02-06-2025
Ancient DNA fills ‘critical gap' in genetic history of Tibetans
A study confirms China's Yunnan province as a key crossroads of human migration, revealing that the ancestors of the Tibetan people, including a mysterious 'ghost' population, originated there over 7,100 years ago.
The research helps solve mysteries about human spread across East Asia, showing that humans split into northern and southern branches at least 19,000 years ago, with Tibetans carrying genes from northern East Asians and an unknown 'ghost' group.
Scientists sequenced DNA from over 125 individuals who lived in Yunnan between 7,100 and 1,500 years ago, discovering a 7,100-year-old individual genetically distinct from most modern East Asians, potentially representing Tibet's 'ghost' lineage.
Researchers suggest this 'ghost' lineage likely diverged from other early Asian people over 40,000 years ago and survived in southern regions due to stable climates during the Ice Age.
The findings indicate that Yunnan was an important crossroads where different groups met and mixed, with a unique 'central Yunnan' ancestry appearing around 5,500 years ago, shaping the genes of people speaking Austroasiatic languages today.
