A paleogenomic analysis of 6,500-year-old skeletal remains from the peripheral sites of the Rakhigarhi complex has identified a significant genetic adaptation related to insulin regulation and fat storage. The study, appearing in Science Advances, indicates that these early agro-pastoralist populations underwent rapid selective pressure for metabolic efficiency, allowing them to survive prolonged seasonal famines and water scarcity.
This "thrifty gene" signature provides the first genetic evidence of how prehistoric Indian populations adapted to the increasingly erratic climate of the Ghaggar-Hakra basin during the transition to the Mature Harappan phase. The research further confirms that these groups were the direct ancestors of the urban dwellers of the Indus Valley, establishing a long-term genetic continuity linked to climatic environmental resilience.