University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 1-1-2020 Papuan mitochondrial genomes and the settlement of Sahul Nicole Pedro Nicolas Brucato Veronica Fernandes Mathilde Andre Lauri Saag See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers1 Publication Details Citation Pedro, N., Brucato, N., Fernandes, V., Andre, M., Saag, L., Pomat, W., Besse, C., Boland, A., Deleuze, J., Clarkson, C. J., Sudoyo, H., Metspalu, M., Stoneking, M., Cox, M., Leavesley, M., Pereira, L., & Ricaut, F. (2020). Papuan mitochondrial genomes and the settlement of Sahul. Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B. Retrieved from https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers1/1389 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library:
[email protected] Papuan mitochondrial genomes and the settlement of Sahul Abstract New Guineans represent one of the oldest locally continuous populations outside Africa, harboring among the greatest linguistic and genetic diversity on the planet. Archeological and genetic evidence suggest that their ancestors reached Sahul (present day New Guinea and Australia) by at least 55,000 years ago (kya). However, little is known about this early settlement phase or subsequent dispersal and population structuring over the subsequent period of time. Here we report 379 complete Papuan mitochondrial genomes from across Papua New Guinea, which allow us to reconstruct the phylogenetic and phylogeographic history of northern Sahul. Our results support the arrival of two groups of settlers in Sahul within the same broad time window (50–65 kya), each carrying a different set of maternal lineages and settling Northern and Southern Sahul separately.