Sinhalese migrated from South India, mixed heavily with Adivasi post-migration, genome study finds
For the study, whole genomes of 35 urban Sinhalese individuals and 19 individuals from two indigenous Adivasi clans were sequenced. Of the 19 genomes of Adivasi clans that were sequenced, five were from Interior Adivasi and 14 were from Coastal Adivasi. The sampling and data generation became possible due to the outreach efforts of Sri Lankan collaborator, Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe from the University of Colombo. In addition, the whole genome data of 35 Sri Lankan Tamils sampled in the UK, which were already sequenced as part of the 1,000 Genomes Project, were included in the analyses.
Sinhalese chronicles and previous genetic studies had proposed that Sinhalese had migrated from northern or northwest India around 500 BCE, though their exact origins and migratory history are still debated. That Sinhalese speak an Indo-European language, Sinhala, whose present-day distribution lies primarily in northern India further supports the idea of their migration from northern India. But the current study contradicts the findings of the previous studies from a genetic perspective. 'The genetic ancestries and their proportions in the Adivasi and Sinhalese are most similar to Dravidian speaking populations who live in Southern India today,' says Dr. Niraj Rai from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow and one of the corresponding authors of the paper.
Also Read | Genome study: 180 million genetic variants found in 9,772 individuals
'Even among South Indian populations, we find that the Sinhalese are genetically closest to those communities that have higher proportions of the so-called ASI or Ancestral South Indian ancestry. In contrast to many North Indians, these populations generally have lower levels of a genetic ancestry related to ancient groups from the Eurasian Steppe, proposed to have carried Indo-European languages into South Asia and that are today spoken widely in northern regions of India,' says Dr. Maanasa Raghavan, Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago and a corresponding author of the study. But how does one reconcile the fact that Sinhalese speak a language that is classified as Indo-European, which today is spoken mostly in North India?
The authors explain that genes do not reflect linguistic affinities, and biological and cultural evolution can have different trajectories. They speculate that this genetic-linguistic discordance may have been caused by the Sinhalese population having migrated from somewhere in North India geographically, but genetically speaking, the migration may have come from a group that resembles more South Indian Dravidian speakers today.
An alternative explanation is that a small group of Sinhalese, perhaps representing the elite, might have migrated to Sri Lanka and transmitted the language but not genes. 'If the Sinhalese were derived from a North Indian genetic cluster with higher Steppe-related ancestry, mixing had to have happened with ASI populations to dilute their genetic ancestries and pull them genetically closer to South Indian populations in our analyses. More anthropological studies are needed to fully understand these differing genetic and cultural affinities of the Sinhalese,' Dr. Raghavan says.
The time of formation of the Sinhalese genetic pool was dated in the study to about 3,000 years ago, falling within the range of dates displayed broadly by Indian and other Sri Lankan populations and around the time of the proposed migration date of the Sinhalese in the chronicles (500 BCE). 'The date our analysis reveals is interesting. It implies that the Sinhalese ancestors migrated to Sri Lanka fairly close in time to the dynamic genetic mixing events that were occurring about 2,000-4,000 years ago in India that created the ANI-ASI genetic spectrum we see in today's populations,' Dr. Rai explains.
Sinhalese chronicles also say that when Sinhalese migrated from India to Sri Lanka about 3,000 years ago, Adivasi were already existing in Sri Lanka. This is also supported by anthropological studies that propose that Adivasi are descended from early hunter-gatherers in the region. The Adivasi are, in fact, traditionally hunter-gatherers and the Indigenous peoples of Sri Lanka.
'At a broad scale, Adivasi today look genetically very similar to the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamil. This must mean that the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, or other groups migrating from South India must have met the Adivasi, mixed with them heavily, and contributed to what is the present-day genetic structure of the Adivasi,' Dr. Raghavan says.
Sinhalese and Adivasi are close to each other and share broad-level genetic similarities, but on a fine-scale demographic resolution, the study found that the two Adivasi clans are a bit different from the Sinhalese. The Adivasi have slightly higher levels of ancient hunter-gatherer ancestry than the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils, and have maintained smaller population sizes over the course of their history, both of which support their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle. The Adivasi genomes also display signatures of endogamy, which appear as long stretches of DNA inherited from a common ancestor. The study further reports that a consequence of the low population size and endogamy is that the genetic diversity in the Adivasi is lower than the urban populations, which may have an impact on their health and disease status.
