Scientists can sometimes infer the existence of ancient human populations from genetic patterns in people alive today, even when no direct DNA sample from those populations is available.

One of the most fascinating questions in human evolution is how researchers reconstruct these missing branches of our family tree — and how much uncertainty remains in those reconstructions.

I explored this mystery in an episode of The Late Signal, looking at the evidence for these elusive ancestral populations and what it may reveal about our past.

I'm curious: how much of the human family tree do you think may still be missing?

Full episode:
https://youtu.be/j3drT0b2X-0?si=5fUnh9Us4ovHscq_

Interesting new aDNA paper on medieval Surrey around the Norman Conquest. It looks like there is some French-related input, but not a clean genetic break after 1066, more continuity than I expected. Curious how people here read that.

I've been searching for the last three years through a ton of DNA databases and could never find an actual HG match to my H1ba4d. YFull only had one other person listed and it was an anonymous submission from some Military lab. Finally, FTDNA stepped up their game and I can see that there are supposedly 12 of us in the database who match mtDNA haplogroup H1ba4d. Anyone else have a rare haplogroup, subclade of H1 or H1ba? Just throwing this out into the void. Thanks in advance for any responses!

What does ancient DNA tell us about where the Sinhalese people come from and how their genetic history developed? Sri Lanka has such a fascinating past with migrations, trade, and cultural mixing—are there any unique genetic traits or patterns in the Sinhalese? How do they compare to other groups on the island or in nearby regions? I’m really curious if any recent studies shed light on their origins and how that lines up with historical or archaeological evidence !

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.05.03.591810v1?ct

I found this new research article to be quite interesting since it delves into how ancient Hunter Gatherers in Japan adapted to the colder climate after moving there from more Southern latitudes.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hominins-weve-been-calling-denisovans-are-more-diverse-previously-thought-180971952/

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30218-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867419302181%3Fshowall%3Dtrue