The specific style of the Mal’ta figurines — the particular way in which the female body is rendered, the emphasis on specific anatomical features, the use of engravings to indicate clothing — is recognizable as related to but distinct from the European figurine traditions.

The Mal’ta bird carving has parallels in Upper Paleolithic bird representations from other regions.

The bead-making tradition is ubiquitous across the Upper Paleolithic world.

The genetic evidence from MA-1 adds a new dimension to this continental picture.

If the Ancient North Eurasian population was related, through deep shared ancestry, to some of the populations that contributed to Upper Paleolithic European cultures, then the cultural similarities between Mal’ta and European Upper Paleolithic sites may reflect not just convergent cultural evolution but partially shared cultural roots.

The people who made the Venus figurines of Europe and the female figurines of Mal’ta may have been distant relatives, carrying not just related genetics but related artistic traditions inherited from common ancestors.