最新糖心Vlog

Stone Age family discovery makes TIME's Top 10

Evidence of the world's first nuclear family.
Photo by Jurag Liptak.
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An artist's impression of the Stone Age nuclear family.
Image by Karol Schauer, LDA Sachsen-Anhalt.
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Monday, 22 December 2008

The discovery of the world's earliest "nuclear family", led by 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide DNA researcher Dr Wolfgang Haak, has been named in TIME magazine's .

Dr Haak led a multidisciplinary team that unearthed Stone Age burials in central Germany, which yielded the earliest evidence of people living together as a family.

One of the 4600-year-old graves contained the remains of a man, woman and two youngsters. DNA analysis shows they were a mother, father and their children.

The results of the research were published in the last month and received worldwide media attention.

Dr Haak, who joined the 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide's this year, conducted the research while at the , Germany. The discovery involved colleagues from the , UK, and the , Halle a. d. Saale, Germany.

The research findings - which represent the oldest authentic molecular genetic evidence of a classic "nuclear family" existing in a prehistoric context - have been ranked as the number 10 Top Scientific Discovery for 2008 by magazine.

Dr Haak said he was very excited to hear of the recognition given to his research by TIME.

"I'm very pleased with it... it's a brilliant result for us, and a very nice, early Christmas present," he said.

The full list can be found under Scientific Discoveries.

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