Ust'-Ishim: Ancient DNA offers the first of what I expect in the coming years will be many disappointments to those emotionally invested in a SE Asian origin for K-M526

It's been asserted, on crude phylogeographic grounds, that K-M526 originated in South East Asia. A SE Asian origin for K-M526 is credible if you ignore the rest of the Y phylogeny, starting with K-M9, and all other available information. Sadly for Hector, reality, with this recent publication, has again chosen to side with "Eurocentrists".

I don't expect the Hectors will gracefully accept their beating, but to others the presence of a previously unknown branch of K(xLT) in Siberia 45,000 years ago should be a pretty clear signal that the idea of a 500 year sprint from West or Central Asia to an already-inhabited SE Asia, followed, after an indefinite pause, by a repopulating of the world from Sundaland (if not the islands of Wallacea), all while failing to carry any trace of Denisovan admixture back to the future civilized world is an unnecessary and improbable fantasy.

The cline of Denisovan admixture, from faint, highly-selected remnants in mainland SE Asia to maxima among Melanesians and Australian Aborigines, has always pointed to gene flow into the region after its initial settlement rather than out of it, the K-bearers being one obvious candidate for the major source of this dilution. I'd also say it's more likely than not that they (an M526-carrying population of Central Asian origin) are the ones who brought culture to Hector's ancestors.

6 comments:

spagetiMeatball said...

I am from central asia. Am I descended from this guy?

spagetiMeatball said...

But he is closer to east asians than to europeans though in the PCA analysis.

They say it's because europeans have "basal eurasian" admixture. Which means what, middle eastern?

Anonymous said...

n/a, I've always loved your blog, and I've come to greatly value your insights. More than once I've seen you make some unpopular pronouncement on human genetics, and then later see more "mainstream" researchers come around (I'm thinking in particular of your assessment of Irish influence in New England and the Indo-European invasion of Europe). I've also found your analysis of ethnic patterns in the United States to be interesting and compelling.

Unfortunately I lack your technical background, and often find it difficult to read between the lines when you comment on the latest research. You are of course free to post on your own blog in whatever style you choose. I would nevertheless be delighted if you were to write one or two posts summarizing your views on certain issues. "n/a's summary of human origins and behavioral modernity," and "n/a's summary of ethnic competition in the United States/Europe" would be particularly fascinating. I'm sure I would not be the only grateful reader.

Thanks again for making such a fun blog. Your work is always appreciated.

n/a said...

sm,

It appears all Eurasians derive substantial ancestry, if not necessarily from this guy, from his relatively close ancestors.

"Basal Eurasian" is probably Mesolithic North African by way of Natufians.


Anonymous,

Thanks for the comment. There are at least a few longer posts that I've been intending to write for some time now, but I can't promise when I'll get to it.

Anonymous said...

n/a: I think you are mistaken at a fundamental level about Hector's identity.

A SE Asian/Sundaland identity for Hector is credible if you ignore the rest of his online activities, starting from his severe hostility towards Ebizur over pro-Japanese ideas, and his disdain for the Chinese and the Taiwanese. Such behavior in general is exhibited only by one group of people on earth: Koreans: http://yayul.egloos.com/m/comment/2929828/page/4

I hope this tip is capable of offering you greater insight into the motivations and agendas underlying this character who believes himself undetectable through his various aliases, but is in fact quite easy to trace.

Ryukendo K said...

@ n/a
Thanks for the links over at Eurogenes. I will go over them once my quarter ends.

So it seems you have been involved in gene blogging for a long time. Being a regular Isteve reader I find it rather funny that Steve Sailer comments here, since its rare to find that intersection of iSteve+Gene Blogging types.

You seem to support a Central Asian origin. Why not India, however? It seems that central Asia was always rather affected climactically by severe glaciations, and it seems India is a far more plausible source of replenishing population movements, esp as we know the first paleolithic settlement of Europe more or less died out. Also autosomal branching for ((WHG-ANE)ENA) seems to root there.

Or do you think that small HG pop dynamics mean that phylogeo in autosomal is as unreliable as Y-chrom?