Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Goroka village in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Photo: Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research
New genetic analysis of people living in Papua New Guinea shows a sharp genetic divide between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago that was likely determined by whether their ancestors lived a more nomadic life in the highlands or a more sedentary one in the lowlands.
Why it matters: The genetic divide began at about the same time people began farming in the lowlands. In other parts of the world during the Bronze and Iron Ages, migration and innovations were the prime forces that shaped human evolution. But that doesn't seem to be the case in Papua New Guinea, where the transition to cultivating crops had the opposite effect. Study author geneticist Chris Tyler-Smith told Science that "is a big surprise."
How they did it: Researchers analyzed the genetic makeup of 381 people from 85 different language groups across Papua New Guinea, and also analyzed 39 genome sequences that had been previously generated from people there.
What it means: The researchers say the findings may indicate technological advances in the Bronze Age — not earlier agricultural ones — may have wiped out genetic groups in Europe, per Science.