Results of the international ancient-DNA studies, published Feb. 5 in Nature and supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, place these linguistic pioneers within the borders of current-day Russia during the Eneolithic or Copper Age about 6,500 years ago. They were spread from the steppe grasslands along the lower Volga River to the northern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains…

Scholars first noted similarities among the far-flung languages of Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit in the late 18th century. The steppe hypothesis, formulated during the 19th century and formalized in the 1950s, drew on linguistic reconstructions and archaeological evidence to home in on the geographic origins of Proto-Indo-European.

The DNA detectives in Reich’s lab have been pursuing Proto-Indo-European speakers for more than 15 years. In 2014, they shared key insights on “the profound mixing event” that shaped modern Europeans, with most descended from three highly differentiated populations.…”

– from hms.harvard.edu/news, Christy DeSmith, Harvard Gazette. (02/05/25)