Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in collaboration with Banaras Hindu University has unveiled new genetic insights into people of the Nicobar Islands.
This research, published in ‘European Journal of Human Genetics', challenges long-held theories about their ancestry.
The group of researchers from nine institutions, co-led by Kumarasamy Thangaraj from CCMB, and Professor Gyaneshwer Chaubey from BHU-Varanasi, conducted a detailed genetic analysis using DNA markers that are inherited exclusively from mothers and fathers respectively and those from both parents.
Thangaraj said: "Previous theories suggested that the linguistic ancestors of the Nicobarese settled in the Nicobar archipelago during the early Holocene about 11,700 years ago. However, our new genetic research on Nicobarese, involving 1,559 individuals from South and Southeast Asia, indicates a significant ancestral connection of Nicobarese shared with Austroasiatic populations across South and Southeast Asia. But, our studies also suggest that the Nicobar islanders settled there approximately only 5,000 years ago."
Prof Chaubey, who is the lead author of the study, said: "The study notably highlighted the common genetic affinity of Htin Mal with Nicobarese. Htin Mal is a population in the mainland of Southeast Asia, who speak an Austroasiatic language. Genomic regions shared across linguistic groups suggest an ancient distribution of Austroasiatic populations in Southeast Asia."