While both Adivasi clans maintained lower population sizes compared to the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils, the authors found that the Interior Adivasi clan seemed to have undergone a stronger reduction in their population size compared to the Coastal Adivasi, leading to a greater loss of their genetic diversity. 'We find the two Adivasi clans — the Coastal Adivasi and the Interior Adivasi — also have some differences in their genetic ancestry arising due to distinct geographic separation between them,' says Dr. Rai.
This, according to Dr. Raghavan, indicates that the Interior Adivasi clan must have undergone stronger pressures, perhaps societal or environmental, to keep the population size lower compared to their Coastal counterparts. Explaining how the two Adivasi clans are more similar to each other, but still have genetic differences at a fine scale, she says that this basically means that at some point in time, due to geographic separation, the genetic and lifestyle attributes of the two clans started to drift apart.
In fact, the fragmented nature of the Adivasi clans also impacted the study sampling strategy. While 35 individuals representing the two large groups — Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils — have been included in the analyses, the numbers for the two Adivasi populations are small — five for interior Adivasi and 14 for coastal Adivasi.
Though it would be ideal to keep matched sample sizes of different populations for genetic analyses, the reason for including only small numbers for the two Adivasi clans was because the Adivasi communities today are very fragmented. 'Historical, anthropological, as well as our genetic results all suggest that these communities live in small sizes and practice endogamy,' says Dr. Raghavan. 'Because of endogamy, a lot of these individuals tend to be quite related to one another. Having really high relatedness in a group impacts the genetic analyses because then everybody's going to look like each other. So that's why our sample sizes were lower for the two Adivasi clans.'
Despite the number of individuals representing the two Adivasi clans being small, the researchers were able to recapture the entire population history of these two groups. The study was able to address the questions that the researchers set out to do despite the Adivasi sample sizes being small, says Dr. Raghavan. 'Since every individual's genome is a mosaic of their ancestor's genomes, even a small number of individuals can represent their population's genetic histories. Moreover, we didn't find any genetic outliers within the Adivasi clans. So, all the sampled individuals fit into the model that we propose,' clarifies Dr. Rai.
'This is the first time that high-resolution genome data have been sequenced from multiple populations in Sri Lanka, including the Indigenous Adivasi and urban Sinhalese, to understand the deeply rooted ancestries and their population histories,' says Dr. Rai. Broadly, the study has important implications for how humans moved across South Asia and highlights the high degree of interconnectedness between India and Sri Lanka over millennia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
More than 50% of India's future startups will rise outside metros: Report
A report by the Bengaluru chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs has projected that more than 50% of Indian startups by 2035 will emerge from Tier 2/3 districts. Titled 'India as a Startup Superpower by 2035,A Strategic Roadmap', the report was released at the 10th edition of the Matrix Global Summit by TiE Bangalore. It was prepared with inputs from more than 60 ecosystem leaders, including founders, investors, policy experts, and academic institutions. The report calls for a nationwide shift from 'Startup India' to 'Entrepreneurial Bharat', where entrepreneurship is no longer a metro-driven phenomenon, but a grassroots movement embedded in school curricula, regional economic clusters, and national priorities. It outlines actionable strategies to democratise access to capital, embed entrepreneurial education across academic institutions, and streamline regulatory policies to support high-impact founders across every Indian district. The document also positions entrepreneurship as a core life skill, proposing its inclusion across 75% of secondary schools and 80% of higher education institutions by 2035. Covering themes across policy, capital, academia, talent, and deep tech, it explores how India can create an innovation economy that contributes 15% to GDP, creates 50 million new jobs, and generates 100+ IPOs on global exchanges by 2035. 'This is not just a report, it's a strategic invitation to reimagine India's innovation trajectory,' said Madan Padaki, President, TiE Bangalore and Trustee, TiE Global. Mission mode programmes Infosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan, who spoke at the event, noted that an entrepreneurial mindset should come into the research ecosystem. 'The research ecosystem is still in the olden days. It needs to start thinking big. We can do it,' he said noting that ISRO and DRDO are proofs of that. Mr. Gopalakrishnan also suggested every institute in the country must come up with three or four 'mission mode programmes' every year. 'These are large multi-year, multi-disciplinary mission mode programmes, like creating the human brain atlas, cure for cancer, cure for Alzheimer's, understanding dementia, creating an autonomous vehicle... In IIT Madras they want to do hyper loop. Every institute must do that. They are doing hundreds of thousands of small incremental projects, like publishing papers. Let that go on. But they must come up with a mission mode programme because the spin out from that will be really large. We need to look at global leadership and creating large businesses with export potential,' he said.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Rare wildlife sightings across Maha: Genetic phenomena or deeper malaise
