A new paleogenomic study in Science Advances has successfully sequenced the DNA of remains found at a high-altitude site in the Karakoram Range, dating back to the late Pleistocene. The analysis reveals a distinct genetic signature characterized by specific variations in the EPAS1 and PRKAA1 genes, which are associated with enhanced metabolic efficiency and resistance to extreme cold and hypoxia.
This research identifies a previously unknown 'ghost' lineage that inhabited the high-altitude corridors between Central and South Asia long before the arrival of Neolithic farmers. The findings indicate that human adaptation to the world's most extreme environments occurred in a highly specialized manner over 14,000 years ago, following a unique evolutionary path independent of the later Tibetan Plateau adaptations.