The origin of Indo-European languages

Ancient-genomics researchers have pinpointed the homelands of a nomadic tribe that transformed the culture and genetics of Europe and Asia, revealing a potential source for the Indo–European language family, spoken by nearly half of the world’s population. Genomes from more than 400 individuals suggest that the Yamnaya — Bronze Age herders from the grassy plains of present-day Russia and Ukraine — emerged along the northern shores of the Black Sea. “This Indo–European story has been a mystery for 200 years, and now step by step, we are coming closer to the solution,” says archaeologist Volker Heyd.