Эрдэмтэд 1500 жилийн тэртээ Ладакхын бүс нутагт амьдарч байсан, генетикийн өвөрмөц онцлогтой бүлэг хүмүүсийн ул мөрийг олж тогтоов.
Энэтхэгийн хойд хэсэгт орших Ладакхын “Old Lady Spider” агуйгаас 2021 онд олдсон 10 хүний үлдэгдэлд генетикийн шинжилгээ хийжээ. Далайн түвшнээс дээш 4000 метрийн өндөрт байрлах энэхүү агуйгаас олдсон хүмүүсийн ДНХ нь өмнөд ази болон төвөдийн угсаатны холимог болохыг “Science Advances” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгаа харуулсан байна. Энэ нь генетикийн хувьд өмнө нь бүртгэгдэж байгаагүй шинэ популяци болохыг эрдэмтэд онцолжээ.
Судлаачид нүүрстөрөгчийн он цаг тогтоох арга болон геномын харьцуулсан шинжилгээгээр эдгээр хүмүүсийн гарал үүслийг тодорхойлсон байна. Тэдний ДНХ-ийн 50 орчим хувь нь орчин үеийн Хойд Энэтхэгийн хүн амтай, үлдсэн хэсэг нь эртний Төвөдийн хүн амтай холбогдож байгаа нь тогтоогджээ. Генетикийн хэлтэрхийнүүдийн хэмжээг шинжилснээр эдгээр хоёр бүлэг 2800 жилийн тэртээгээс хоорондоо холилдож эхэлсэн гэсэн дүгнэлтэд хүрсэн байна.
Энэхүү олдвор нь Гималайн бүс нутгийн хүн ам тусгаарлагдмал байсангүй, харин эртний худалдааны замуудаар дамжин өргөн хүрээтэй хөдөлгөөн, харилцаанд оролцож байсныг нотолж байна. Мөн эртний Ладакхын хүн амын генетикийн өв нь орчин үеийн Ладакхын Минеро болон Балти зэрэг ард түмний дунд хадгалагдан үлдсэн болохыг судалгаагаар тогтоожээ. Ийнхүү тэд бүрмөсөн алга бололгүй, өнөөгийн хүн амд өөрсдийн генетикийн ул мөрийг үлдээсэн байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Scientists have discovered the traces of a previously unknown population that lived in Ladakh, northern India, about 1,500 years ago. DNA recovered from remains found in the Old Lady Spider Cave reveals a rare genetic mix between South Asian and Tibetan ancestry. Ancient DNA from South Asia is still hard to find, which makes discoveries like this especially important for understanding how people moved and mixed across the Himalayas.
The cave remains studied by scientists came from 10 individuals excavated in 2021 inside a cave located around 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) above sea level. The site lies in Ladakh, a region that has long connected South Asia, Tibet and Central Asia through ancient trade routes.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the study used genetic analysis to trace the origins of these individuals and compare their DNA with thousands of ancient and modern genomes. According to the researchers, the results point to a population that had never been identified before through genetic evidence.
A Mysterious Himalayan Population Emerges From Ancient DNA
The first step for the research team was to establish the age of the remains using radiocarbon dating. Scientists then extracted DNA from the bones and tissue and compared the genetic information with a large database of human genomes. The results of the study revealed a surprising pattern. The people from the Old Lady Spider Cave had a genetic profile that was almost perfectly divided between two ancestral sources.
About 50% of their ancestry was linked to populations related to present-day North India, while the other half was connected to ancient Tibetan populations. This combination is rarely seen today and shows that these individuals belonged to a population with a very specific history.
The findings suggest that people living in this part of the Himalayas were connected to wider population movements rather than being isolated from surrounding regions.
DNA Reveals A Lost Human Journey
Researchers went further by studying the size of DNA fragments inherited from each ancestral group. These fragments can provide clues about when two populations mixed.
When populations combine, their shared DNA is gradually broken into smaller pieces with each generation. By analyzing the length of these fragments, scientists can estimate how long ago the original mixing event happened. The analysis showed that the South Asian-related and Tibetan-related groups began mixing around 2,800 years ago, about 1,300 years before the individuals buried in the cave lived.
As reported by the study authors, this result does not mean that the mixing necessarily happened in Ladakh. The genetic data only indicates when the two ancestral groups began exchanging genetic material, before this population appeared in the archaeological record.
A Forgotten Population Lives On
The ancient group identified through DNA from the Himalayan cave left more than just traces in old bones. Researchers found evidence that its genetic heritage survived among modern Himalayan populations.
The study links this ancient Old Ladakh population to present-day groups, including the Minero and Balti people of Ladakh. Their DNA still carries part of the ancestry of a community that lived in the region more than a thousand years ago.
“This implies genetic drift shared between these groups and the Old Ladakh individuals, as expected for flow of Old Ladakh–related people into the ancestors of these groups. Thus, the Old Ladakh population did not completely disappear and instead left a legacy in present-day people,” the authors stated.
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