How and when did domestic cats conquer the world? 🐈 The aDNA study recently published in Science tells a fascinating story about the human-mediated dispersal of our purring furry friends.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt2642
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #paleogenomics #cats #zooarcheology #domestication

REMINDER 🚨🚨🚨 The SPAAM Community is thrilled to announce our first-ever blog post
competition!
You will not only get a chance of having your post featured on the SPAAM website
but also win a mystery book prize!
For more info and how to submit visit:
https://www.spaam-community.org/news/2025/11/25/blog-post-competition/
#SPAAM #aDNA #writingcontest #sciencecommunication #paleogenomics

Check out this new paper on the inter-species admixture 🧬 within an extinct and yummy-sounding avian species 🦜 - the honeycreeper! 🍯
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0265
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #paleogenomics #museumscience #avian #honeycreeper

We are excited to share with you the latest SPAAM Newsletter!
Inside, you’ll find:
- announcements about upcoming events and workshops
- funding and research opportunities worth exploring
- highlights of the latest publications in ancient metagenomics
https://www.spaam-community.org/assets/media/SPAAM_newsletter_8.html
We hope you enjoy this edition and look forward to staying connected with you!
#SPAAM #aDNA #Newsletter #paleogenomics #metagenomics

The SPAAM Community is thrilled to announce our first-ever blog post competition!
You will not only get a chance of having your post featured on the SPAAM website but also win a mystery book prize!
For more info and how to submit visit: https://www.spaam-community.org/news/2025/11/25/blog-post-competition/
#SPAAM #aDNA #writingcontest #sciencecommunication #paleogenomics

Starting 2026 strong with the first #MetagenomicsMonday 🧬post this year! Its 1976, deer remains are found in a Toronto subway and its antlers look.. well, different! 🦌 Is it an extinct megafauna species that disappeared by the end of ice age? Check out the paper by Kessler et al., 📄🧬
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0497
#SPAAM #aDNA #paleogenomics #megafauna #deer

What really devastated Napoleon’s army in 1812? ⚔️🧬 A new study uncovers DNA of previously unsuspected pathogens: Salmonella Paratyphi C and Borrelia recurrentis in the teeth of fallen soldiers. Seems like fever fuelled the catastrophic retreat of the army from Russia.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.09.047
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #pathogens #fever #Napoleon

Metagenomic screening of 14 Roman cattle from Vilauba uncovers Group I Clostridium related to toxigenic botulinum producers, plus an opportunistic Mycolicibacterium. 🐂🧬 These overlooked taxa may represent a blind spot in ancient livestock health studies.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2025.2580731
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #bioarchaeology #botulinum #pathogens

What can ancient poop reveal about past health? 💩🧬 Paleofeces from 725–920 CE Mexico show multiple gut pathogens, including Blastocystis, Giardia, Entamoeba, and pathogenic E. coli. Enteric infections were likely common.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318140
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #paleofeces #pathogens

Recovering DNA from ancient plants is tough, but this new method makes it work! A new extraction workflow improves recovery of fragmented endogenous plant aDNA while preserving library complexity and read yield.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-21743-7

#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #metagenomics #archaeobotany #ancientplants #DNA

The SPAAM Community is thrilled to announce our first-ever blog post competition!
You will not only get a chance of having your post featured on the SPAAM website but also win a mystery book prize!
• Theme: Anything connected to ancient DNA
• Length: ~1000–2000 words
• Audience: The broader ancient DNA community and interested readers
• Deadline: 15th February 2026
For more info and how to submit visit: https://www.spaam-community.org/news/2025/11/25/blog-post-competition/
#SPAAM #ancientDNA #aDNA #contest #sciencecommunication

Ancient microbe DNA as a record of climate change 🦠🧬: mountain lake sedaDNA from the past 430 years reveals major microbial shifts since 1960, following climate shifts.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-025-02612-2
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #climate #change #metagenomics #sediment #sedaDNA #mountain #lake

What can ancient chewing gum reveal about life in the Neolithic Alps? 🌲🧬 This study of birch bark tar uncovers traces of human, microbial, plant & animal DNA, revealing who chewed it and why. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #neolithic #metagenomics
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.0092

How much do lab methods shape ancient microbiome results? 🧬 This study compares extraction & library prep protocols on dental calculus from Hungary and Niger, showing that no single workflow fits all. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #calculus #microbiome
https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.70054

This new study takes a closer look at eukaryotic reference genomes. 🧬 By mapping microbial-like regions across thousands of plant & animal assemblies, it helps make ancient eDNA analyses more accurate. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #metagenomics #eDNA
https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giaf108

A new study links the Harbin cranium to Denisovans using DNA hidden in dental calculus. 🦷🧬 The mtDNA connects to Siberian lineages and suggests Denisovans spread widely across Pleistocene Asia. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #Denisovan #archaic #mtDNA #calculus
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040

In this new paper, researchers extended the sedaDNA analysis beyond cave sediments: bone-adhered deposits preserved human, microbial, plant & animal sequences. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #sedaDNA #metagenomics #cave #sediment
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf202

Did you miss the ISBA11? Or maybe you want to refresh your memories from the symposium? 🧬 SPAAM members gathered for a debriefing session to share our impressions and feedback on the ISBA conference program. Check it out!
https://www.spaam-community.org/blog/2025/10/23/isba11-debrief/
#SPAAM #ancientDNA #ISBA11 #aDNA #sedaDNA #metagenomics

A new study explores the secrets hidden in concretions coating ancient teeth. 🦷 The researchers found microbial & protein traces, but human DNA remains elusive… #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #proteomics #metagenomics
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113182

Proteomics + aDNA from a Jerash mass grave recovered Yersinia pestis genomes in five individuals. 🧬 Near-identical strains confirm a single lineage outbreak & place First Pandemic Y. pestis DNA near its historical epicenter. #MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #plague #yersinia #pestis #pandemic #proteomics #metagenomics
https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16080926