Ancestors of
Chinese came from India: Study
Prashanth G N, TNN 12 December 2009, 01:08am IST
BANGALORE: The ancestors of most Asian populations, including
the Chinese and southeast Asians,
came from India, a new genetic study across 10 countries
has revealed. The study found that humans first migrated to the
Indian subcontinent from Africa some 100,000 years ago and then
spread to other parts of Asia.
"When humans moved out of Africa, there was a migration to
India and from India to southeast Asia and then east Asia, and
finally to the Americas. So, all Asians have a genetic connection
with India," Mitali Mukerji, a scientist from the Institute
of Genomics and Integrative Biology who was in the team, said.
The study Mapping Human Genetic History in Asia
was conducted in 10 Asian countries including India. Apart from
the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research DG Samir Brahmachari,
the Indian study team comprised eight members and some students
from IGIB,New Delhi, anthropologist Partha Majumdar and researchers
from the Centre for Genomic Applications.
The study contradicts earlier findings that humans directly went
to East Asia from Africa. The study found remarkable similarities
between the Dravidian population of south India and specific populations
in Malaysia and Singapore. More interestingly, north Indians and
Dravidians, too, were found to be genetically connected
meaning there are similarities in their gene structures.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ancestors-of-Chinese-came-from-India-Study/articleshow/5328596