Image Credit: Helen Farr and Erich Fisher

A new study confirms that humans arrived in Australia 60000 years ago

A major genetic study has strengthened support for the “long chronology” of Australia’s human history, showing that modern humans reached northern Australia about 60,000 years ago — far earlier than some previous estimates. The research, published in Science Advances, analyzed 2,456 genomes from ancient and living Indigenous communities across Oceania, creating the most comprehensive dataset yet for tracing early migrations into Sahul, the ancient continent that once connected Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea.
The results indicate that the first arrivals came through two separate migration routes, one from southern Sunda (today’s Indonesian islands) and another from northern Sunda (the Philippine region). Although these groups originally belonged to the same population that left Africa 70,000–80,000 years ago, they appear to have split while moving eastward through South or Southeast Asia.
All statistical models in the study point to a settlement date of around 60,000 years ago, aligning with archaeological and oceanographic evidence. The findings also show that Aboriginal Australians and Papuans hold some of the oldest continuous ancestry outside Africa.
Researchers say the early migrants likely interbred with several archaic human species in Southeast Asia, including Homo luzonensis, Homo longi, and possibly even the small-bodied Homo floresiensis — the so-called “hobbits” — although the extent of this contact remains uncertain.
Beyond dating, the study underscores the remarkable seafaring skills required to reach Sahul, despite the absence of direct archaeological evidence for boats from this period. It also supports long-held views in many Aboriginal communities about their deep and enduring connection to Country and Sea Country, extending back at least 60,000 years.

Published on: 28-11-2025

Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie

Source: Live Science