A groundbreaking genetic study published in Nature Genetics has identified a previously unknown "ghost lineage" among 8,000-year-old skeletal remains found in the Western Ghats. This population, designated as "Lineage S," appears to have remained genetically isolated from the broader Ancestral South Indian (ASI) clusters for several millennia, suggesting a deep-seated refugium for hunter-gatherer groups during the early Holocene.
The research, led by an international consortium of paleogeneticists, utilized advanced shotgun sequencing to map the entire genome. The findings suggest that these groups possessed unique genetic adaptations for high-humidity environments and specific resistance to tropical febrile illnesses. This discovery challenges existing models of post-glacial migration and highlights the complex mosaic of human ancestry within the Indian subcontinent.