A Genomic View of the Pleistocene Population History of Asia

The advent of next-generation DNA sequencing technologies over the past decade has had a transformative effect on the study of human population history. Advances in the retrieval and analysis of ancient DNA from human remains for the first time offer a direct window into our genetic past. These data sets have revealed an increasingly complex picture of human demographic history in Asia, suggesting multiple waves of migration across the continent and repeated episodes of admixture with archaic humans such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. I review seminal earlier studies and discuss some of the more exciting recent results emerging from these data sets, ranging from the early dispersal into Australia and Oceania to the peopling of Far Northeastern Asia. I also highlight important limitations of genetic data and discuss open questions and future research directions.