New Delhi: Indians are the ancestors of
Chinese and many of those in other East Asian countries.
This is revealed by a study `Mapping Human Genetic
History in Asia`, conducted by ten Asian countries, which said
that the human population originally came from Africa nearly a
hundred thousand years ago to India from where it went to
China and other Asian countries.
The findings also nullify theories that a wave of
human population directly went to the East Asian countries.
"Majority of these South-East Asian populations have
ancestors in south India (where the first wave of human
population came from Africa)," CSIR Director General Samir
Brahmachari told reporters here.
The study also assumes significance as it opens up the
scope for single-point clinical trial for drugs for major
pandemics including flu, which can be applicable to rest of
the people in the region, Science and Technology Minister
Prithviraj Chauhan said.
"This research is also significant for understanding
migratory pattern of human history and furthering the research
in medicine. It has great potential for collaboration with
these countries in finding treatment to many diseases like
flu, AIDS and other pandemics," Brahmachari said.
Studied by 90 scientists from the Human Genome
Organisation`s (HUGO`s), the research on Southeast Asian (SEA)
and East Asian (EA) populations of 1,928 unrelated individuals
represented 73 populations from 10 countries, including China,
India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
PTI
