China News Service, Beijing, July 13th (Reporter Sun Zifa) The reporter learned on the 13th from the Institute of Paleontology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Institute of Ancient Spine, Chinese Academy of Sciences) that the scientists of this institute collaborated with relevant research colleagues to find the latest findings through paleogenomics research About 11,000 years ago, the unknown modern population in southern China was named M71d sub-branch according to the sequence of paleogenomics.

  The result of this oldest study of genetic data of modern humans in southern East Asia reveals the genetic link of the Paleolithic period between southern China and Southeast Asian populations, indicating that there may be a northward trend from southern East Asia to Southeast Asia during 11,000 years or even earlier Crowd migration in the south.

  Existing archaeology, linguistics, and ancient DNA studies indicate that from the late Neolithic to the early Bronze Age 4000-2000 years ago, there were extensive population migrations in mainland Southeast Asia and East Asia, and agricultural populations in southern China migrated southward to Southeast Asia, and Mixed with local residents, this incident is believed to be related to the spread of agriculture. However, at present in the Neolithic Age and earlier, whether there is a migration event between ancient populations in Southeast Asia and East Asia is not yet genetically clear.

Data figure: Researcher Fu Qiaomei from the Institute of Ancient Spine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced his team's ancient DNA-related scientific research achievements. Photograph by Sun Zifa

  In response to this highly concerned paleoanthropological issue, the team of Fu Qiaomei of the Institute of Ancient Spine of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, researcher Pei Shuwen and associate researcher Zhang Xinglong of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Guizhou, researcher Ji Xueping of the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Yunnan Province, and vice-president of Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Researchers and other partners have collaborated to conduct mitochondrial whole-genome studies on the Dadong people in Qingshuiyuan, Guizhou, and the Longlin people in Guangxi, about 11,000 years ago, and obtained the oldest human genetic data in southern East Asia and even Southeast Asia.

  The paleogenomic sequence analysis carried out by the cooperative team showed that the mitochondrial sequences of the samples of Longlin and Dadong belonged to the haplogroup M71. In addition, the two shared the mutation sites of coding regions 6257A and 11518A. The researchers further analyzed the two ancient individuals, as well as 4,784 modern and modern humans and 82 ancient mitochondrial whole-genome data reported from southern China and Southeast Asia. The results showed that the two mutation sites of 6257A and 11518A were only present in the modern human samples in Southeast Asia, but were not observed in the modern human samples in East Asia. Based on this, the researchers added 6257A and 11518A mutation sites on the basis of M71 haplogroup naming, and named the newly discovered unknown modern population as M71d haplogroup.

  Researchers say that phylogenetic analysis shows that the samples of Dadong and Longlin belong to the early type of the M71d haplogroup. Both Bayesian and Rho dating estimates show that the M71d haplogroup originated around 22,000 years ago; phylogenetic network analysis It also shows that the samples of Longlin and Dadong are located at the base of haplogroup M71d. These results indicate that there may be a migration of people from north to south in southeast Asia and southeast Asia during 11,000 years or even earlier.

  They also emphasized that since there is no sample of Southeast Asia in the same period, the hypothesis that the Northers moved southwards 11,000 years ago needs further research and verification. Future research will further supplement more data from southern China and Southeast Asia, combined with nuclear genome analysis, to further explore the migration and diffusion of modern people in early and late Paleolithic East Asia and Southeast Asia.

  The most important anthropological research paper recently completed by the cooperative team has recently been published online by the international professional academic journal "Journal of human genetics". Researcher Fu Qiaomei is the corresponding author of the paper and a master of the Institute of Ancient Spine of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Sheng Baifan, Deputy Research Librarian of Guizhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology Zhang Xinglong is the first author. (Finish)