Genetic Linguistic Archaeological Perspectives on Human Diversity in Southeast Asia

187 Pages·2002·8.96 MB·English

by  Li Jin

Recent Advances in Human Biology - Volume
^ Genetic, Linguistic and
3 pi Archaeological Perspectives
*? on Human Diversity in
World Scientific
Genetic, Linguistic and
Archaeological Perspectives
on Human Diversity in
Southeast Asia
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©
Recent Advances in Human Biology - Volume
Series editor: Charles E. Oxnard
Centre for Human Biology
The University of Western Australia
Genetic, Linguistic and
Archaeological Perspectives
on Human Diversity in
Southeast Asia
Yunnan University, China 26 - 27 June 2000
Editors
Li Jin
Human Generics Center, School of Public Health
University of Texas, Houston, USA
Mark Seielstad
Program for Population Generics, Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard University, Boston, USA
Chunjie Xiao
Human Genetics Center, Yunnan University, China
0 World Scientific
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
GENETIC, LINGUISTIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
ON HUMAN DIVERSITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Copyright © 2001 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
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ISBN 981-02-4784-2
Printed in Singapore by Mainland Press
PREFACE
Southeast Asia has the longest record of human (or hominid) habitation
outside of Africa, and it has occupied a pivotal role for most of the nearly
two million years following the arrival of Homo erectus in what is now Java.
The first modern occupants of Oceania (or Sahuland, generally, including
Australia), East Asia, Polynesia, Madagascar, and perhaps even the Americas
emanated directly from this region, which itself has been the scene of
tremendous cultural innovation and variation.
Despite the apparent centrality of the region in the history of our species,
it has been relatively little studied by geneticists. This situation is rapidly
changing, with the arrival of new generations of scientists in the region; an
increasing awareness of its cultural and genetic variation amongst scientists
in East Asia, Europe, and the Americas; and the arrival of new and powerful
genetic markers, mostly from the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA.
With a view toward galvanizing research in this area and creating a
collaborative and cooperative spirit amongst scientists interested in the
region, we organized an international conference in June 2000 at the
University of Yunnan in Kunming, China. The papers in the present volume
result from this intimate meeting, though papers from Satoshi Horai
(Hayama; mitochondrial variation in East Asian populations) Jeremy
Martinson (Nottingham; hemoglobin variants in Insular SE Asia), Sangkot
Marzuki (Jakarta; mitochondrial variation in Insular SE Asia), Laurent Sagart
(Paris; linguistics), and Mark Stoneking (Leipzig; evidence against
recombination in mitochondrial DNA) are not published here.
At the outset, we identified five major lines of research that are or might
be the subject of population genetics research in the region:
1. Assessing the probability of any gene flow between Homo erectus
and modern human populations in SE Asia. Currently, there is no
evidence of any such gene flow, but the possibility of limited genetic
contact has not been entirely excluded. Since Homo erectus appears
to have occupied the region until as recently as 30,000 years ago, this
is one region where modern and archaic humans may have
overlapped for the greatest length of time. Recent work has all but
excluded the possibility of Y-chromosomal gene flow from archaic
to modern populations in Asia, but the autosomes with their fourfold
V
VI Preface
greater probability of preserving an ancient lineage have not yet been
thoroughly examined.
2. Tracing and dating the entry and subsequent migrations of the first
anatomically modern humans, who appear to have followed a coastal
route from Africa, reaching SE Asia more rapidly than points further
inland.
3. Assessing the possibility of an agriculturally driven demic (vs.
cultural) expansion of more northern populations into SE Asia,
possibly at the expense of 'relict' populations such as the Negritos of
Malaysia and the Philippines.
4. Determining the contribution of Asian populations to the settlement
of the Pacific and the Americas.
5. Assessing the effects of cultural practices such as polygyny,
patrilocality, and uxorilocality on the patterns of variation on the X
and Y chromosome, the autosomes, and mitochondrial DNA.
Population Genetics is a synthetic field, which must integrate the genetic
results with those from archeology, paleontology, and linguistics. The first
chapters present the perspectives of linguists, archeologists, and
paleontologists on the origins of East and Southeast Asian populations, and
they are followed by sections on genetic perspectives on the 'peopling' of
each of the major geographic regions whose beginnings may trace to SE
Asia.
This international conference was a great success in bringing together a
considerable number of researchers interested in SE Asian populations. We
hope that this small community of researchers will continue the spirit of
collaboration begun at this conference, placing SE Asian genetic studies at
the forefront of population genetics research.
Preface VII
We would like to thank the staff of the Biology Department at Yunnan
University for their unflagging efforts to make this conference a success.
Support for the attendance of some participants was provided by Mike Pellini
and Kristin Ardlie of Genomics Collaborative in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sara Ann Barton of the Human Genetics Center, University of Texas,
Houston worked tirelessly and extremely thoroughly to edit and typeset this
entire volume. Her efforts are greatly appreciated and the results are clear in
the book's pleasing layout.
Mark Seielstad
Cascade, Idaho
Li Jin
Houston, Texas
Chunjie Xiao
Kunming, Yunnan
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CONTRIBUTORS
Chu, Jiayou
Institute of Medical Biology
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
379 Jiaoling Rd.
Kunming 650118, P.R. China
E-mail: [email protected]
Deka, Ranjan
Department of Environmental Sciences
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 670056
Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0056, USA
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: ranjandeka(Sjuc.edu
Higham, C.F.W.
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
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