The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

Science
Authors
Abstract

By sequencing 523 ancient humans, we show that the primary source of ancestry in modern South Asians is a prehistoric genetic gradient between people related to early hunter-gatherers of Iran and Southeast Asia. After the Indus Valley Civilization's decline, its people mixed with individuals in the southeast to form one of the two main ancestral populations of South Asia, whose direct descendants live in southern India. Simultaneously, they mixed with descendants of Steppe pastoralists who, starting around 4000 years ago, spread via Central Asia to form the other main ancestral population. The Steppe ancestry in South Asia has the same profile as that in Bronze Age Eastern Europe, tracking a movement of people that affected both regions and that likely spread the distinctive features shared between Indo-Iranian and Balto-Slavic languages.

Year of Publication
2019
Journal
Science
Volume
365
Issue
6457
Date Published
2019 09 06
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.aat7487
PubMed ID
31488661
Links
Grant list
T32 GM007753 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
R01 GM100233 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States