Nägele Kathrin, Kinaston Rebecca, Gaffney Dylan, Walworth Mary, Rohrlach Adam B, Carlhoff Selina, Huang Yilei, Ringbauer Harald, Bertolini Emilie, Tromp Monica, Radzeviciute Rita, Petchey Fiona, Anson Dimitri, Petchey Peter, Stirling Claudine, Reid Malcolm, Barr David, Shaw Ben, Summerhayes Glenn, Buckley Hallie, Posth Cosimo, Powell Adam, Krause Johannes
Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2025 Jun;9(6):908-923. doi: 10.1038/s41559-025-02710-x. Epub 2025 Jun 4.
The inhabitants of New Guinea and its outlying islands have played an important role in the human history of the Pacific region. Nevertheless, the genetic diversity, particularly of pre-colonial communities, is still understudied. Here we present the ancient genomes of 42 individuals from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ancient genomic results of individuals from Watom Island (Bismarck Archipelago) and the south and northeastern coasts of PNG are contextualized with new (bio-) archaeological data. The individuals' accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates span 2,500 years of human habitation, and our results demonstrate the influences of different dispersal events on the genetic make-up of ancient PNG communities. The oldest individuals show an unadmixed Papuan-related genetic signature, whereas individuals dating from 2,100 years before present carry varying degrees of an East-Asian-related contribution. These results and the inferred admixture dates suggest a centuries-long delay in genetic mixture with local communities after the arrival of populations with Asian ancestry. Two geographically close communities on the South Coast, AMS dated to within the past 540 years, diverge in their genetic profiles, suggesting differences in their interaction spheres involving groups with distinct ancestries. The inferred split time of these communities around 650 years before present coincides with intensified settlement activity and the emergence of regional trade networks.
新几内亚及其周边岛屿的居民在太平洋地区的人类历史中发挥了重要作用。然而，其遗传多样性，尤其是殖民前社区的遗传多样性，仍未得到充分研究。在此，我们展示了来自巴布亚新几内亚（PNG）的42个人的古代基因组。来自瓦托姆岛（俾斯麦群岛）以及巴布亚新几内亚南部和东北海岸的个体的古代基因组结果，结合新的（生物）考古数据进行了背景分析。这些个体的加速器质谱（AMS）测年涵盖了2500年的人类居住历史，我们的结果证明了不同扩散事件对古代巴布亚新几内亚社区基因构成的影响。最古老的个体显示出与巴布亚人相关的未混合遗传特征，而距今2100年前的个体则携带不同程度的与东亚相关的基因贡献。这些结果以及推断出的混合日期表明，亚洲血统人群到来后，与当地社区的基因混合出现了长达几个世纪的延迟。南海岸两个地理位置相近的社区，AMS测年显示在过去540年内，它们的基因图谱存在差异，这表明它们与具有不同祖先的群体在互动范围上存在差异。推断这些社区在距今约650年前的分裂时间，与定居活动加剧以及区域贸易网络的出现相吻合。
