Gene

Holocene

Demography

Biology

Demographic history

East Asia

Far East

China

Archaeology

Glacial period

Ancient DNA

Paleontology

Genetics

Geography

Before Present

Population

Sociology

Last Glacial Maximum

Pleistocene

Genetic variation

History

Cell

Northern East Asia was inhabited by modern humans as early as 40 thousand years ago (ka), as demonstrated by the Tianyuan individual. Using genome-wide data obtained from 25 individuals dated to 33.6–3.4 ka from the Amur region, we show that Tianyuan-related ancestry was widespread in northern East Asia before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). At the close of the LGM stadial, the earliest northern East Asian appeared in the Amur region, and this population is basal to ancient northern East Asians. Human populations in the Amur region have maintained genetic continuity from 14 ka, and these early inhabitants represent the closest East Asian source known for Ancient Paleo-Siberians. We also observed that EDAR V370A was likely to have been elevated to high frequency after the LGM, suggesting the possible timing for its selection. This study provides a deep look into the population dynamics of northern East Asia.

The deep population history of northern East Asia from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene