Genomic research present Papua New Guineans are intently associated to Asians, formed by isolation, adaptation, and Denisovan heritage.
Papua New Guineans live proof of how isolation, historic genetic mixing, and life on distant islands can protect a definite chapter of human historical past.
A gaggle of European scientists has just lately clarified their genetic origins, making use of superior Synthetic Intelligence (AI) strategies. Their findings present that Papua New Guineans are genetically near different Asian populations, tracing again to the identical ‘Out of Africa’ migration that gave rise to all non-African teams.
Regardless of this shared ancestry, Papua New Guineans have a noticeably completely different look from most Asian populations and show sure traits much like Sub-Saharan Africans. These bodily similarities as soon as led to hypothesis that they could have descended from a separate department of non-African people.
Based on lead writer Dr. Mayukh Mondal, the distinctive bodily options of Papua New Guineans most likely come from pure choice: “Maybe variations to tropical climates that make them look extra like Sub-Saharan African teams, although their genetics clearly hyperlink them to different Asian populations. Extra research are wanted to uncover how evolution formed this outstanding inhabitants.”
The genetic origin stays unresolved
Most scientists agree that trendy people left Africa between 50,000 and 70,000 years in the past, ultimately spreading into Europe, Asia, and different areas. Early archaeological findings prompt that the ancestors of Papua New Guineans might have come from a definite, earlier migration (the so-called ‘First Out of Africa’ speculation), following a coastal path via India and Southeast Asia. Supporting this concept, the oldest human website in Oceania is dated to about 50,000–60,000 years in the past, which predates the earliest recognized websites in Europe and signifies that no less than a part of their ancestry might hint again to this early dispersal.
With the event of recent DNA sequencing, researchers have revisited the ‘First Out of Africa’ theory. Analyses of both maternal (mitochondrial) and paternal (Y-chromosome) DNA have found no strong evidence that the majority of Papuan ancestry came from this earlier wave. Instead, genetic data suggest closer links to other non-African populations, although a small contribution from ancient migrations cannot be completely dismissed.
Adding to this complexity, the genomes of Papua New Guineans contain a notable proportion of Denisovan DNA — an extinct human lineage related to Neanderthals. This genetic legacy likely came from interbreeding events in Southeast Asia or Oceania, further shaping their distinct ancestry.
Even with these insights, the origins of Papuan New Guineans are not fully resolved. Were they an early branch that diverged before Europeans and Asians? Did related populations mix into their genetic history? Do they preserve ancestry from the elusive ‘First Out of Africa’ group, or are they firmly within the broader Asian lineage? These questions remain open for future study.
Unique demographic history
In this study, scientists used high-quality genomic data and AI-powered models to compare different demographic scenarios for the origin of the Papuan New Guineans’ genetic diversity. Their results suggest that Papua New Guineans are a sister group to other Asian populations. Contribution from a ‘First Out of Africa’ migration might not be needed to explain their origins.
The researchers found that the ancestors of Papuan New Guineans went through a dramatic population bottleneck — most likely their numbers dropped sharply after reaching Papua New Guinea and stayed low for thousands of years. Unlike other non-African groups, they did not experience the farming-driven population boom that reshaped Europe and Asia. This unique demographic history left genetic signatures that, if misunderstood, could look like evidence of a contribution from an unknown population.
Reference: “Resolving out of Africa event for Papua New Guinean population using neural network” by Mayukh Mondal, Mathilde André, Ajai K. Pathak, Nicolas Brucato, François-Xavier Ricaut, Mait Metspalu and Anders Eriksson, 9 July 2025, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61661-w
Funding: European Regional Development Fund, Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, European Regional Development Fund, Estonian Research Council, Estonian Research Council, European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, Estonian Research Council, French National Research Agency, Tartu University
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