Dataset Information

The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

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.

SUBMITTER: Narasimhan VM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6822619 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

Narasimhan Vagheesh M VM Patterson Nick N Moorjani Priya P Rohland Nadin N Bernardos Rebecca R Mallick Swapan S Lazaridis Iosif I Nakatsuka Nathan N Olalde Iñigo I Lipson Mark M Kim Alexander M AM Olivieri Luca M LM Coppa Alfredo A Vidale Massimo M Mallory James J Moiseyev Vyacheslav V Kitov Egor E Monge Janet J Adamski Nicole N Alex Neel N Broomandkhoshbacht Nasreen N Candilio Francesca F Callan Kimberly K Cheronet Olivia O Culleton Brendan J BJ Ferry Matthew M Fernandes Daniel D Freilich Suzanne S Gamarra Beatriz B Gaudio Daniel D Hajdinjak Mateja M Harney Éadaoin É Harper Thomas K TK Keating Denise D Lawson Ann Marie AM Mah Matthew M Mandl Kirsten K Michel Megan M Novak Mario M Oppenheimer Jonas J Rai Niraj N Sirak Kendra K Slon Viviane V Stewardson Kristin K Zalzala Fatma F Zhang Zhao Z Akhatov Gaziz G Bagashev Anatoly N AN Bagnera Alessandra A Baitanayev Bauryzhan B Bendezu-Sarmiento Julio J Bissembaev Arman A AA Bonora Gian Luca GL Chargynov Temirlan T TT Chikisheva Tatiana T Dashkovskiy Petr K PK Derevianko Anatoly A Dobeš Miroslav M Douka Katerina K Dubova Nadezhda N Duisengali Meiram N MN Enshin Dmitry D Epimakhov Andrey A Fribus Alexey V AV Fuller Dorian D Goryachev Alexander A Gromov Andrey A Grushin Sergey P SP Hanks Bryan B Judd Margaret M Kazizov Erlan E Khokhlov Aleksander A Krygin Aleksander P AP Kupriyanova Elena E Kuznetsov Pavel P Luiselli Donata D Maksudov Farhod F Mamedov Aslan M AM Mamirov Talgat B TB Meiklejohn Christopher C Merrett Deborah C DC Micheli Roberto R Mochalov Oleg O Mustafokulov Samariddin S Nayak Ayushi A Pettener Davide D Potts Richard R Razhev Dmitry D Rykun Marina M Sarno Stefania S Savenkova Tatyana M TM Sikhymbaeva Kulyan K Slepchenko Sergey M SM Soltobaev Oroz A OA Stepanova Nadezhda N Svyatko Svetlana S Tabaldiev Kubatbek K Teschler-Nicola Maria M Tishkin Alexey A AA Tkachev Vitaly V VV Vasilyev Sergey S Velemínský Petr P Voyakin Dmitriy D Yermolayeva Antonina A Zahir Muhammad M Zubkov Valery S VS Zubova Alisa A Shinde Vasant S VS Lalueza-Fox Carles C Meyer Matthias M Anthony David D Boivin Nicole N Thangaraj Kumarasamy K Kennett Douglas J DJ Frachetti Michael M Pinhasi Ron R Reich David D

Science (New York, N.Y.) 20190901 6457

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, star ...[more]

PMID: 31488661

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Dataset Information

The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

Publications

The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia.

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