The first Indians
indian scientists have uncovered a missing link in the prehistoric human migration jigsaw puzzle by revealing that two reclusive tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are among the world's oldest surviving indigenous groups.
The researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (ccmb), in Hyderabad, have gathered enough genetic clues to prove that the Great Andamanese and the Onge, whose numbers are shrinking day by day, are the direct descendants of modern humans who evolved in east Africa some 150,000 years ago (Science, May 13, Vol 308, No 5724). "Ancient genetic mutations found in these groups make them closer to Africans than any other populations that survive today,' Lalji Singh, ccmb director and a co-author of the study, told Down To Earth.
The study looked at the mitochondrial dna (mdna), which is ideal to trace maternal lineage. Led by K Thangaraj, the scientists analysed m dna of three tribes living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Related Content
- Enabling circular economy in used water management in India: a municipal index for assessing urban local bodies’ performance
- Climate India 2023: an assessment of extreme weather events
- India development update- October 2023
- India’s UPI market: projections for growth under various GDP scenarios
- Order of the High Court of Meghalaya regarding felling of trees in Shillong to make way for the Shillong-Dawki Road Project, 11/07/2023
- Scaling agritech at the last mile: converging efforts for farmers’ prosperity