Surprising study suggests Indigenous Australians migrated to South America

[rashore]

Quote

Humans truly are one big family. 

An upcoming genetic study reveals that a number of Indigenous communities in South America share genetic ties with Indigenous communities from Australia, South Asia and Melanesia. This builds on the surprising discovery of genetic links between the two communities that was first published six years ago and contributes to a recent and ongoing paradigm shift in our understanding of how humans migrated to the Americas.

Perhaps just as significantly, the study allows scientists to peer into the past of the Americas prior to the horrors of European colonization — which, due to genocide, violence and forced resettlement, marred our ability to study human migration. As a pair of scholars who worked on the new study told Live Science, "Much of this history has unfortunately been erased by the colonization process, but genetics is an ally to unravel unrecorded histories and populations."

https://www.salon.com/2021/04/07/surprising-study-suggests-indigenous-australians-migrated-to-south-america/

Study here: Deep genetic affinity between coastal Pacific and Amazonian natives evidenced by Australasian ancestry: https://www.pnas.org/content/118/14/e2025739118

 

[+Desertrat56]

I find this very interesting.   

[papageorge1]

I was taught the Americas were populated by Asians crossing the Bearing Straight. It seams pretty clear this happened but that should in no way preclude other people reaching America from the Pacific Islands, Australia, Europe, Africa or even from the Asian mainland over the tens of thousands of year also. It just may be the Bearing Straight route added the most to the genetic makeup of the New World prior to 1500AD. And maybe in another million year's perspective the European wave after 1500AD may be looked at as the dominant wave when they study America's 20th Century. Whether from west of the Bearing Straight or from England we are all migrants from somewhere in America.

Edited April 9, 2021 by papageorge1

[+Desertrat56]

29 minutes ago, papageorge1 said:

I was taught the Americas were populated by Asians crossing the Bearing Straight. It seams pretty clear this happened but that should in no way preclude other people reaching America from the Pacific Islands, Australia, Europe, Africa or even from the Asian mainland over the tens of thousands of year also. It just may be the Bearing Straight route added the most to the genetic makeup of the New World prior to 1500AD. And maybe in another million year's perspective the European wave after 1500AD may be looked at as the dominant wave when they study America's 20th Century. Whether from west of the Bearing Straight or from England we are all migrants from somewhere in America.

I vaguely remember reading something recently that based on DNA asians did not cross into north america as was previously thought   (huns or what ever the myth was).  Probably read it in a thread on this forum, but can't remember the details.  I think DNA study is going to dispel a lot of myths about how certain parts of the world were populated.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Desertrat56