一直以来，全球考古界的观点认为在大约四万年前到十八世纪晚期欧洲人首次到来之前，四面环海的澳洲大陆一直与世隔绝。然而，就澳大利亚本土原住民基因研究的最新结果证实，有相当一部分基因组合竟与印度人相同。这就是说，印度人也许比欧洲殖民者更早踏上了这块大陆。
Irina Pugach及其同事分析了澳大利亚、新几内亚、东南亚岛屿以及印度的原住民的全基因组单核苷酸多态（SNP）数据。
这组作者发现了澳大利亚、新几内亚和Mamanwa（菲律宾的一个尼格利陀人群体）人群有一个共同的起源，并且估计出这些人群在大约3.6万年前彼此分离，这支持了一种观念，即他们代表了古代从非洲向南迁徙的移民的后裔。这组作者的分析还揭示出了141代人之前——如果假设30年一代人，就是4230年前——从印度到澳大利亚的大量基因流动。
研究结果显示，印度人和澳大利亚原住民大约在四千多年前或许就出现了杂居的状态；此外，澳大利亚独有的动物种群“澳洲野狗”和大量的先进工具和食品加工技术等也从那时起开始从印度次大陆源源不断地抵达南半球的澳洲。
这是德国马克斯·普朗克进化人类学研究所的最新科研成果。研究人员在分析了大量澳洲原住民、新几内亚人、东南亚岛民和印度人的基因数据后得出了一个全新的结果：在部分澳洲原住民的基因中，近11%的基因组可追溯到或于四千年前抵达澳洲大陆的印度人身上。
Genome-wide data substantiate Holocene gene flow from India to Australia.
Irina Pugach,Frederick Delfin,Ellen Gunnarsdóttir,Manfred Kayser, and Mark Stoneking
Abstract：The Australian continent holds some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the expansion of modern humans out of Africa, with initial occupation at least 40,000 y ago. It is commonly assumed that Australia remained largely isolated following initial colonization, but the genetic history of Australians has not been explored in detail to address this issue. Here, we analyze large-scale genotyping data from aboriginal Australians, New Guineans, island Southeast Asians and Indians. We find an ancient association between Australia, New Guinea, and the Mamanwa (a Negrito group from the Philippines), with divergence times for these groups estimated at 36,000 y ago, and supporting the view that these populations represent the descendants of an early “southern route” migration out of Africa, whereas other populations in the region arrived later by a separate dispersal. We also detect a signal indicative of substantial gene flow between the Indian populations and Australia well before European contact, contrary to the prevailing view that there was no contact between Australia and the rest of the world. We estimate this gene flow to have occurred during the Holocene, 4,230 y ago. This is also approximately when changes in tool technology, food processing, and the dingo appear in the Australian archaeological record, suggesting that these may be related to the migration from India.
文献链接：Genome-wide data substantiate Holocene gene flow from India to Australia.
