Modern Japanese people descended from 3 ancient groups, study suggests
By Ryan General
The modern Japanese people descended from three ancient groups instead of two, a new DNA study suggests.
Key points:
- Researchers sequenced the DNA of 3,256 Japanese people, creating a new genetic database.
- The study identified three main ancestral groups contributing to the modern Japanese gene pool.
- The findings challenge traditional views suggesting Japanese ancestry derived from Jomon people and later Yayoi migrants.
The details:
- Published on April 17 in the journal Science Advances, the study is among the largest non-European analyses of its kind. A multi-institutional team of geneticists and genotyping specialists from Japan contributed to the project.
- The scientists compiled a dataset called the Japanese Encyclopedia of Whole-Genome/Exome Sequencing Library (JEWEL) by sequencing Japanese DNA from seven regions.
- The team found that Japanese people inherited DNA from ancient hunter-gatherers Jomon, predecessors of the Han Chinese and an unidentified group from Northeast Asia.
- Researchers also uncovered 44 DNA segments inherited from Neanderthals and Denisovans, associated with complex traits and diseases such as type 2 diabetes and prostate cancer, unique to East Asians.
- Dr. Chikashi Terao from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Sciences noted the potential applications of whole-genome sequencing in personalized medicine and clinical settings.
What’s next:
- The researchers posit that JEWEL can be a cornerstone for future research on Asian populations.
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