Original Indians were Austro-Asiatic Amit Bhattacharya/Calcutta Uttaranyat samudrasya, himadreshchaiva dakshinam/Varsh tad Bharat, naam Bharati yatra santitah (North of the ocean, south of the Himalayas, is the land called Bharat, and it's people are called Bharati) - Vishnu Puran Who were the first human inhabitants of this ancient land called Bharat? The answer, apparently, is all in the genes. Indian scientists are using genetic keys to unlock the rusty pages of prehistory. Their conclusion: The first inhabitants of India were the Austro-Asiatic linguistic group of tribals, ie, the Khasis, Santhals, Hos, Mundaris, Gonds, Lodhas, etc. According to the findings of the Genome Diversity in Indian Population Project (Gendip), the Austro-Asiatic people came into India from Africa, around 60,000 years ago. Modern humans evolved in Africa 150-200,000 years ago. One of the first waves of migration out of Africa came into India. This has been found out by reconstructing genomic haplotides, says Prof Partha P Majumder of the Indian Statistical Institute, who is part of the 'Calcutta Consortium' of scientists handling the five-year-old project. Genome diversity studies are becoming powerful tools for understanding human evolution and migrations around the world. debates among historians can be settled through genes, including, for instance, the thorny question of whether the Aryans came from central Asia. For studying the Aryan question, we need DNA samples or comparable DNA data from Iran and central Asia. As of now, there is no arrangement for getting this data from these areas. But, yes, it is possible to conclusively state whether the Aryans did, indeed, come from central Asia through genome diversity studies, Prof Majumder says. The genome study deepens the geographical divide created by the Vindhyas. It has found that populations of southern India stand apart genetically from those of the North, East and West. This is because the Dravidians largely remained sheltered from the Indo-Aryan influence. Gendip findings also provide meat to the theory of India being a historical melting pot. The study finds that Indian populations harbour more genetic diversity than other comparable geographical regions. interestingly, various ethnic Indian populations are homogeneous with respect to maternal genomic lineages (as revealed by maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms), but very heterogeneous in terms of paternal genomic lineages (as revealed by paternally inherited Y-chromosomal DNA polymorphisms). From these results, Gendip has concluded that India was peopled by a relatively small group of modern humans in ancient times. Subsequent demographic expansions and cultural diversification resulted in the formation of the contemporary ethnic populations through the process of fission. The ancient, relatively homogeneous, human gene pool in India has been admixed with other male, but not female, gene pools primarily through historical invasions. Says Prof Majumdar: Our data points to a conclusion that there hasn't been a major migration into India in the last 30,000 years, at least involving women. There was probably a small group of founding females, who have branched out to various parts of India. Gendip studied affinities between various caste and tribal groups and found that populations living in close geographical proximity are genetically more similar than populations living in different regions but belonging to the same social rung (ie, caste). It does not take too much of exchange of genes to homogenise a population living close together and that has been happening in India, Prof Majumder says.

History says stop reading things backwards.

Original Indians were Austro-Asiatic Amit Bhattacharya/Calcutta Uttaranyat samudrasya, himadreshchaiva dakshinam/Varsh tad Bharat, naam Bharati yatra santitah (North of the ocean, south of the Himalayas, is the land called Bharat, and it's people are called Bharati) - Vishnu Puran Who were the first human inhabitants of this ancient land called Bharat? The answer, apparently, is all in the genes. Indian scientists are using genetic keys to unlock the rusty pages of prehistory. Their conclusion: The first inhabitants of India were the Austro-Asiatic linguistic group of tribals, ie, the Khasis, Santhals, Hos, Mundaris, Gonds, Lodhas, etc. According to the findings of the Genome Diversity in Indian Population Project (Gendip), the Austro-Asiatic people came into India from Africa, around 60,000 years ago. Modern humans evolved in Africa 150-200,000 years ago. One of the first waves of migration out of Africa came into India. This has been found out by reconstructing genomic haplotides, says Prof Partha P Majumder of the Indian Statistical Institute, who is part of the 'Calcutta Consortium' of scientists handling the five-year-old project. Genome diversity studies are becoming powerful tools for understanding human evolution and migrations around the world. debates among historians can be settled through genes, including, for instance, the thorny question of whether the Aryans came from central Asia. For studying the Aryan question, we need DNA samples or comparable DNA data from Iran and central Asia. As of now, there is no arrangement for getting this data from these areas. But, yes, it is possible to conclusively state whether the Aryans did, indeed, come from central Asia through genome diversity studies, Prof Majumder says. The genome study deepens the geographical divide created by the Vindhyas. It has found that populations of southern India stand apart genetically from those of the North, East and West. This is because the Dravidians largely remained sheltered from the Indo-Aryan influence. Gendip findings also provide meat to the theory of India being a historical melting pot. The study finds that Indian populations harbour more genetic diversity than other comparable geographical regions. interestingly, various ethnic Indian populations are homogeneous with respect to maternal genomic lineages (as revealed by maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms), but very heterogeneous in terms of paternal genomic lineages (as revealed by paternally inherited Y-chromosomal DNA polymorphisms). From these results, Gendip has concluded that India was peopled by a relatively small group of modern humans in ancient times. Subsequent demographic expansions and cultural diversification resulted in the formation of the contemporary ethnic populations through the process of fission. The ancient, relatively homogeneous, human gene pool in India has been admixed with other male, but not female, gene pools primarily through historical invasions. Says Prof Majumdar: Our data points to a conclusion that there hasn't been a major migration into India in the last 30,000 years, at least involving women. There was probably a small group of founding females, who have branched out to various parts of India. Gendip studied affinities between various caste and tribal groups and found that populations living in close geographical proximity are genetically more similar than populations living in different regions but belonging to the same social rung (ie, caste). It does not take too much of exchange of genes to homogenise a population living close together and that has been happening in India, Prof Majumder says. Thank you for the very interesting post. The more we learn about genetics the more we can learn about humanity, and our history as a species. I believe that this new learning you report for us would simply have not been possible without the preservation of the Dravidian genes.

have not been possible without the preservation of the Dravidian genes. Doink. There are no Dravidian genes.

There are two classes of people. Those who divide people into two classes, and those who don't. I belong to the second class. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Dravidians constitute over 25% of Indian population in the southern portion of the country. In north India they were ethnically cleansed by Vedic Aryan invadors nearly 5000 years ago. Farhan Siddiqui Aren't the Brahui people you listed as being from Pakistan Dravidian?