DNA from a skeleton found in Indonesia reveals hitherto unidentified human lineage

Archaeologists have unearthed a 7,200-year-old skeleton of a hunter in Indonesia from a group of humans nowhere to be found. An article Published in the newspaper Natural.

The relatively well-preserved skeleton belonged to a young woman aged 17 to 18 and was buried in a fetal position in the Liang Bunning Cave south of Celips Island. It was found among the artifacts identified as Dolians, a group of hunters from this region of the Quaternary era. This is the first time a skeleton has been found from this group.

Hunter’s DNA analysis revealed he was part of a population group associated with the Papuans and the aborigines of Australia. But its genetic link is linked to a human line unknown elsewhere in the world.

The study was published in the journal Natural August 25 is a collaboration between international and Indonesian researchers, following excavations launched in 2015. “This is the first time that ancient human DNA has been found in a large area of ​​the islands from the Asian continent to Australia.”, Said Adam Broom on Friday, Griffith, an archaeologist at an Australian university, who co-directed the research.

This area is called Wallisia by scientists Excavation, Covering the Indonesian islands east of Borneo New Guinea. Researchers consider this discovery to be very unique because ancient skeletons degrade rapidly in humid tropical climates. “It is very rare to find remnants of ancient human DNA in the tropics, which is why this is a particularly happy discovery.”, Noted Adam Broom.

This study challenges previous theories about human settlement in the region. “It shows how little we still understand about the history of the first humans in the Wallace Islands.”, The archaeologist underlined.