Tristan Hughes

Arabia.

At the dawn of human history, this vast and dramatic landscape became a gateway to the wider world.

The story of the first Arabians begins with the earliest Homo sapiens to migrate out of Africa.

Today is an especially exciting time, thanks to groundbreaking advances in ancient DNA research that are illuminating the complex and fascinating journey of our ancestors.

In this episode, we'll explore how genetics can help us understand the connections between those first Homo sapiens who arrived in Arabia and modern-day populations.

We'll also look at what life might have been like for those early human communities living in Arabia more than 50,000 years ago.

This is the Ancients.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is the story of the first Arabians.

Our guest today is Dr. Pierre Zaloua, professor of genetics at Khalifa University.

Pierre, it is such a pleasure to have you on the podcast and to be doing it in person.

Welcome.

We met at an archaeological conference in Saudi Arabia, of all places.

But it feels fitting for today's topic on the first Arabians, but also the first Homo sapiens in the wider region as well, because you've just written a brand new book.

ancestors all about the history of the Levant as well.

With DNA and exploring the stories of these earliest people to these areas of the world, is it a really exciting time with new scientific developments and so on?

It's a huge challenge.

And is that in contrast to places a bit further north, like the Levant, where you have more human bones today?

You are a brilliant geneticist.

Can you explain to us a bit more of the process behind how you would try to extract ancient DNA from these remains?

And how can you then use that DNA to track prehistoric migrations of people that in some cases occur tens of thousands of years ago?