Britain’s Bronze Age immigrants.

The article focuses on the origins of a group that migrated to Britain around 2400 BC, largely replacing the existing population associated with the construction of Stonehenge. Analysis of ancient DNA indicates that these newcomers were linked to the Bell Beaker culture, which likely originated in the river deltas of northwestern Europe, rather than the previously assumed regions of Portugal or Spain. The study reveals that this population maintained a significant portion of their hunter-gatherer ancestry even after the arrival of Neolithic farmers, and their genetic legacy persisted until they were nearly entirely replaced by the Bell Beaker people in Britain. The reasons for this dramatic demographic shift may include exposure to diseases that the indigenous population had not encountered before. [Extracted from the article]