Overview
- New analysis places the initial peopling of Sahul at roughly 60,000 years ago, bringing genetic estimates in line with early archaeological dates.
- Genetic patterns indicate two contemporaneous entries into Sahul: a dominant northern path via the Philippines and Sulawesi, and a secondary southern path via Sunda/Indonesia.
- The study examined nearly 2,500 genomes, including 2,456 Indigenous mitochondrial samples, using corrected molecular clocks, and was published in Science Advances.
- Findings suggest Aboriginal Australians and New Guineans maintain some of the most ancient unbroken ancestry outside Africa.
- Results imply purposeful blue-water crossings of about 100 kilometers, as experts note remaining uncertainty in molecular-rate calibration and scarce ancient DNA, with whole-genome testing underway.