Ancient genomes from Ladakh reveal 2800-year-old admixture between Tibetans and South Asians
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Reconstructing population history is harder in South Asia than in many other world regions due to a paucity of ancient DNA. We report genome-wide data for 10 individuals from Old Lady Spider Cave, which lies 4000 meters above sea level in the Himalayan region of Ladakh and dates to around 1500 years before the present (B.P.). These individuals were genetically homogeneous and had an ancestry signature rare in South Asians today: admixed in roughly 50-50% proportions between a population well proxied by present-day North Indians and another genetically similar to ancient Tibetans. By analyzing the typical sizes of segments of DNA inherited from each of these ancestral populations, we find that admixture of these groups began at least 50 generations before the date of the individuals, that is, by around 2800 B.P.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: Broad Institute, Harvard University, Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Collège de France, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Centre de recherche sur les civilisations de l'Asie orientale, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W7170816872