A groundbreaking paleogenomics study published in Nature Genetics has analyzed the remains of individuals from the Kech-Makran region of Balochistan dating back 12,000 years. The research has identified a specific genetic mutation related to iodine processing, suggesting that these ancient populations had already adapted to a diet heavily reliant on marine salt and seafood long before the advent of organized coastal trade. This represents the earliest known genetic signature of maritime adaptation in the South Asian periphery.
The study also reveals a genetic continuity between these late-Pleistocene foragers and the later inhabitants of the Mature Harappan coastal ports. This suggests that the seafaring expertise of the Indus Valley Civilization was built upon a multi-millennial biological and cultural foundation of indigenous coastal communities.