ACROSS aims to add to the understanding of the movement of people through Sunda and into Sahul by combining a detailed study of land and seascapes with a study of population history and movement.
Archaeogenetics and Population History
Work Package 3
This work package is led by our beneficiary partner Martin Richards within the Archaeogenetic laboratory at the University of Huddersfield. The key aims of this work package include:
- Sampling of 1280 new mitogenomes
- Phylogeographic analysis to trace early dispersal routes and founder analysis to estimate first arrival times and split times, skyline plots to estimate population sizes and growth
- Fresh age estimates from Y-chromosome data and fresh phylogeographic analyses: compare mtDNA and test for sex-specific patterns, to be interpreted in terms of seafaring and migration.
- High-quality full genome sequences: 100 whole human genomes from Sahul, from Aboriginal Australians, PNG and Timor. We now have unpublished data for 572,502 genome-wide SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphisms) for 305 individuals from 34 populations across Southeast Asia. Combined with published data we have a sample of 647 individuals from 47 populations.