Anthropologists have completed a comprehensive genomic mapping of remains found in a remote rock shelter in the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats. The analysis of the 15,000-year-old DNA has revealed specific epigenetic signatures related to immune system resilience and caloric efficiency, which researchers believe were adaptations to the drastic shifts in humidity and food availability caused by the ancient monsoon cycles.
This research provides the earliest known evidence of how human populations in South Asia biologically navigated the post-glacial climate transition. The study also identifies a previously unknown 'ghost lineage' that contributed to the genetic makeup of subsequent hunter-gatherer groups in the Deccan Plateau, shedding new light on the deep ancestry of the Indian subcontinent.