Latest news with #HieLimKim
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Humans reached southern South America by 14,500 years ago, genomes from 139 Indigenous groups reveal
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. During the last ice age, humans crossing from Asia along the Bering Land Bridge underwent three major population splits as they traveled through the Americas, a new genetic analysis reveals. This journey, which the team identified as the "longest human migration out of Africa," led to a group that settled in Patagonia 14,500 years ago. In a study published Thursday (May 15) in the journal Science, an international team of scientists detailed their analysis of 1,537 genomes of people from 139 different ethnic groups to identify genetic characteristics of the earliest Americans. "Many Indigenous populations are small and genetically unique," study co-author Hie Lim Kim, a population genomics professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told Live Science by email. "One of the main findings of our study is their extremely low genetic diversity." By analyzing genetic material collected by the GenomeAsia 100K consortium, which includes data from Asian populations whose ancestors made early migrations into the Americas, Kim and her team were able to identify the genetic background of Indigenous people throughout the Americas and pinpoint three key time periods when they split up. The first population split occurred between 26,800 and 19,300 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum, the researchers wrote in the study, as Indigenous Americans split from North Eurasian people. These dates are consistent with Native American presence at White Sands in New Mexico in the form of ancient footprints and vehicle drag marks dated to 23,000 to 21,000 years ago. Related: Ancient Indigenous lineage of Blackfoot Confederacy goes back 18,000 years to last ice age, DNA reveals According to the study, the next major population split happened between 17,500 and 14,600 years ago, when the Indigenous population in North America split, and some people made their way south. This Mesoamerican group then split rapidly into four native genetic lineages around 13,900 years ago, the researchers wrote: Chaco Amerindians or ancestral Pueblo peoples in the southwest U.S. and Amazonians, Andeans and Patagonians in South America. "Our estimation actually fits well with the archaeological records" of people in Patagonia, Kim said, which place people living in the furthest southern reaches of the continent by about 14,500 years ago. "It takes some time to accumulate genetic differences between the populations after they have settled in different regions in South America," Kim explained. But as people made their way into the new continent tens of thousands of years ago, they experienced a reduction in their genetic diversity — due first to geographic barriers, and later to populations being decimated after the arrival of European colonists. One key loss, the research team discovered, was in the variation in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. A high diversity of HLA genes in a population is important for immune system health. Previous studies found that, in regions such as Southeast Asia with a high number of disease-causing organisms, there was a higher diversity of HLA genes. But in the Indigenous South American genomes, the team found that there was significantly lower diversity in the HLA genes, which may have led to these people being more vulnerable to novel pathogens, Kim said. RELATED STORIES —Bear hair and fish weirs: Meet the Indigenous people combining modern science with ancestral principles to protect the land —11,000-year-old settlement in Canada could rewrite history of Indigenous civilizations in North America —'Groundbreaking' ancient DNA research confirms Pueblo peoples' ties to famous Chaco Canyon site The researchers wrote in the study that one of their aims is to emphasize the special medical needs of contemporary Indigenous peoples, as some have gene variants associated with problems like adverse drug reactions. "Most existing medicines were developed based on studies of European populations, often excluding Indigenous populations," Kim said. "It is critical to provide tailored healthcare and disease prevention strategies that consider their specific genetic profiles."
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Gene study whispers ancient tales of longest human trek, from Asia to Americas
An extensive genetic analysis by an international team of researchers has traced the longest ever migration of humans from Asia to the Americas, shedding new light on the prehistoric human expansion that shaped the early genetic landscape of the western hemisphere. 'Our findings show that Native Americans are descendants of Asian populations , particularly from the West Beringian region,' said corresponding author Hie Lim Kim, an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The study also found that early migrants to South America formed distinct groups that remained isolated due to environmental conditions. 01:31 Ancient Mayan crypt reveals human remains may have been used to make rubber balls for sport Ancient Mayan crypt reveals human remains may have been used to make rubber balls for sport The work, led by researchers at the GenomeAsia 100K consortium, could reveal new clues about disease susceptibility and drug responses among indigenous populations, who have faced major population declines. Humans expanded across Eurasia before the end of the last ice age, eventually migrating into the Americas. 'Those who reached Patagonia, at the southern tip of South America , completed the longest migration out of Africa,' the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday. Archaeological evidence shows that human migration from northern Asia to South America was under way by at least 23,000 years ago, with a human presence at the southern tip of South America confirmed by 14,500 years ago.
