Image Credit: Helen Farr and Erich Fisher

Study traces Australia and New Guinea settlement to two ancient routes

New interdisciplinary research suggests that the ancestors of present-day Aboriginal Australians and New Guineans descend from two closely related groups of modern humans who reached the ancient landmass of Sahul around 60,000 years ago.
During the last Ice Age, lower sea levels connected Australia and New Guinea into a single continent known as Sahul. How and when modern humans first reached this region has long been debated. The new study, published in Science Advances, brings together genetic, archaeological, and environmental evidence to clarify this early chapter of human history.
Researchers analyzed nearly 2,500 mitochondrial DNA sequences from populations in Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the western Pacific. Because mitochondrial DNA is passed down through the maternal line, it allows scientists to reconstruct population histories and estimate when different lineages diverged. Using calibrated genetic dating methods, the study found that the oldest lineages unique to Australia and New Guinea date to about 60,000 years ago.
The analysis also indicates that these early settlers arrived via at least two maritime routes from Southeast Asia. One route appears to have come from more northerly regions, while a second followed a more southerly pathway. Both groups seem to have arrived at roughly the same time, with one set of lineages spreading across both Australia and New Guinea, and the other remaining largely confined to Australia.
The findings support what is known as the “long chronology” for the settlement of Sahul, aligning with archaeological and fossil evidence that places modern humans in Southeast Asia and Australia at least 60,000 years ago. While the study is based on modern genetic data rather than ancient DNA—which rarely survives in tropical environments—the results offer a coherent model consistent with multiple lines of evidence.
Together, the research highlights the early development of seafaring skills and maritime mobility, and underscores the deep time depth of human occupation in Australia and New Guinea.

Published on: 25-12-2025

Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie

Source: Phys.org