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Nanyang Technological University
An international genomics study led by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) at the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) and Asian School of the Environment (ASE) has shown that early Asians made humanity's longest prehistoric migration.
These prehistoric humans, roaming the earth over a hundred
thousand years ago, would have traversed more than 20,000 kilometers on foot
from North Asia to the southernmost tip of South America.
This journey would have taken multiple generations of
humans, taking thousands of years. In the past, land masses were also
different, with ice bridging certain portions that made the route possible.
Supported by the GenomeAsia100K consortium, the study was published in Science, which analyses DNA sequence data from 1,537 individuals representing 139 diverse ethnic groups.
The study involved 48 authors from 22 institutions across
Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The researchers traced an ancient migratory journey that
began in Africa, proceeded through North Asia and ended at Tierra del Fuego in
modern-day Argentina, which is considered the final boundary of human migration
on Earth.
By comparing patterns of shared ancestry and genetic
variations that accumulate over time, the team was able to trace how groups
split, moved, and adapted to new environments.
These patterns allowed the team to reconstruct ancient
migration routes and estimate when different populations diverged.
The reconstructed routes gave a detailed picture of how
early humans reached the far edge of the Americas, and the findings suggested
that this pioneering group overcame extreme environmental challenges to
complete their journey across millennia.
A key insight was that these early migrants arrived at the
northwestern tip of South America, where modern-day Panama meets Colombia,
approximately 14,000 years ago.
From this critical point of entry, the population diverged
into four major groups: one remained in the Amazon basin, while the others
moved eastward to the Dry Chaco region and southward to Patagonia's ice fields,
navigating the valleys of the Andes Mountains, the highest mountain range
outside of Asia.
By analyzing the genetic profiles of indigenous populations
in Eurasia and South America, researchers from the GenomeAsia100K project have,
for the first time, mapped the unexpectedly large genetic diversity of Asia.
Understanding migration and genetic resilience
The study also sheds light on the evolutionary consequences
of such a vast migration.
Associate Professor Kim Hie Lim from NTU's Asian School of
the Environment, the study's corresponding author, explained that the arduous
journey over thousands of years had reduced the genetic diversity of the
migrant population.
"Those migrants carried only a subset of the gene pool
in their ancestral populations through their long journey. Thus, the reduced
genetic diversity also caused a reduced diversity in immune-related genes,
which can limit a population's flexibility to fight various infectious
diseases," explained Assoc Prof Kim, a Principal Investigator at SCELSE
and Vice-Director of GenomeAsia100K.
"This could explain why some Indigenous communities
were more susceptible to illnesses or diseases introduced by later immigrants,
such as European colonists. Understanding how past dynamics have shaped the
genetic structure of today's current population can yield deeper insights into
human genetic resilience."
SCELSE Senior Research Fellow Dr Elena Gusareva, the study's
first author, said that these early groups settled into new ecological niches,
and over hundreds of generations, their bodies and lifestyles evolved in
response to the unique challenges of each region.
"Our findings highlight the extraordinary adaptability
of early, diverse indigenous groups who successfully settled in vastly
different environments. Using high-resolution whole-genome sequencing
technology at SCELSE, we can now uncover the deep history of human migration
and the genetic footprints left behind by the early settlers."
Importance of Asian representation in genetic studies
NTU Professor Stephan Schuster, the study's senior author of
the paper and the Scientific Director of the GenomeAsia100K consortium, said:
"Our study shows that a greater diversity of human genomes is found in
Asian populations, not European ones, as has long been assumed due to sampling
bias in large-scale genome sequencing projects."
"This reshapes our understanding of historical
population movements and lays a stronger foundation for future research into
human evolution. Our new insights underscore the importance of increasing the
representation of Asian populations in genetic studies, especially as genomics
plays a critical role in personalized medicine, public health, and the
understanding of human evolution," added Prof Schuster, who is the
President's Chair in Genomics at NTU's School of Biological Sciences, and the Deputy
Centre Director at SCELSE.
By tracing the impact of migration and isolation on genetic
characteristics, the study offers insights into how different populations
respond to diseases and how their immune systems have evolved.
The findings also help scientists better understand the
genetic makeup of Native American populations and help policymakers to better
protect and conserve native communities.
It also demonstrates how advanced genomic tools, and global
collaboration can deepen humanity's understanding of human evolution and inform
future medical and scientific breakthroughs.
GenomeAsia100K is a non-profit consortium focused on sequencing and analyzing 100,000 Asian genomes to drive population-specific medical advancements and precision medicine.
