Ancient Genomes and Proteomes Help Uncover Unexpected Origins and Cultural Connections

An international team of researchers from Jilin University, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Seoul National University of Korea, and Harvard University have sequenced genomes of thirteen of the earliest known Tarim Basin mummies, dating to circa 2,100 to 1,700 BCE, and five individuals dating to circa 3,000 to 2,800 BCE, from the neighboring Dzungarian Basin. This is the first genome-scale study of prehistoric populations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The genomic study reveals that the Tarim Basin mummies were genetically isolated since their genomes showed no admixture with other Holocene groups, although neighboring Dzungarian Basin mummies showed genetic mixing. However, proteomic analyses of their dental calculus reveal they were aware of neighboring cultures, cuisines, and technologies.

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