Population increase and environmental deterioration correspond with microlithic innovations in South Asia ca. 35,000 years ago

Genetic studies of South Asia's population history have led to postulations of a significant and early population expansion in the subcontinent, dating to sometime in the Late Pleistocene. We evaluate this argument, based on new mtDNA analyses, and find evidence for significant demographic tran...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2009-07, Vol.106 (30), p.12261-12266
Main Authors: Petraglia, Michael, Clarkson, Christopher, Boivin, Nicole, Haslam, Michael, Korisettar, Ravi, Chaubey, Gyaneshwer, Ditchfield, Peter, Fuller, Dorian, James, Hannah, Jones, Sacha, Kivisild, Toomas, Koshy, Jinu, Lahr, Marta Mirazón, Metspalu, Mait, Roberts, Richard, Arnold, Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeology
Archaeology - methods
Asia
Demography
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Ecology
Environmental archaeology
Evolutionary genetics
Genetic research
Genetics
Genetics, Population
Geography
History of technology
Human genetics
Humans
Material culture
Mitochondrial DNA
Population
Population Dynamics
Population genetics
Population Growth
Population size
Social Sciences
South Africa
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Summary:Genetic studies of South Asia's population history have led to postulations of a significant and early population expansion in the subcontinent, dating to sometime in the Late Pleistocene. We evaluate this argument, based on new mtDNA analyses, and find evidence for significant demographic transition in the subcontinent, dating to 35-28 ka. We then examine the paleoenvironmental and, particularly, archaeological records for this time period and note that this putative demographic event coincides with a period of ecological and technological change in South Asia. We document the development of a new diminutive stone blade (microlithic) technology beginning at 35-30 ka, the first time that the precocity of this transition has been recognized across the subcontinent. We argue that the transition to microlithic technology may relate to changes in subsistence practices, as increasingly large and probably fragmented populations exploited resources in contracting favorable ecological zones just before the onset of full glacial conditions.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0810842106