All Indians share same genetic lineage: study

All Indians share same genetic lineage: stu

1. KEY BREAKTHROUGH: Former CCMB Director Lalji Singh (right) scientist K. Thangaraj and acting CCMB Director Veena Parnaik addressing the media in Hyderabad.
2. ‘There is no South-North divide’
3. Study done by Indian and American scientists
4. Aryans and Dravidians part of the same culture
5. HYDERABAD: A path-breaking study on Indian population history through genomic analyses has established that people in the North were no different from those in the South and that all shared the same genetic lineage.
6. The study carried out by an international team, comprising Indian and American scientists, was published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal, Nature, which came out on Thursday.
7. The research led by scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) together with US researchers from the Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Broad Institute of Harvard and the MIT, looked at the genetic variability across Indian sub-continent and has been described as “largest-ever” on Indian population.
8. The team analysed more than 500,000 genetic markers across genomes of 132 individuals from 25 diverse groups, representing 13 States, all six language families, traditionally “upper” and “lower” castes and tribal groups.
9. ANI, ASI
10. The genomic analyses revealed that the modern day Indians descended from two pre-historic populations -- the Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and Ancestral South Indians (ASI).
11. Describing it as a “very important discovery”, former CCMB Director Lalji Singh and deputy director senior scientist K. Thangaraj told reporters here on Thursday that while ANIs showed similarity with western Eurasians, the ASIs were not related to any group outside India. “In a way this paper rewrites history, there is no South and North divide,” emphasised Dr. Singh.
12. Dr. Singh said the findings were consistent with the views of one school of thought that Aryans and Dravidians were part of the same culture.
13. Further studies would be carried out to trace the exact divergence time of ANIs and ASIs as also to find out whether Europeans and ANIs had common genetic origin. The two scientists pointed out that although India was indeed a melting pot of more than 4,600 groups, all shared a common genetic ancestry. Different Indian groups have inherited 40 per cent to 80 per cent of their ancestry from ANIs, the rest from ASIs. The finding also showed that there was no difference between tribal populations and castes and it was impossible to make a distinction between them. “The genetics proves that they are not systematically different. This supports the view that castes grew directly out of tribal-like organisations during the formation of Indian society.” Dr. Singh elaborated saying, “At gene level it doesn’t distinguish caste from tribes.” However, the Andamenese were an exception to the finding that all Indian groups are mixed. They appear to be related exclusively to Ancestral South Indian lineage. Acting CCMB Director Veena Parnaik was also present. The other authors are David Reich from Harvard Medical School, Nick Patterson (Broad Institute) and Alkes L. Price (Harvard School of Public).