Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley examined more than 2,700 genomic sequences from contemporary Indians across 17 states, drawing samples from diverse regions, languages, and caste groups to capture a broad spectrum of genetic variation. The findings were published in the scientific materials portal Biorxiv, contributing a data-rich snapshot of India’s genetic landscape and its regional diversity.
The study reveals surprising breadth in ancestral DNA, including genetic traces from Neanderthals and Denisovans, which underscore a deep, complex history shared among human populations. These ancient lineages have left measurable marks in modern genomes, shaping variations in traits and disease susceptibilities that researchers are only beginning to map with precision.
One of the central conclusions is that the majority of current Indian genetic diversity traces back to a major migratory wave out of Africa that occurred roughly 50,000 years ago. This early movement helped seed the Indian subcontinent with a mosaic of ancestries, later refined by regional migrations, cultural transformations, and demographic shifts over millennia.
The researchers identify three principal ancestral streams that contribute to today’s Indian gene pool: ancient Iranian farmers, steppe pastoralists who traveled across Eurasia, and indigenous South Asian hunter-gatherers. While it has long been understood how the latter two groups arrived in the region, the study sheds new light on the timing and pathways through which Iranian farmer ancestry entered the subcontinent, offering a more nuanced narrative of prehistoric population dynamics.
In one analytical strand, the team compared contemporary Indian DNA with ancient Iranian genomes spanning the Neolithic to the Iron Age. The results indicate that a portion of Iranian-related ancestry found in modern Indians derives from the early Neolithic Sarazm community, a site now located in Tajikistan and recognized as one of Central Asia’s oldest known settlements. This link helps illuminate how early farming communities and migratory networks contributed to the broader genomic tapestry of South Asia.
These insights align with broader archaeological and genetic evidence that human populations migrated and mixed in complex ways long before written histories began, reshaping regional identities over tens of thousands of years. The study’s breadth—from state-level sampling to cross-temporal comparisons—emphasizes how contemporary genetics can illuminate the deep tempo of human movement, interaction, and adaptation across a vast geography.
In sum, the research highlights that India’s modern genetic landscape is not the product of a single origin but the outcome of multiple ancient migrations, successive admixtures, and enduring regional diversity. By tracing lineages back to Neanderthals, Denisovans, and multiple continental source populations, scientists are building a richer picture of how ancient populations interwove to yield the genetic fabric seen in today’s Indian communities, a story that continues to unfold as more ancient genomes are recovered and analyzed. — study on genomic diversity across Indian populations