. Several human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages were identified, including K1a1b1a, which matches the 1978 official collectors mitogenome, H2a2 (i.e. the lineage of the mtDNA reference sequence rRCS), H1b, which is common in Western Eurasia, and H33, which is prevalent in the Near East and frequent among the Druze. Moreover, the reconstructed microbiome of the Shroud reveals a rich tapestry of multiple microbes commonly found on the human epidermis, as well as archaeal communities adapted to high salinity, and fungi including molds. This is indicative of the Shrouds preservation conditions over the centuries. Additionally, the presence of abundant Mediterranean endemic red coral, various cultivated plants (e.g. carrot, wheat, corn, bananas, and peanuts) and domesticated animals (e.g. cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats) provide a fascinating glimpse into the diverse biological sources of the contaminants that have accumulated on the Turin Shroud over time. Finally, radiocarbon dating of two distinct threads collected from the reliquary provides evidence of their use to repair the Shroud in the years 1534 and 1694 of the Common Era (CE). Significance statementAn in-depth metagenomic analysis was conducted on several linen strands collected from different areas of the body image of the Man of the Shroud during the official sampling in 1978. Our analyses revealed several human mtDNA lineages, including one common in Western Eurasia and another prevalent in the Near East. Additionally, the diversity of animal and plant species identified details the significant environmental contamination of the Shroud that likely occurred in recent centuries, particularly following the voyages of Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. Radiocarbon dating of two distinct textile residuals from the Shrouds reliquary indicated a time range between 1451 and 1800 CE, overlapping with the period of its repair interventions.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

Assessing temporal and geographic contacts across the Adriatic Sea through the analysis of genome-wide data from Southern Italy

Southern Italy was characterised by a complex prehistory that started with different Palaeolithic cultures, later followed by the Neolithic transition and the demic dispersal from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe during the Bronze Age. Archaeological and historical evidence points to demic and cultural influences between Southern Italians and the Balkans, starting with the initial Palaeolithic occupation until historical and modern times. To shed light on the dynamics of these contacts, we analysed a genome-wide SNP dataset of more than 700 individuals from the South Mediterranean area (102 from Southern Italy), combined with ancient DNA from neighbouring areas. Our findings revealed high affinities of South-Eastern Italians with modern Eastern Peloponnesians, and a closer affinity of ancient Greek genomes with those from specific regions of South Italy than modern Greek genomes. The higher similarity could be associated with the presence of a Bronze Age component ultimately originating from the Caucasus and characterised by high frequencies of Iranian and Anatolian Neolithic ancestries. Furthermore, to reveal possible signals of natural selection, we looked for extremely differentiated allele frequencies among Northern and Southern Italy, uncovering putatively adapted SNPs in genes involved in alcohol metabolism, nevi features and immunological traits, such as ALDH2, NID1 and CBLB.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Archaeogenomic Distinctiveness of the Isthmo-Colombian Area

The recently enriched genomic history of Indigenous groups in the Americas is still meagre concerning continental Central America. Here, we report ten pre-Hispanic (plus two early colonial) genomes and 84 genome-wide profiles from seven groups presently living in Panama. Our analyses reveal that pre-Hispanic demographic changes and isolation events contributed to create the extensive genetic structure currently seen in the area, which is also characterized by a distinctive Isthmo-Colombian Indigenous component. This component drives these populations on a specific variability axis and derives from the local admixture of different ancestries of northern North American origin(s). Two of these ancestries were differentially associated to Pleistocene Indigenous groups that also moved into South America leaving heterogenous footprints. An additional Pleistocene ancestry was brought by UPopI, a still unsampled population that remained restricted to the Isthmian area, expanded locally during the early Holocene, and left genomic traces up to the present.

genomics↗