Overview

• A 7,100-year-old individual from Yunnan carries a distinct “Xingyi ancestry” as divergent from modern East Asians as a 40,000-year-old Beijing genome.
• Genetic affinities link the Xingyi lineage to contemporary Qinghai-Tibet Plateau populations, shedding light on Tibetan origins.
• An 11,000-year-old genome from Guangxi confirms that Xingyi ancestry once spanned southwestern China before disappearing there.
• DNA from central Yunnan dating 5,100–1,400 years ago preserves a continuous Austroasiatic-related ancestry predating regional agriculture.
• The findings reveal layered migration, population replacement, and long-term genetic isolation in southern East Asia, highlighting Southwest China’s pivotal role in human prehistory.