"Science" New Ancient DNA Study Reveals 5,000 Years of Xinjiang's Population History

Located in northwest China, Xinjiang is an important hub connecting the east and west of the Eurasian continent, and has played an important historical role in the exchange of goods and technologies between regions along the Silk Road

However, the exchange and integration of these different ethnic groups in Xinjiang can be traced back to an earlier period

Now, a research team led by Professor Fu Qiaomei from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the past population history of Xinjiang, China, based on 201 ancient genomes from 39 archaeological sites

Their findings were published March 31 in the journal Science

A mixture of native North Asian and western steppe ancestors during the Bronze Age

The population of Bronze Age Xinjiang is key to understanding later population dynamics in the region

Professor Fu and her team found genomic similarities with both groups of mummies, but extensive ties to unique ancestors found in mummies from the Tarim Basin, a recent discovery of mummies that are closely related to ancient ancestry discovered in southern Siberia 25,000 years ago.

"Overall, the Bronze Age Xinjiang population was found to contain ancestral components of the 'native' Tarim Basin population, mixed to varying degrees with three groups from the surrounding area: Afanasievo, a The steppe culture associated with Indo-Europe, a group called Chemurchek, which contains BMAC ancestors from Central Asia, as well as ancestors from Northeast Asian populations, is called the last corresponding author of the paper, Professor Fu

At this time, an individual with almost exclusively Northeast Asian ancestry emerged in northern Xinjiang, suggesting that these early groups may have been highly mobile

During the Late Bronze Age, they found changes in the existing genome map, including the influx of a newer western steppe group associated with the mid-to-late Bronze Age steppe Andronovo culture, and an increasing number of East Asian ancestors found in southern Siberia inflow

Early entry of Indo-European speakers in the Bronze Age in Xinjiang

Interestingly, they also discovered the ancestors of several early Bronze Age individuals, identified as pure Afanasywo ancestry

The influx of people from the East and Central Asia in the Iron Age established ancestors that still exist today

Compared to the Bronze Age, the Iron Age populations show an increase in populations from East Asia and Central Asia, with the presence of East Asian components as the gradient of East Asian ancestry increases from west to east

These Iron Age populations may be related to the Xiongnu and Han Chinese, which coincides with the historically recorded time of the Xiongnu's westward expansion after the defeat of the Yuezhi in the Gansu region around 2200 BP

Ancestors that emerged in the Iron Age are related to the Sakas, a confederation of nomadic peoples that descended from the Iranians, which helps to identify the Indo-Iranian languages ​​such as Khotanese spoken by the Sakas The time when the language entered Xinjiang

The phenotypic analysis of several remains (reported for the first time in ancient Xinjiang) gave further insight into the genetic results

The study's lead author, Associate Professor Vikas KUMAR from the International Population Research Institute, said: "As studies document widespread population movements, it will be interesting to see the extent to which Xinjiang has maintained genetic continuity over the past 5,000 years
.
"

Professor Fu said: "What is striking about these results is that in the demographic history of this crossroads region in Xinjiang, what is marked is not population replacement, but the genetic fusion of foreign cultural groups with the existing population, making Xinjiang a real 'The melting pot'
.
"

This detail is not so clear when looking only at archaeological and cultural evidence
.
These findings suggest that it is important to combine genetic and archaeological evidence to provide a more comprehensive understanding of population history
.

The current ancient DNA analysis highlights a holistic approach to revealing the complex history of places like Xinjiang, where the many interactions between different groups and cultures in the past make detailed demographic studies difficult
.
Future research in this area could reveal more details about Xinjiang's history
.

Bronze and Iron Age population movements underlie Xinjiang population history