European researchers used AI to crack the genetic origins of Papua New Guineans. Their new study shows Papua New Guineans are actually closely related to other Asian populations, all linked to the same Out of Africa migration event that shaped all non-African groups.
The findings dropped today in Nature Communications.
Papua New Guineans have long puzzled scientists. They look quite distinct from Asians and share some traits with Sub-Saharan Africans, sparking theories about a separate origin. But this study challenges that. 
Dr. Mayukh Mondal, lead author, said:
"Perhaps adaptations to tropical climates make them look more like Sub-Saharan African groups, even though their genetics clearly link them to other Asian populations. More studies are needed to uncover how evolution shaped this remarkable population."
Past archaeology hinted at an earlier Out of Africa migration for Papuans—older than Europeans’ sites. But DNA analysis has so far found no solid proof that Papua New Guineans descend mainly from this earlier wave. Instead, their genetics tie them firmly to other non-Africans, with a twist—a substantial chunk of Denisovan DNA, a mysterious ancient relative of Neanderthals, mixed in somewhere in Southeast Asia or Oceania.
The new AI-powered models suggest Papuan ancestors form a sister group to Asian populations. No need to call on a separate first Out of Africa migration to explain their genes.
The study also found Papuans went through a severe population bottleneck after arriving in Papua New Guinea. Their numbers stayed low for thousands of years, unlike booming European and Asian groups after farming. This helped create unique genetic signatures that might have previously been mistaken for traces of unknown populations.
The genetic origin puzzle isn’t fully solved, but this AI-driven research draws Papua New Guineans back into the broader Asian family tree.
Read the full paper here.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