As many as three recent sightings of rare wild animals across vastly different ecosystems of Maharashtra have brought both excitement and unease to the wildlife conservation community. Verified by forest officials by June 15, this is believed to be the first videographic/photographic evidence of melanism in Dholes in India in nearly 90 years. (HT) While the sightings of a melanistic (dark pigmentation) Indian wild dog (Dhole) near the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, a black Indian jackal in Baramati's grasslands, and a leucistic (reduced pigmentation/white) leopard cub in Ratnagiri's forests are being hailed as rare genetic phenomena, experts warn that these anomalies could point to deeper maladies of ecological stress, shrinking gene pools and hybridisation risks in India's shape-shifting wild zones. The most striking of these sightings is that of a black Dhole or Indian wild dog, recorded by a tourist near a village bordering the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve on May 7, 2025. Verified by forest officials by June 15, this is believed to be the first videographic/photographic evidence of melanism in Dholes in India in nearly 90 years. The only recorded case prior to this is in 1936 when Scottish naturalist R C Morris documented a black Dhole in the forests of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Dholes are normally reddish-brown in colour and known for their complex pack dynamics, speed, and cooperative hunting abilities. 'That such a rare genetic mutation surfaced in the buffer zone of a forest reserve has sparked curiosity among researchers, with forest department officials too installing trap cameras in the area,' said Amit Bhise, assistant conservator of forests, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. A fortnight before the sighting of the melanistic Dhole, forest staff in Ratnagiri confirmed that a leucistic leopard cub—its coat pale white due to the lack of melanin—was sighted by patrolling teams, and is believed to have been relocated to safety by its mother. While the leopard cub remains under observation in the wild, the discovery is an addition to the growing list of (pigmentation) anomalies being documented in the state. A week prior to the sighting of the leucistic leopard cub, on April 23, a black jackal was spotted in the grasslands near Mayureshwar wildlife sanctuary in Baramati. Jackals in India are usually golden or tawny in colour, and a fully melanistic jackal is almost unheard of in the wild. The grasslands where the animal was seen are home to carnivores such as wolves, striped hyenas and golden jackals, but are also increasingly under pressure from agriculture and development. Tushar Chavan, deputy conservator of forests (wildlife), Pune forest department, said, 'Melanism is a biological phenomenon among animals. It may or may not pass on to the next generation of that particular wild animal. However, it does not have any impact on the capability of the animal. After the recent sightings, we need to be more watchful about similar such sightings.' While these sightings are generally being hailed as rare genetic phenomena, scientists studying wild carnivores and their genetics are of the view that these incongruities may be more than isolated quirks. Melanism, the condition caused by excess melanin leading to a black coat, can occur naturally due to recessive mutation. In leopards, such cases are seen occasionally and are sometimes advantageous for camouflage in dense forests. But the frequency, geography and species involved in the said sightings raises ecological questions that go far beyond genetics. According to Neha Panchamia, founder of the Pune-based RESQ Charitable Trust, melanism can sometimes provide benefits—especially in forested environments where it may improve stealth during hunts. But in open or semi-arid areas such as Baramati's grasslands, a dark coat could reduce an animal's ability to blend in, making it more visible to predators or prey. While melanism or leucism does not necessarily affect an animal's health, the rarity of these conditions can draw (unwanted) attention from poachers and wildlife traffickers. The more worrying possibility, however, is that some of these pigmentation changes—particularly in jackals—may be a consequence of hybridisation with feral dogs. According to Dr Abi Tamim Vanak, senior fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), hybridisation is among the most serious but often overlooked threats to the integrity of wildlife species in India. He points out that the animals resulting from such crossbreeding may not have the instinctual behaviours necessary for survival in the wild and that their altered traits could disrupt predator-prey dynamics and subsequently, ecological balance. Dr Vanak stresses that the growing interface between human settlements and protected areas is facilitating such genetic exchange. In case of jackals, the infiltration of canine genes could significantly compromise the long-term viability of wild populations. He argues that managing feral dog populations near wildlife corridors and forest boundaries must now become a priority for state forest departments if they are to prevent further genetic dilution in native carnivores such as the Indian