RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Nature Reviews Genetics | Published online 14 Oct 2016; doi:10.1038/nrg.2016.135 present-day Papuans indicates that at POPULATION GENOMICS least 2% of their genome originates from an ancestor that separated from Africans earlier than other Eurasians, Off the beaten track estimated to be around 120 kya. This result is not necessarily contradictory to the first two studies, as these do Four new next-generation sequencing Australia. The authors sequenced 83 not entirely exclude minor contribu- studies in ancient and modern Pama–Nyungan-speaking Aboriginal tions from earlier migration waves. One of the humans report genomic insights from Australians and 25 Papuans from the A fourth publication by Skoglund recurring a large number of geographically New Guinea Highlands. Their analy- et al. focusses on Oceania, analys- diverse populations, adding greater sis of Aboriginal Australian genomic ing both ancient DNA from four themes has detail to our picture of human genetic diversity reveals shared genomic individuals who lived on the South been the variation and population history. signatures of a single out-of-Africa Pacific islands of Vanuatu and dispersal of The development of next- dispersal with Eurasians, with the two Tonga around 2.3–3.1 kya and DNA anatomically generation sequencing technologies populations diverging shortly after, obtained from 778 modern-day has provided unprecedented power estimated to be about 51–72 thousand individuals from East Asia and modern for inference in the field of popu- years ago (kya). The team also found Oceania. The team found that the humans out lation genetics, fuelling hopes that that Pama–Nyungan speakers and four ancient individuals had little of Africa answers to long-standing questions Highland Papuans descended from to no Papuan ancestry, suggesting regarding the origins of anatomically the ancestral population that first that existing Papuan ancestry in the modern humans may be close colonized Australia, and that they South Pacific resulted after the first at hand. One of the recurring diverged about 37 kya. peopling of the islands through later themes has been the dispersal of In a second study, Mallick et al. human population migrations. These anatomically modern humans find that present-day non-Africans findings based on ancient DNA are out of Africa, which has been the descended from a single ancestral in contrast to those of previously subject of substantial debate. population. The authors present published genetic studies, highlight- With a focus on demographically the Simons Genome Diversity ing the utility of and the need for smaller populations ignored by previ- Project (SGDP), the high-quality systematic analyses of ancient DNA ous sequencing projects, Malaspinas genome sequences of 300 individuals to detail population migrations and et al. provide a comprehensive cata- pertaining to 142 populations. The admixtures that have shaped the logue of human genetic diversity in chosen populations were selected so ancestry of present-day humans. as to cover a broad range of human Taken together, this vast catalogue genetic, linguistic and cultural of novel high-quality genomes from diversity. The authors posit that their diverse populations will allow new results are in keeping with skeletal inferences to be made and existing and archaeological evidence showing models of human migration patterns the presence of early modern humans to be refined, furthering our outside of Africa if early migrations understanding of human history. occurred but did not contribute Linda Koch notably to present-day populations. In a third study, Pagani et al. pres- ORIGINAL ARTICLES Malaspinas, A.-S. et al. A genomic history of Aboriginal Australia. Nature ent the Estonian Biocentre Human http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature18299 (2016) | Genome Diversity Panel (EGDP), Mallick, S. et al. The Simons Genome Diversity a dataset that comprises 483 high- Project: 300 genomes from 142 diverse populations. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ coverage human genome sequences nature18964 (2016) | Pagani, L. et al. Genomic from 148 global populations, analyses inform on migration events during the peopling of Eurasia. Nature http://dx.doi.org/ Charles Wollertz/Alamy including 379 new genomes from 10.1038/nature19792 (2016) | Skoglund, P. et al. 125 populations. The EGDP findings Genomic insights into the peopling of the match a multiple-dispersal model, as Southwest Pacific. Nature http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1038/nature19844 (2016) an early expansion of anatomically FURTHER READING Veeramah, K. R. & modern humans from Africa can Hammer, M. F. The impact of whole-genome be detected today in Australasia. sequencing on the reconstruction of human population history. Nat. Rev. Genet. 15, 149–162 (2014) Specifically, a genetic signature in NATURE REVIEWS | GENETICS www.nature.com/nrg ©2016 Mac millan Publishers Li mited, part of Spri nger Nature. All ri ghts reserved. .