The ERC-funded EpidemioCene project aims to transform our understanding of the interplay between infectious diseases and human history over the past 12,000 years. The team will investigate the rise, spread and dynamics of human pathogens in western Eurasia throughout the Holocene by harnessing tens of thousands of ancient DNA datasets generated at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and collaborating institutions.
Reconstructing the long-term dynamics of human infectious diseases
Unlike most previous studies, which focused on specific disease agents or archaeological contexts, this project proposes systematic analyses to measure past disease distribution and determinants on a large spatiotemporal scale. Advanced laboratory protocols, bioinformatic tools and statistical methods will be developed to maximise pathogen detection sensitivity and estimate variations in past disease frequency from ancient DNA, while rigorously accounting for sources of bias and contamination.
The project combines the screening of extensive ancient metagenomic data with epidemiological modelling and phylodynamic analyses of pathogen genomes. This will allow the team to investigate the epidemiological impact of major demographic, technological and environmental changes which have occurred since the end of the Last Ice Age, such as the adoption of agriculture, urbanisation and climatic events.
Inseparable history of humans and their pathogens
By linking paleoepidemiological evidence with archaeological and ecological records, the researchers intend to reveal the deep influence of transformations in human society and the environment on pathogen dynamics. “Investigating the epidemiology of infectious diseases on a multi-millennial scale will enable us to uncover the fundamental links between socio-environmental changes and the emergence and spread of pathogens,” says project leader Arthur Kocher. “This will enrich our understanding of the past and help us anticipate and address present-day global health challenges.”
The project's unprecedented data basis and methodological innovation promise to provide new insights into the enduring relationship between humans and infectious diseases and to establish robust foundations for future paleoepidemiological studies.
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Arthur Kocher was initially trained as a veterinarian before pursuing a PhD in the field of disease ecology at the University of Toulouse (France), which he obtained in 2017. He then held postdoctoral positions at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (Jena, Germany) and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany), where he studied the evolution and history of pathogens using paleogenetic approaches. Since 2025, he has been an MSCA postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (France), where he investigates the virological consequences of domestication and shifting breeding practices in equids across the last five millennia.
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The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 478 Starting Grants to young scientists and scholars across Europe. The funding, totalling €761 million, will support cutting-edge research in a variety of fields, including the life sciences, physics, social sciences, and humanities. The grants will enable early-career researchers to launch their own projects, build their teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
Contact:
Dr. Arthur Kocher
Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse &
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
arthur_kocher@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Sandra Jacob
Press Officer
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
+49 341 3550-122
jacob@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de