Stable population structure in Europe since the Iron Age, despite high mobility

Short impact summary

Published in 2023 in eLife, the article "Stable population structure in Europe since the Iron Age, despite high mobility" investigates long-term demographic patterns using concepts such as ancient DNA and biological dispersal. Its influence is reflected in 66 citations and 67 online mentions, with strong engagement from genomic-focused journals like Genome Biology. The diverse citing landscape, involving articles and preprints across several countries, underscores its interdisciplinary relevance, although open access status and full-text availability remain unconfirmed.

Full narrative

This 2023 study, published by eLife Sciences Publications Ltd in the journal eLife, is authored by a large international team led by researchers from Stanford University, University of Vienna, and other prominent institutions. The article’s collaborative nature spans numerous academic affiliations across Europe and the US, indicating a broad scholarly effort to address population dynamics in Europe since the Iron Age using genetic data and archaeological insights.

The article’s thematic focus is grounded in concepts including biological dispersal, population, demographic history, and ancient DNA, each with substantial scores (above 0.5) reflecting their centrality in the work. It also touches on human migration and geography, positioning the study within interdisciplinary fields such as evolutionary biology and computational biology, highlighting its contribution to understanding long-term demographic stability amid mobility.

Uptake of the article is notable, with 66 total citations as of mid-2024. Key citing venues include Genome Biology (6 citations), Scientific Reports (3), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (3), demonstrating recognition within high-impact genomic and biological sciences journals. Citing works are predominantly research articles (43) and preprints (22), suggesting rapid engagement and ongoing discourse. Prominent citing countries include the US (31) and Germany (28), emphasizing the work’s global scientific reach across genetics and archaeology.

Online attention, as captured by Crossref Event Data, notes 67 mentions primarily on Wikipedia (64), with a few newsfeed items (3). This distribution suggests the article contributes notably to public and educational knowledge curations, although the relatively low news media presence implies a more academic than popular media orientation. Such digital footprint reflects engagement primarily within scholarly and community knowledge bases rather than broad mass media dissemination.

Information on open access availability is not available, and no direct publisher landing page or full-text DOI links are present, possibly affecting immediate accessibility and reuse potential. The scite report indicates 38 total statements, with six supporting citations and two contradicting ones, offering a nuanced view of scholarly reception and indicating that the article is part of active scientific debate rather than unchallenged consensus.

Given the high proportion of citing preprints and diverse article types, the article’s role may include acting as a rapidly incorporated knowledge source in evolutionary biology and archaeology. Follow-up qualitative analysis using the scite report could further elucidate the nature of scholarly agreement or critique, enhancing understanding of its foundational versus contested contributions within the topic of ancient European population dynamics.