Prehistoric Asians walked over 20,000km from North Asia to South America: NTU genomics study

CNA

19-05-2025

A new study has found that prehistoric Asians migrated over 20,000km from North Asia to South America. This not only shaped the genetic landscape in the region, but might also change the game for precision medicine. Researchers from the Nanyang Technological University traced the path of these early humans and discovered that they overcame extreme environmental challenges over thousands of years. This reduced the genetic diversity of the population and hence, their ability to fight infectious diseases. Two of the study's authors, Associate Professor Kim Hie Lim and Professor Stephan Schuster, shared more about their findings.