Analysis of Indian genomes (IMAGE)

University of California - Berkeley

Analysis of Indian genomes

Caption

The new analysis traces Indian ancestry back to a migration out of Africa around 50,000 years ago, after which humans interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans and then spread throughout Eurasia. Some genes acquired from those now-extinct ancestors affect immune response. About 10,000 years ago, there was an influx of farmers from Iran and nomadic herders from the Central Asian steppe to India, who mixed with the local hunter-gatherer. Then, 5,000 years ago, endogamy led to bottlenecks in many Indian communities. Together, this complex evolutionary history has shaped the genetic variation and health and disease in India.

Credit

Priya Moorjani and Elise Kerdoncuff, UC Berkeley

Usage Restrictions

none

License

Original content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.