{ "abstract": "Advances in ancient DNA research have expanded the range of materials from which genetic information can be recovered, enabling the analysis of atypical materials. These often preserve both host and exogenous DNA, for example due to handling or native microbes, offering a window into past diversity. Here we report one such exceptional material: a well-preserved goat leather specimen from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain), associated with an Early Neolithic context. Archaeozoological analyses show clear evidence of tanning and anthropogenic modification of the skin, while radiocarbon dating confirms it to be ~ 7,250−7,000 years old. We generated genome-wide data from the leather (Murciélagos1) and demonstrated that it derives from a domestic goat of European ancestry. Comparisons with modern goats show highest affinity to the Bermeya breed from northern Spain, demonstrating genetic connectivity in goat herds from the Neolithic to present day Iberia. We additionally recover fragmented DNA from the leather deriving from human and canid sources, the former likely reflecting handling/wearing of the leather and the latter indicating post-depositional disturbance. Murciélagos1 represents one of the oldest nuclear genome data from organic remains outside of high altitude, high latitude regions, and demonstrates the value of ancient DNA analysis in exceptional cases of organic preservation.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland", "UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland", "Faculté sciences et ingénierie, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France", "Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland", "Archaeology Department, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom", "Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain", "Laboratorio de Arqueología Biocultural (MEMOLab), Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain", "Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain", "Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain", "GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan, France" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 15, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0, 1 ], "name": "Jolijn A. M. Erven", "orcid": "0000-0003-3620-8658" }, { "affs": [ 0, 2 ], "name": "Zoé Robinet Guyet", "orcid": "0009-0008-4860-2293" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1 ], "name": "Louis L’Hôte" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Valeria Mattiangeli", "orcid": "0000-0001-9785-1714" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Eva Fernández-Domínguez" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Geordie Laidlaw" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez", "orcid": "0000-0002-8947-117X" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Blas Ramos Rodríguez" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Maria Herrero-Otal" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Pedro Henríquez Valido" }, { "affs": [ 8, 7 ], "name": "José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "The VarGoats consortium" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Daniel G. Bradley" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1, 3 ], "name": "Kevin G. Daly", "orcid": "0000-0002-5579-6144" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Francisco Martínez-Sevilla" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6t9n6g4t8db9e.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358468", "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13734488/", "id": "6t9n6g4t8db9e", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358468", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Agriculture" ], [ "heading", "Amniotes" ], [ "heading", "Ancient DNA" ], [ "heading", "Animal Products" ], [ "heading", "Animals" ], [ "heading", "Archaeological Dating" ], [ "heading", "Archaeology" ], [ "heading", "Biochemistry" ], [ "heading", "Biology and Life Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Biology and life sciences" ], [ "heading", "Chemical Characterization" ], [ "heading", "DNA" ], [ "heading", "Earth Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Earth sciences" ], [ "heading", "Eukaryota" ], [ "heading", "Europe" ], [ "heading", "Genetics" ], [ "heading", "Genomics" ], [ "heading", "Geographical Locations" ], [ "heading", "Geologic Time" ], [ "heading", "Geology" ], [ "heading", "Goats" ], [ "heading", "Isotope Analysis" ], [ "heading", "Leather" ], [ "heading", "Mammals" ], [ "heading", "Neolithic Period" ], [ "heading", "Nucleic acids" ], [ "heading", "Organisms" ], [ "heading", "Paleogenetics" ], [ "heading", "Paleontology" ], [ "heading", "People and Places" ], [ "heading", "Radioactive Carbon Dating" ], [ "heading", "Research Article" ], [ "heading", "Research and Analysis Methods" ], [ "heading", "Ruminants" ], [ "heading", "Social Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Stone Age" ], [ "heading", "Vertebrates" ], [ "heading", "Zoology" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Agriculture/Animal products/Leather" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Nucleic acids/DNA/Ancient DNA" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/DNA/Ancient DNA" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Genomics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Ruminants/Goats" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Paleontology/Paleogenetics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Paleontology/Paleogenetics/Ancient DNA" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Ruminants/Goats" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Geology/Geologic time/Stone age/Neolithic period" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Paleontology/Paleogenetics" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Paleontology/Paleogenetics/Ancient DNA" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/Europe" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Chemical characterization/Isotope analysis/Radioactive carbon dating" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Archaeology/Archaeological dating/Radioactive carbon dating" ] ], "openalex": null, "pdf_url": null, "pmcid": "PMC13734488", "pmid": "42981259", "published": "2026-11-04", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6t9n6g4t8db9e.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:20:11Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358468", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358468" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:23:59Z", "native_id": "PMC13734488", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358468" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biochemistry", "origin": "heading:Biochemistry", "subfield": "general" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:paleontology", "subfield": "evolutionary-biology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:genetics", "subfield": "genetics-genomics" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "heading:Zoology", "subfield": "zoology-behaviour" }, { "field": "earth", "origin": "heading:Geology", "subfield": "geology-geochemistry" } ], "title": "Genetic analysis of 7,000 year old preserved goat leather from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain)", "title_text": "Genetic analysis of 7,000 year old preserved goat leather from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain)", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:23:59Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6t9n6g4t8db9e", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }