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Photo 1 (from left) – Researchers at NTU and SCELSE. Researchers Dr. Amit Gourav Ghosh, senior researchers Dr. Elena S. Gusaleva, Professor Kim Hee Lim, and Professor Stephen Schuster include Skells' advanced DNA sequencing machines.
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Credit: NTU Singapore
International genomics research led by scientists at Nanyang Technologies University at Singapore's Environmental Life Science Engineering Centre (SCELSE) and the Faculty of Environmental Studies (ASE) at the Nanyang University of Technology at Singapore (NTU Singapore) shows that early Asians had the longest prehistoric migration of humanity.
These prehistoric humans had roamed the world over 100,000 years ago, and would have crossed over 20,000 kilometers on foot from North Asia to the southernmost tip of South America.
This journey would have taken thousands of years and spanned multiple generations of people. In the past, the land's masses were also different, bridging certain parts of the ice that allowed the route to occur.
The study, supported by the Genomeasia100K Consortium (1), was published this week in Science. This study analyzes DNA sequence data from 1,537 people representing 139 diverse ethnic groups.
This study included 48 authors from 22 institutions in Asia, Europe and America.
Researchers traced an ancient migratory bird journey that began in Africa, proceeding through North Asia, ending in Tierra del Fuego, modern-day Argentina.
By comparing patterns of genetic variation with shared ancestors that accumulate over time, teams were able to track how groups split, migrate, and adapt to new environments.
These patterns allowed teams to reconstruct ancient transition routes and estimate them when different populations diverge.
The reconstructed route provides detailed photographs of how early humans reached the far end of the Americas, suggesting that this pioneering group overcame the challenges of extreme environmental issues to complete a thousand years of journeys.
A key insight was that these early immigrants arrived at the tip of the northwestern South America, where modern-day Panama met Colombia, about 14,000 years ago.
From this important entrance, the population was divided into four major groups. One remained in the Amazon Basin, the other moved east to the arid Chaco region, then southward into the Patagonia icefields, navigating through the valleys of the Andes, the highest mountain range outside Asia.
By analyzing the genetic profiles of indigenous populations in Eurasia and South America, researchers from the Genomeasia100K project mapped unexpectedly large genetic diversity for the first time.
Understanding migration and genetic resilience
This study also sheds light on the evolutionary consequences of such vast migration.
Kim Hie Lim, associate professor at NTU's School of Asia Environment, explained that thousands of years of hard travel has reduced genetic diversity in immigrant populations.
“Those immigrants carried only a subset of the gene pool to their ancestral populations over a long journey. Therefore, a reduced genetic diversity could lead to a reduced diversity of immune-related genes and limit the flexibility of the population to combat a variety of infectious diseases.
“This can explain why some Indigenous communities are susceptible to diseases and diseases introduced by later immigrants, such as European settlers. Understanding how past dynamics have shaped the genetic structure of today's current population can provide deeper insight into human genetic resilience.”
Dr. Elena Gusareva, a senior research fellow at Scelse, the first author of the study, said these early groups had settled into a new ecological niche, and that over hundreds of generations the bodies and lifestyles have evolved to meet the unique challenges of each region.
“Our findings highlight the extraordinary adaptability of early, diverse, indigenous groups who have succeeded in very different environments. High-resolution, full-gene sequencing techniques can be used in Scelse to reveal the deep history and genetic footprint of human migration left behind by early settlers.”
The importance of Asian representatives in genetic research
“The research papers are senior authors and NTU professor, NTU, director of science at the Genomeasia100K Consortium,” said Stephan Schuster, NTU professor, “The research papers are highly advanced and highly conscious.”
“This shapes an understanding of historical population movements and lays a stronger foundation for future research into human evolution. Our new insights underscore the importance of increasing the representation of Asian populations in genetic research, as genomics plays an important role in understanding individualized healthcare, public health, and human evolution,” scelse.
By tracking the effects of migration and sequestration on genetic traits, this study provides insight into how different populations respond to disease and how their immune systems evolved.
The findings also help scientists to better understand the genetic makeup of Native American populations and help policy makers to better protect and protect native communities.
It also demonstrates how advanced genomic tools and global collaboration can deepen our understanding of human evolution and inform future medical and scientific breakthroughs.
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(1) Genomeasia100K is a non-profit consortium focusing on sequencing and analysis of 100,000 Asian genomes, promoting population-specific medical advances and precision medicine. For more information, please visit our website.
Research Methods
Data/Statistical Analysis
Research subject
people
Article Title
From North Asia to South America: Tracking the longest human movement through genome sequencing
Article publication date
15-May 2025
