WASHINGTON -- Ancient DNA has revealed a genetic link between the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Welcome to our live blog, bringing you the latest developments from West Asia. Stay updated on key shifts in regional geopolitics, energy markets, diplomacy, security tensions, economic reforms, civil movements and religious dynamics.

Forty years after the first effort to extract mummy DNA, researchers have finally generated a full genome sequence from an ancient Egyptian, who lived when the earliest pyramids were built