Genetic Fossil From 7,200-Year-Old Indonesian Skeleton Reveals Unknown Human Lineage

Ancient DNA in the remains of a female teenager, nicknamed Bessé, who lived 7,200 years ago in Indonesia, has recently been discovered in the Leang Panninge cave, Indonesia, challenging all previous beliefs on our ancestors’ early migration.
It is believed to be the first time ancient human DNA has been discovered in Wallacea, a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves.

Source: AFP

Scientists were able to extract the DNA from the petrous part of Bessé’s temporal bone, housing the inner ear.
Professor Adam Brumm from Griffith University, co-leader of the research that the intact DNA was an infrequent discovery, because the moist condition in this region would not allow DNA in ancient human bones and teeth to be well-preserved.

Source: Hasanuddin University

He also added that only up to two skeletal remains discovered in mainland south-east Asia have been able to provide ancient DNA.
Our knowledge on early human history, including their genetic diversity, population movements and demographic history, are being greatly altered, thanks to ancient DNA analysis in other parts of the world, said Professor Brumm.

Source: Hasanuddin University

Bessé has been described as a “genetic fossil”, having a distinctive ancestral history that is completely different from both present-day humans and known ancient ones.
Only half of her genetic makeup bears resemblance to modern Indigenous Australians and people from New Guinea and the Western Pacific islands.

Source: Griffith University

“Her ancestors would have been a part of the initial wave of movement of early humans from mainland Asia through these Wallacean islands towards what we today call Sahul, which was the combined ice age landmass of Australia and New Guinea,” Brumm said.
The DNA of the female teenager astoundingly illustrated an ancient link to east Asia as well, challenging previous concepts on the migration timeline of ancient humans to Wallacea.

Source: Hasanuddin University

Scientists previously believed that people of predominantly Asian ancestry set their feet in the Wallacean region nearly 3-4000 years ago as the first prehistory New Stone Age (Neolithic) farmers migrated to the region from Taiwan.
However, the remains of Bessé, estimated to date back 7,200 years ago, even before the arrival of those Neolithic farmers, might suggest earlier migration of some groups.

Source: Hasanuddin University

Bessé is also the first known skeleton belonging to the Toalean culture, a group of hunter-gatherers who lived in South Sulawesi between 1,500 and 8,000 years ago.
At the time of her own burial, Bessé was only at 17 or 18. Alongside her remains, archaeologists also discovered stone tools and red ochre, together with bones of hunted wild animals.
H/T: Nature