wolf, golden jackal and even foxes. Furthermore, the sightings highlight the urgent need for research infrastructure and genetic mapping in Maharashtra's protected areas. While forest departments have responded with trap cameras and additional patrolling in some areas, conservation experts say that a deeper, more coordinated scientific response is missing. Rare sightings often go viral and rouse public interest, but without genetic sampling, long-term tracking, and habitat monitoring, the data they generate remains superficial. Also, some researchers believe that the recurrence of such anomalies across different regions—from Sahyadri's moist deciduous forests to Baramati's dry plains to Ratnagiri's coastal ranges—could indicate stress within isolated animal populations. Fragmented habitats, loss of prey base, encroachment, and absence of viable wildlife corridors may be reducing gene flow, making rare recessive traits more visible. In evolutionary terms, such traits might have been suppressed in genetically healthy and widely connected animal populations. Overall, the sightings may offer hope that Maharashtra's forests still harbour biodiversity which is under-documented and poorly understood however conservationists warn that the excitement around them must not overshadow the harder questions they pose – about how land is used, how species interact, and how much space the wild still has in an increasingly human-dominated landscape.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
‘India can become a true leader in quantum computing'
How are you looking at India's quantum computing potential, especially the Amravati quantum valley? Quantum, as a technology, has been around for a long time. We are now at a point where it will become the mainstream technology in the next few years, because it enables us to address problems which traditional computing cannot do. If we can build the right ecosystem, with govt, academics, and industry working together, I think India can really unleash the power of quantum computing in a way that no one else has done. I think India has the potential of truly becoming a leader in quantum around the world. When it comes to Amaravati, this will be the first quantum computer in South Asia. The 156 Qbit IBM quantum computer two will enable the creation of an ecosystem around it to scale up the operations. Given the scale and size of the operations a quantum computer can do, there are fears that it will take away a lot of jobs... Whenever a technology, evolution, or progress has happened in the world, it has always changed the nature of work that humans do. If you don't embrace the change, you will become obsolete because technological progress is a continuous process. And these days it is happening at a much more exponential speed and scale than it has happened before. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo In case of quantum computing also, we have to think how it is enabling us to solve problems for humanity, for industry, for businesses, because technology by itself is worthless unless it solves human problems. This may take away 100 jobs, but it will actually enable us to do things which may end up creating a thousand jobs. Can you give some examples where immediate solutions can be found with quantum computing? Drug discovery can be one. We have many Indian firms in biotech and pharmaceuticals. If you improve the drug discovery process and make it faster, it will enable these companies to be more competitive on the global stage. Quantum computing is also used to drive engineering simulations. As India becomes more of a manufacturing hub, there are engineering problems and simulations that it can do at large scale and improve capabilities. There are also fears that all existing systems will become redundant once quantum computing comes into existence... Cyber crime has become a big threat now, with cyber crooks becoming smarter in terms of how to hack systems. So, quantum cryptography can be a real use case in today's scenario not only for India, but across the world. In long term, quantum cryptography will be very important to keep systems more secure because it will enhance the levels of system safety. How do you find doing business with Andhra Pradesh govt? It has been very good. They have been very, very supportive. More importantly, there is a level of passion, enthusiasm and aggressiveness which I think is very, very positive. I mean we started talking about this in March. We have signed an MOU in record time and if everything goes well, we will have a machine here soon. AP govt has Jan 1, 2026 as the target to launch Amaravati quantum valley. Are you confident of doing it in this short span? You must get the environment ready for it. I think the govt is aggressively building that. And then we will have the machines. This is a big thing for India. Having a machine in India itself is a huge thing. Those who are part of our network are accessing the real quantum computer on cloud. So, they don't have to come down to Amravati to access the computer? No. A lot of people have been asking me will everyone have to come to Amravati and log in. No, this is available on the cloud. I think what is good is this will be in India. So, the pipes to access it become easier. You have data residency here, so it makes it easier for people and govt to use it where you don't have to connect over the cloud to the US. By when we can expect to see the real use cases of quantum computer? The technology is still new. We believe over the next three to five years we will actually see use cases at scale. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
