This study helped the researchers explore the ancestry and genetic affinities of the Nicobarese with south and southeast Asian populations
Hyderabad: A genetic study by researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, has discovered a genetic link between the Nicobarese, about 25,000 people living in the Nicobar Islands, and the Htin Mal people, who are native to Laos and Thailand in southeast Asia.
The study, conducted by a group of nine institutions and co-led by Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj from the CCMB and Prof. Gyaneshwer Chaubey of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, involved detailed genetic analysis of the populations.
This study helped the researchers explore the ancestry and genetic affinities of the Nicobarese with south and southeast Asian populations. The findings were published in the European Journal of Human Genetics.
“Previous theories suggested that the ancestors of the Nicobarese settled in the Nicobar archipelago during the early Holocene, about 11,700 years ago. Our new genetic research on Nicobarese, involving 1,559 individuals from south and southeast Asia, indicates a significant ancestral connection of Nicobarese shared with Austroasiatic populations. Our studies also suggest that the Nicobar islanders settled there approximately only 5,000 years ago,” said Dr Thangaraj.
The study highlighted the common genetic affinity of the Htin Mal with Nicobarese. Htin Mal is a population in the mainland of southeast Asia and has preserved its ethnic distinctiveness from other groups over time. Hence, it represented a pronounced genetic drift from the Nicobarese.
“Genomic regions shared across linguistic groups suggest an ancient distribution of Austroasiatic populations in Southeast Asia,” noted Prof. Chaubey, the lead author of the study. “Our findings compellingly argue that the Nicobarese and the Htin Mal represent valuable genetic proxies for understanding ancient Austroasiatic heritage,” he said.
