Largest-Ever Ancient-Modern Y-Chromosome Resource Reconstructs the Complex Paternal Peopling of East Asia

A large-scale Y-chromosome study led by Meng-Ge Wang, with first authors Guang-Lin He and Zhiyong Wang, was published on 3 April 2026 in Science Advances (12(14)). The authors integrated 17,740 present-day unrelated males and 977 ancient Y-chromosome datasets, newly sequencing 1,045 individuals from previously under-sampled groups, to build the most complete time-calibrated East Asian Y-chromosome phylogeny to date.

At the root, early paternal lineages trace back to differentiated C, D and F clades, consistent with Paleolithic dispersals into East Asia from south of the Himalayas. Deep branches such as F and N1b are found mainly in southwest China, making them key nodes for understanding early geographic structure.

In the Neolithic, the rise of millet and rice farming coincides closely with rapid paternal expansions: O1 and O2 branches undergo marked population growth, while N1b is linked to the formation of Tibeto-Burman-speaking populations. The study also distinguishes two different southward routes — inland and coastal — arguing against a single corridor model for the peopling of East Asia.

The authors note that earlier discussions of East Asian paternal history were constrained by sampling bias among modern individuals and by the scarcity of ancient genomes. By filling several sampling gaps, this resource places divergence times, geographic distributions and cultural shifts on a common, better-calibrated timescale.

Source: He G.-L., Wang Z. et al., corr. Wang M.-G. Science Advances, 12(14), 2026-04-03.